Technology Education and Resources for Families and Students

Education Technology and Resources
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Abstract
Technological advances promote classroom changes and learning goals and improve the learning experience. The targeted population in the study is the parents due to their critical role in shaping educational technology by assisting their children. The paper exhausts how the parents can help their children with distanced and non-traditional learning methods. The key need is digital literacy for the parents to assist their children in navigating technology education. The FLE program targets the parents due to their vital role in promoting distanced learning and other non-traditional training methods. The program's key goal is to promote long-life learning using technology education to promote patient involvement. Therefore, the program will enhance family education and students' success.
Introduction
Parents, researchers, and educators have been concerned about the impact of technology on education. Technology is becoming a more powerful tool since it is used to empower and motivate students by creating a conducive learning and interactive environment. Education technology is also significant in family education since it personalizes instruction and adaptation to the student's weaknesses and strengths (Reinke & Walcheski, 2015). Today's technological tools promote distanced learning and other skills such as effective communication due to virtual interaction between the students and instructors. Besides, digital tools, including apps, platforms, and devices, enable the students to track their progress and achieve their learning goals. The tools also facilitate effective communication between educators and students to promote success. Therefore education and technology are tied and allow the students to consider a conducive learning environment and learning goals. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shift in the classroom forcing the parents to assume the role of the educators to help their children navigate distanced learning. The shift during the pandemic shows that technology plays a significant role in educational engagement and interaction. Besides, parents should take advantage of digital tools to support their children. The paper addresses technology literacy among the parents and the need to connect families to digital learning resources.
Target Population Recap
The targeted population in the study is the parents due to their critical role in shaping educational technology and students' success. The paper exhausts how the parents can assist their children with distanced and non-traditional learning methods. The study targets the parents since they face different technical issues that would ensure smooth digital transformation and distance learning when addressed. Besides, targeting the parents is also significant since they play a key role in distanced learning by closely monitoring their children's progress from home. It is also their role to create a conducive learning environment for their children without disruptions to ensure they are in the same chapter with their educators. Therefore, the success of distanced and other non-traditional learning methods depends on the close interaction between the parents, students, and educators.
Needs Recap
The key need is technology education for the parents to allow them to assist the children in distanced learning. Besides, there is also a need to connect different families with affordable technology resources such as Wi-Fi to allow smooth distanced learning. Distanced learning has emerged to be critical in society, especially whenever there is a pandemic. For instance, COVID-19 caught many parents off-guard with inadequate technology literacy to assist their children. Therefore, there is a paucity between technology and education which can be sealed by ensuring the parents have adequate digital literacy and affordable technology resources. The needs were summarized through the interview, with most parents claiming a lack of online experiences and connectivity issues such as using the Wi-Fi. Lastly, the needs assessment showed a financial burden in promoting effective connectivity for smooth distanced learning. Therefore, more efforts are needed to ensure technology literacy for the parents to allow them to meet the online assistance thresholds for their children.
Literature Review
Synthesizing and recommending necessary actions depends on the review of past studies. However, to determine the actual needs among the parents, most studies focus on the COVI-19 pandemic. The duration allowed the parents to offer educational support to children using different online platforms and noted emerging challenges. Therefore, the resources also address the parent's needs, such as inadequate technological literacy and their roles in promoting long-distance and non-traditional learning methods.
According to Kolak et al. (2021), the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the parents to actively assist their children in online learning. Kolak et al. (2021) discovered that the pandemic also exposed the children to digital platforms such as Zoom by cheeping in whenever to assist them while they were in trouble accessing such platforms. The study used 10,545 parents to collect adequate information and understand their perspectives and difficulties with education technology. Kolak et al. (2021) found that the parents face the major problem of poor network connectivity, and most families also claimed excessive use of financial resources for accessing Wi-Fi services. Kolak et al. (2021) used a valid questionnaire to collect the information and analyzed it using thematic analysis. Kolak et al. (2021) also identified that the distanced learning was accompanied by the independency of the students, which improved their learning capacity. The major learning condition that the students experienced was spatial-material-technical learning which allowed them to acquire technical skills.
Stites et al. (2021) also agreed with Kolak et al. (2021) that the parents play a critical role in shaping distanced learning among their children. Stites et al. (2021) used a sample of 166 US parents to understand their experiences in distanced learning, especially during the pandemic. The major elements the study considered are obstacles faced by the parents and the resources they needed to promote technology-based learning. Similarly to Kolak et al. (2021), Stites et al. (2021) found that many parents lacked adequate technology resources and affordable Wi-Fi. Besides, parents also reported that the students did not have adequate time and a chance for social and emotional engagement. Most parents claimed that time determined the effectiveness of distanced learning (Stites et al., 2021). Therefore, it would be significant to focus on specific learning activities which do not consume more time to allow them to assist their children in learning and also conduct daily chores. The major subject that most parents discussed mathematical challenges during distance learning. Consequently, the study concluded that parents play a significant role in distanced learning and non-traditional learning methods.
According to Cavendish et al. (2017), transitioning educational technology requires the efforts of parents, such as digital support. Digital technology is significant since it considers individualized education programs. According to Cavendish et al. (2017), parents are equal partners in promoting distanced learning. However, different barriers exist that adversely impact their engagement in transforming to digitalized education. Cavendish et al. (2017) found that the involvement of the parents in distanced learning is accompanied by communication challenges and a lack of adequate inputs and social opportunities. Cavendish et al. (2017) studied 1,638 participants and highlighted the resources needed to transform educational technology and students' growth. Different research findings have also echoed the need to educate the parents through digital literacy programs to meet online learning thresholds. For instance, Cavendish et al. (2017) found that improved digital literacy among the parents would promote their involvement in non-traditional learning methods and online engagement. Cavendish et al. (2017) concluded that there is a need for educational planning to accommodate the parents in the digital learning transformation. Therefore, the study also justifies that parents play a significant role in digital learning and their children's success. More effort is needed to allow the parents to acquire technological literacy skills.
Bergman & Chan (2017) also justified the findings of Cavendish et al. (2017) that distanced learning requires maximum parental effort. Bergman & Chan (2017) found that families have a powerful stake in the student's academic growth. Leveraging the parents' engagement using reliable technology resources allows their children to acquire technology skills at a tender age (Bergman & Chan, 2017). Besides, it reduces the costly implementation of educational needs. However, the key barrier is that. Bergman & Chan (2017) identified technological information frictions which inhibit the parents from successfully engaging their children in digital learning. Bergman & Chan (2017) based their study on 11,000 households by sending a consent letter and using online interviews to collect the data. The parents actively participated in the study, with only 4% failing to respond properly (Bergman & Chan (2017). Similarly to Stites et al. (2021), Bergman & Chan (2017) found that a student's success relies on effective communication between the teachers, students, and parents. Besides, there is more frequent interaction between the students and parents than the teachers. Surprisingly, Bergman & Chan (2017) also identified a drop in the GPA among the students with minimal engagement with their parents during digital learning. Lastly, Bergman & Chan (2017) identified that parents talk to their children thrice a day during distanced learning. Therefore, parents need to mobilize adequate technology resources for...