More handpicked essays just for you.
Impact of technology on education
Impact of technology on education
Study on laptops being beneficial or distracting in classrooms
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
We all know technology is changing everyday. As laptops are becoming more popular in today 's society, especially in a college classroom setting, professors have noticed more and more students with their faces engaged on the computer screen and not the lecture. There have been recent studies that show in classroom use of laptops can affect students and their learning. Should the use of laptops be banned in the classroom? Ultimately it is up to the professor if laptops should be banned in the classroom, but all the evidence supports that it does inhibit the learning of students. Anyone can agree that when they go on the internet or computer to do a specific task they usually end up in places that have no significance to what they were doing in the first place. Everyone is guilty of this, but when you have a college lecture full of laptops it can be frustrating to see that the …show more content…
As a society, schools are requiring students to take computer literacy programs from young ages. This is where it all starts. We are programmed from a young age to use technology and we are taught that technology is our friend. When in reality it just inhibits our learning. So maybe the better question to ask would be, is there anything professors or society could do that would help use laptops for good? Could there be a solution to the problem of laptops being distracting and inhibiting learning? Maybe having a server in academic buildings that restricts certain sites so you can only go on websites that are necessary for the class. So even if someone still preferred to type their notes there could be less things to distract the students. Professors could also try to utilize students laptops. If they purposely use the laptops to engage students this could help them
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”
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, improper or overuse of computers hinders learning ability. He reports that over the past few years, computers have been assumed to be a necessity in America’s classrooms and introduced to children from elementary levels. However, technology can be addictive, and students may overuse it, leading to a drop in educational standards.
Though there are some positive effects, the adverse impact of technology on education has been extraordinary. The technology community has worked hard to bring useful technology into our classrooms, all with good intentions to broaden our knowledge. With these good intentions also came about unwanted side effects such as distraction and disruption in the classroom. I can clearly remember many of my teachers yelling at us to put our cell phones, iPods, and iTouch phones away especially during lecture and exams. The yelling was not without just cause, students cheated with their devices along with updating their Facebook pages during class too.
Technology is something that seems to be on everyone’s mind in today’s society. Does it really help? When it comes to medicine, there have been huge medical advances with help from technology, saving thousands of lives all over the world. Our society has been forever changed with the introduction of the smartphone; getting movies, music and news faster than ever before. But what about education? Does technology go too far and interfere with the learning process, and relationship between professor and student? Smartboards, laptops, tablets and smartphones are becoming more and more frequent in today’s classrooms. It helps teachers engage the students in their work, and it caters to different types of learning between students. However, our progress
However, computers do have some downsides. Basic arithmetic and correcting spelling and grammar are less important to students that have software that virtually does these tasks for you. “…Drilling addition and subtraction in an age of calculators is a waste of time...If we do, then drilling reading in an age of multimedia is a waste of time can’t be far behind” (David Gelernter, p. 187). Children are less likely to read as much. If you see a Shakespeare book next to a laptop, most kids these days are going to choose to pickup the laptop without second guessing it. Computers can also be
Many people argue that by using laptops during lectures, students are able to actively participate in the class and they have better communication with the professors despite large class sizes (Fried, 2008, p.2). Through classroom resources such as university and course online platforms, students are able to access the information they are learning about in their lectures. However, students themselves also have a very particular view on this topic, as they are very protective over their belongings and do not want to have their laptops banned from the classroom: “more and more faculty are banning laptops from their classrooms because of perceptions that they distract students and detract from learning,” (Fried, 2008, p.1). Prohibiting the use of laptops in university classrooms is becoming a more common solution to multitasking and student distraction. Universities enforce this regulation in order to prevent distraction and multitasking from impacting a students and surrounding student’s academic
There are also those who believe too much time with digital devices has caused students to become disconnected from face-to-face social activities, family communications and nature. Therefore, believing that digital devices in the classroom would probably lead to an even greater disconnection. There are concerns from the EPA about long-term exposure to wireless devices and computer screens. While there is no direct evidence of harmful effects, the EPA would discourage too much exposure for students who have video screens in front of their faces or computers in their laps. If students frequently use these devices at home, additional exposure at school could be viewed as harmful. While schools can limit the availability of websites that can be viewed on their network, students may find links that slipped through the system. There will also be times that students will not be accessing the Internet through a monitored network. Child predators are a problem everywhere. Using digital devices at school creates just that much more exposure and potential danger for students. In addition, cyber bullying is also an increasing issue. Permitting use of digital devices in the classroom could potentially lead to more of
First of students may use their personal electronic inappropriately. Cheating for example is very likely to happen while allowing the use of personal electronics in schools. And everyone knows not all students in a class can be trusted. Students as of now without using personal electronics cheat in so many ways. Writing on a piece of paper, your hand, the table, giving out answers, or even just copying of off someone else are common tricks being used in my classrooms today. You could just imagine the gateways allowing personal electronics in schools will open. Calculators, online answers (google search, answer book, etc.), or texting for answers. Secondly going on inappropriate websites is also a big problem. Though such sites are blocked on school computers they aren’t on any of the student’s personal electronic. Once they are logged onto the WI-Fi, which personally my school provides a username and password for, them stopping the person unless they’re caught which is not guaranteed to happen a 100% of the time. The student can browse any website they and teachers would never ever notice! I’ve already seen people text, play games, and watch videos and my teachers never notice! One last problem w...
