Obstacles and Solutions for Integrating Technology into English Language Arts

Technology has many benefits in the educational setting and content areas specifically.  However, in spite of the many benefits technology brings to the classroom environment, there are also some challenges that are posed by its presence as well.  The English Language Arts content area is not excluded from this truth.  While technology certainly increases the number of resources available to students for research or production of writing, there are also additional issues that must be addressed.

Effective teaching requires that teachers have a strong understanding of their content area.  Technology is constantly changing the environment in which students learn to read and write.  Because of this, it is increasingly difficult for teachers to remain on top of the newest trends and practices in the area of language arts.  At the same time, none of the expectations placed upon students for proficiency in this area have been lifted, but technological advances have added to the expectations.  Roblyer and Doering (2013) state that “digital literacies have added a new dimension and an array of required skills.  Teachers must now think in terms of visual and graphic literacy, as well as reading and writing literacy (p. 281).”

Technology has provided students with an even greater pool of valuable resources to work with when researching topics for writing assignments.  While many of the resources are authentic and credible, many of the sites and much of the content posted on the Internet, are not.  Students must be taught to be critical researchers and learn to identify sources that are credible.  Dana Lynn Driscoll and Allen Brizee, contributors to the Purdue OWL, even go so far as to state the ability to authenticate sources is an important life skills that students must develop (n.d.).

For younger students, integrating technology into language arts can pose more technical issues than internet content.  Students are expected to develop keyboarding skills at a younger age than ever, and some schools find themselves scrambling to figure out how to fit everything in.  Arguments have been made for and against the necessity of teaching handwriting in school, and have discussed the possibility of replacing it with keyboarding.  Integration of new standards, such as the Common Core State Standards, have mandated that students as young as third grade complete online assessments that require keyboarding skills to be in place.  In a report published by EdTech Magazine, it is reported that the standards require students to be proficient typists by the time they reach fourth grade (Ribiero, 2013).

In order to combat the issues that arise from technology use in the area of language arts, it is important that teachers and students are equipped with the proper solutions and tools to overcome them.  To effectively teach new digital literacies, Roblyer and Doering insist that teachers themselves must first become proficient in the digital literacies to make it possible to teach them to students (p. 281).  Teachers must also possess the skills to effectively analyze sources and to be critical of its authenticity.  There are a variety of tools available to internet consumers to evaluate website authenticity, and if a teacher struggles with this skill, using one of the tools is an effective way to develop necessary skills in this area.  In regard to students having to develop proficient typing skills at much younger ages than ever before, the solution is still unclear.  Debates are constantly taking place for and against teaching typing in place of handwriting, as previously discussed, but it is not a debate in which one side will prevail in the near future.  In the mean time, teachers at the elementary level must find ways to include activities within lessons that promote keyboard-use and skill development.

Integrating technology into the English Language Arts is not without obstacles.  However, with proactive planning by districts and teachers in the form of professional development and discussion, it is possible to overcome the challenges to implement technology successfully.

References:

Driscoll, D.L. & Brizee, A. (n.d.). Evaluating sources: Overview. Retrieved from: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/553/

Ribiero, R. (2013). Handwriting vs. typing: Which skill do students need most? EdTech Magazine.  Retrieved from: http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/10/handwriting-vs-typing-which-skill-do-students-need-most

Roblyer, M.D. & Doerling, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.