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Computers in classrooms and their effects
Negative effects of computer in classrooms
Negative effects of computer in classrooms
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In her article “In Defense of Laptops in the Classroom”, Rebecca Schuman, an education columnist for “Slate”, deals with the issue of having laptops in the classroom. Schuman believes that the rigid enforcement of the no-laptop rule infantilizes students and it is the students’ responsibility to be disciplined enough to not misuse the laptops in class, thus her views that laptops should be allowed in the classroom. Furthermore, they can be used to make learning more effective. While Schuman presents valid arguments for her stand, they are not persuasive for they lack concrete evidences and contain many assumptions. Schuman feels that the students themselves are responsible for their own discipline. Since the students are “old enough to vote and go to war”, they are therefore of the age to make their own decisions and “face the consequences”. While it is true that the root problem of laptop misuse stems from discipline, it is too sweeping to equate age with maturity and discipline. Discipline is, after all, developed and does not simply come with age. Since the main purpose of having laptops in the first place is to aid learning, should it then be more beneficial to inculcate self-discipline in the students than to leave them to their own devices? Moreover, by basing her argument on her assumption …show more content…
of students “learning everything the hard way in college”, Schuman raises a weak argument. Schuman believes that the rigid enforcement of the no-laptop rule infantilizes the students.
Although Schuman acknowledges that some spoon-feeding practices “improve” the learning outcomes, she feels that they also impede the independence of the students. She does so via the use of parenthesis to inject her personal take on the matter, such as “barf” and rhetorical sentences. While the use of parenthesis does enable her to deliver her point-of-view, her choice of words evokes a sense of condescension of the opposing views, creating a sarcastic tone. This effectively lowers the convincing factor of her arguments as it is too personal and is not supported by
evidences. On the other hand, Schuman does effectively offer plausible solutions to minimize the misuse of laptops in the classroom. Some of them include her “ask(ing) enough questions” and “interactive slideshows”. As a professor herself, she is able to experiment with these learning approaches and hence experience first-hand their effectiveness. However, she fails to evaluate and include the results of these approaches. Additionally, Schuman implied that the new generation of students is unable to “take notes” by hand, whereas she included “recent studies” from renowned universities (UCLA and Princeton) that “students simply learn better when taking notes in old-fashioned chicken scratches.” By failing to address the opposing view, Schuman has a logical flaw in her argument. In conclusion, Schuman’s arguments are generally valid but lack persuasion for she fails to evaluate the flip side of the coin and simply state her views on the issue at hand. Furthermore, by basing her arguments on unsupported assumptions, they are hence weak and unconvincing.
Students are becoming more distracted in class because of technology resulting them to do poorly in education. In the story, “New Class(room) War: Teacher Versus Technology” by Samuel Freedman is about a teacher name Ali Nazemi that created a policy regarding no technology because the students are not paying attention anymore in class. Freedman’s states that, “Their perpetual war of attrition with defiantly inattentive students has escalated from the quaint pursuits of pigtail-pulling, spitball-lobbing and notebook-doodling to a high-tech arsenal of laptops, cellphones, Blackberries and the like”
Gelernter admits the computers are very helpful for educational purposes if the people use it wisely. He suggests, “Computers have the potential to accomplish great things. With right software, it could help make science tangible or teach neglected topic like art and music.” (278). But while admitting the power of technology, he also points out the adverse effects of excessive use of technology in the education system. He states, “Computers make our worst educational nightmare come true.” (279). According to him the improper or overuse of computer hinders the learning ability. He reports the fact that over past few years computers has been assumed to be a necessity in America’s classrooms. Computers have been introduced to children from the elementary levels. Technology c...
Gelernter has very straight forward honest facts which help to accurately explain his views on using technology to teach students. Computers can be a very useful tool when used in moderation. A computer should never replace a teacher however, but simply be used as a tool. I think the author’s rhetorical situation provided great facts, and hard evidence which strongly supported his argument. How can we continue to evolve as a species when we solely rely on technology and do not think for ourselves, but instead type in our questions in google expecting an answer? We simply cannot, as he states in his essay, “While we worry about basic skills, we allow into the classroom software that will do a student’s arithmetic or correct his spelling” (Gelernter
Technology, one of the fastest growing industry in the world right now, it is also a characteristic that define how well and smart a country is. Simply because the ability and potential to accomplish great things that make technology really important, all this is proved through the fact that technology change the way people do things in every major, from nursing to even heavy manufacturing in factory. And there is no different in school, technology is used in student every day’s life, the most common device that every school have is computer. Computer is a powerful device that change the way student study completely, it make study more interesting, easy to understand and also allow students to do more things with their creativity.
