HTML Preview Short Informative Essay Sample page number 1.
Sample Essay (800 words)
For the assignment question and analysis, see Sample essay 1
Education means considerably more than just teaching a student to read, write, and
manipulate numbers. Computers, the Internet, and advanced electronic devices are
becoming essential in everyday life and have changed the way information is gathered. How
this new technology is utilized in the curriculum and managed by teachers will have an
important role to play in widening the resource and knowledge base for all students.
Technology affects the way teachers teach and students learn. To make the best use of
information technology (IT), schools need a workable plan to fully integrate it into all aspects
of the curriculum so students are taught how, why, and when to use technology to further
enhance their learning.
If a school does not have a clear plan of how and why it wishes to implement IT, then it runs
the risk of wasting money. In schools today, nearly all classrooms have access to a computer.
However, many schools mistake this as incorporating information technology into the
curriculum. School staff need to research what IT is available and what would best serve the
school's purpose, not simply purchase the latest equipment. There should be a policy stating
how IT is going to assist pupils' development and what teachers want pupils to achieve
(Reksten, 2000). Staff members need to be clear about what they want IT to do for them
before they can start incorporating it into their lessons.
The only way information technology is going to be useful to schools is if all staff members
are well-informed and fully supported. It is the principal's responsibility, and should be part
of the school's plan, to ensure that all staff are consulted about the changes, and that the
change is carefully organised. Some teachers may be resistant, especially if they have not had
much experience with computers, so training teachers is essential in implementing IT into the
school curriculum. Staff members must feel involved in the process of acquiring technology,
and in learning how to operate it, in order for them to increase their confidence in using IT as
a curriculum tool. Teachers are only going to be able to incorporate IT into their lessons if
they are competent users themselves (Reksten, 2000).
In addition, teachers need to be aware that IT within the classroom is extremely flexible, but
that they need to plan what purpose IT serves in each lesson. The skills a child learns are the
Comment [de1]: Structure: Introductions
The essay begins with a general lead into the broad
topic by indicating the inadequacy of traditional
teaching alone. It sets up a problem that the essay
will solve. See
essay introduction.
Comment [de2]:
Format: Spacing
Essays are usually double-spaced or 1.5-line spaced.
See
formatting and layout.
Comment [de3]: Structure: Introductions
The topic is narrowed by affirming the significance
of IT for teachers and students.
Comment [de4]:
Structure: Introductions
The final sentence is the thesis statement. Notice
how the beginning of the sentence is constructed to
answer the essay question. It uses keywords from
the question: “best use”, “information technology”,
and “schools”. See
essay thesis statement.
Comment [de5]:
Format: Abbreviations
“Information technology” is followed by its
abbreviated form in brackets: “(IT)”.
Now that it has been defined, the abbreviation can
be used elsewhere in the essay.
Comment [de6]: Structure: Body paragraphs
The first sentence of this paragraph is the topic
sentence. It signals that the paragraph is about how
schools need a clear plan for implementing IT. This
point follows up on the first point made in the thesis
statement: schools need a workable plan. See
essay
body paragraphs.
Comment [de7]: Structure: Body paragraphs
This statement moves into specifics; it details
particular actions that a school can do to develop an
IT plan. See
essay body paragraphs.
Comment [de8]:
Referencing: In-text
citation
This in-text citation indicates that the idea
presented in this sentence is taken from an outside
source. The in-text citation gives the surname of the
author (Reksten) and the year the source was
published (2000). This citation uses APA style. See
APA in-text citation.
Comment [de9]:
Structure: Body paragraphs
The final sentence of the paragraph summarises and
restates the idea introduced at the start of the
paragraph.
Comment [de10]:
Referencing:
Paraphrasing
The idea in this sentence is taken from an outside
source, as indicated by the in-text citation. The
exact wording of the source has not been used, so
this is a paraphrase. See
paraphrasing and
summarising.