A Tool that Enhances Education

A Tool that Enhances Education

Computers have been instrumental in improving the quality of life for many people all over the world. Computers have enhanced education to make teaching and learning more productive. Such a technology has given people more opportunities for gathering information and developing education in all subjects like English, science, math, history, and the arts. People like myself have benefited from the variety of programs that the computer has brought in this century such as writing and office programs, encyclopedias, the Internet, email, and online communities. In the century we live in today, the computer is not only considered to be an important tool, but a necessity in a business oriented society. Computers have also been and continue to be a productive tool, especially in the world of education.

In a critique titled "The Computer Delusion," Todd Oppenheimer, Associate Editor of Newsweek Interactive, argues that "the tremendous emphasis on computers and technology in elementary and secondary schools, and especially in the lower grades, can actually decrease the effectiveness of learning and teaching" (255). I disagree with Oppenheimer because with the proper use of computers, education can out do itself. Computers have and are still used productively in the classrooms to improve teaching and learning. Oddly enough, Oppenheimer included studies that he disagreed with on the five arguments that campaign the computerization of the nation's schools:

Computers improve both teaching practices and student achievement.

Computer literacy should be taught as early as possible; otherwise students will be left behind.

To make tomorrow's work force competitive in an increasingly high-tech world, l...

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...he home. With the proper use of computers teachers and students can use computers to help them with the curriculum. It is important for teachers to be guided and instructed on how to help benefit their students through the use of computers. The computer cannot take the place of a teacher because computers cannot speak or instruct students to read, write, and add, the way a real teacher would in a live situation. The presence of a live teacher is unique and necessary for a well-rounded education. People should not fear computers because they cannot replace the importance of a professional teacher. The computer should be used as a tool to enhance education and not replace it.

Works Cited

Oppenheimer, Todd. "The Computer Delusion." The Presence of

Others. Ed. Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewics. Boston/New

York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 255-285.