In the New York Times article “Leave your laptops at the door to my classroom” written by Darren Rosenblum he explains why he prohibits the use of laptops in his college classroom. Rosenblum observed a senior colleague’s class and his class to discover that laptops are blocking the classroom connection between the teacher and student. Rosenblum noticed that laptops reduced a student’s education and it has become a distraction rather than allowing students to critically think and learn challenging and uncomfortable things. He believed there are two skills needed to succeed, listening and communicating, but with students using laptops it killed the connection when it was time to being listening and communicating with care. Therefore, he created
The computer obsession began when the first computer was built in 1939. There are many uses of a computer like the proper way and the negative way. The way Annalee Newitz uses her computer is good and bad. The definition of a good teaching tool is the best way to teach a class or something that is taught. Using a good teaching tool is not always easy. There are many things about computers who make people depend or use too much to stop depending on technology.
In Renee Wilson’s article, “In Defence of the iGeneration” (2013), she explores her belief of the iGeneration being the smartest generation yet. Through the use of many anecdotes, Wilson reflects on her experiences of teaching the iGeneration and their ability to ignore negative criticism and still show their full potential. In her article, Wilson discusses the iGeneration’s reliance on technology and social media; however, she does not engage the disadvantages of technology, in particular laptops in the classroom, which, as I argue here, is in need of more study. In this essay, I argue that the use of laptops by students in a university classroom is distracting not only to the student, but also to surrounding students. Inevitably, multitasking and distractions in the classroom will result in a decline in academic performance.
Before there were laptops, students had to handwrite their notes. In this millennium, students all over the world have given up their pencils and paper for screens and keyboards. In “Attention Students: Put Your Laptops Away,” the unidentified author utilizes a study conducted on college students to effectively reinforce the claim that handwriting notes are more efficient for learning, rather than typing notes. The author alludes to research conducted to reveal that “laptops and tablets have a tendency to be distracting.”
Almost everyone attends a school at one time in their life whether the classroom includes technology or not. Research shows that technology isn’t used as often as one might think. The article, “High Access and Low use of technology in High School Classrooms” illustrates the use of technology by stating that only one in ten of elementary and middle school teachers are daily users of computers (Cuban, Kirkpatrick, Peck). Most schools now have classrooms that use technology throughout the entire class time and even at home to do homework. Although some people might agree with the use of technology in class, it is more harmful to the students than useful. It can cause many distractions, it can be difficult to use and can take away from learning time.
Should students have the right or privilege to be able to use laptops in the classroom? There are numerous reasons why laptops should not be permitted in the classroom, Laptops make it very difficult for students to be creative in classroom activates. The students may find themselves becoming distracted from the lectures due to MySpace and other entertaining computer programs. Laptops prove to be huge distractions to the teacher do to the loud clicking of keyboard keys and the blank stare on the students faces while they type their notes. There would also be a lot of parents that feel their children aren’t getting the right kind of interaction they should be.
However, her argument is flawed due to invalid assumptions, biased claims, and counteractive implications. Invalid Assumptions Schuman assumes that her teaching method would interactively engage students with laptops. For example, she asserts that “I have regularly planned activities that require students to post the results of their group work online in real time so that we can all discuss them; I have supervised the creation of interactive slideshows that we then all watch together”. However, research has shown that even the proper use of laptops increases distraction and reduces engagement (Hembrooke & Gay 2003; Muller & Oppenheimer, 2014).
...ing or wants to prevent the student from getting distracted. This decision would be accepted if it were taken in high school. A college student is an adult that could make his or her own decisions. Their decision might not be the right one, but he or she will eventually learn from their mistake. It is a very generous thought the professor has for his or her student, but forgets that he or she is teaching a class with adult students who are old enough to make his or her own decisions. I end this paper with this quote by Denis Waitley, which states: “There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” We as students and adults should debate this ban on laptop usage and fight for our academic rights. The laptop is clearly the best method for note taking and it helps the student succeed in college.
With the rapid growth of technology in America’s society today, the use of computers in school classrooms has increased tremendously—an action that certainly has become beneficial to students, educators, and parents. The use of computers has positively skyrocketed over the past ten years. Not only are computers utilized daily in large companies across the world, but the everyday use in classrooms has also become prevalent. Using modern technology to assist school instructors with his or her daily lessons should definitely be regarded as a positive, acceptable method of instruction and not definitely does not prohibit students from understanding or critical thinking.
Does technology changes the way society functions? In the society we live in today, technology is used for everything. No matter if we are checking our e-mail or checking the weather. Computers are the most used technology. Many people use computers for work or school. Some seem to think that computers can be a huge distraction at either work or school. Like everything else there are pros and cons when it comes to using computers in class. There can be a lot of pros when using computers in class it just depends on if a teacher or student knows how to use it. Although many people believe that using computers in class is a huge distraction, there are many positive outcome of using computers in school. Using
The Impact of Computers on Education Technology is all around us these days. If you don't understand the basics of computers and how to run one, your choices of jobs and things to do are limited. Almost everywhere you go and every job you can think of uses computers. For this reason, computers have become a big part of the education system. I'm planning on teaching elementary students, so I researched the impact that computers have had on teachers and students.