To understand why there would be a need for technology in the classroom you must put yourself in the student’s shoes. Let us imagine there is a student in a class full of two hundred plus people. This said student is listening to the prepared lecture for the day and the professor explains a concept. The student does not fully grasp the information so instead of adding to the numerous questions the other two hundred students are asking, she pulls out her laptop. Just a few clicks away is an explanation of the topic. She now understands and is able to continue paying attention to the lecture. If her professor had some sort of switch, similar to the one mentioned in Ellin’s essay, that stopped students from having internet access, she would have to continue the lesson confused. Instead of hindering our education, we should use our most valuable resource and progress. Technology seems to be both a blessing and a curse at times yet, college students should have the freedom to choose which one that should
In spite of the many benefits of computers, there are also quite a few arguments about them, one of which is the bad effect some believe they are having on children's education and learning. Before computers became really popular where almost every household had one students did research papers manually and used a type writer to type papers or hand write their papers, illiteracy is a big issue, and many people say that computers are the reason for that. Younger students these days are asked to type papers which may not be a problem for older students but for younger students they need to do assignments that are hand written to develop their writing skills. If a younger student is typing all their assignments it can have a great affect on their grammar because they are using the comp...
Although there are many pros of using computers in class, there are also some negative aspects. Many people think that computers take away the emotion in classroom. They feel like classwork should be given out by pencil and paper. Computers in class can be a huge distraction, such as playing games online in class, sending messages and etc. Using a computer in class can also give a student poor writing habits. Computer corrects verbs and misspelled words for a student which means they aren’t learning the correct grammar. Another con of using computers in class is not having the correct information. Sometimes the internet can give a student false information if they don’t know how to use the internet properly. Many school cannot afford to purchase computers. Purchasing technology can be much for a school. Buying computer and taking the time out to learn how to use them, costs the school more money. Instead of spending money on technology their school can be purchasing other things such as better desk for the students. Cheating is also a big con of using a computer in class. Using a computer to take an online test allows students to look up the answer the questions. Students have access to a lot of information when using a computer. There can also be a technical problem when a student is trying to turn a test in. Network failure can make a student lose all
Given the unquestionable results regarding the use of cell phones by students in school there should not be a ban on the cell phones in schools. This is because students can learn to enhance their learning from the technology such as the cell phone. Students will also become more independent in their work and more motivated to learn. Students like being permitted to making their own choices.
When I become a teacher there is no doubt that I will use computers in my classroom and my students will do activities with computers. It is just the way to do things now. There are so many valuable programs out there to help students learn and to help teachers teach that computers are pretty much a necessity in classrooms. In my opinion for an elementary classroom there should be at least five to ten computers in each room. Without the access to the computers it is hard to take advantage of all the wonderful things a computer has to offer. Even using the internet has a source of information for the students or has a tutorial for students who are struggling. There are so many ways that classrooms will benefit from computers.
Technology can be conveyed as a necessary evil in our life today. It’s considered necessary because it can save lives, and make them easier. Yet it’s considered evil because it can destroy lives on a physical and mental aspect. The true question is does the good outway the bad? ‘Technology is a word used to collectively describe or portray the advancements, abilities, creations, undertaking, views, and knowledge of the human-kind”(https://www.academia.edu/346486/Technological_Advancements_and_Its_Impact_on_Humanity). Therefore it basically means that it progresses the human race. It connects us, conserves energy and produces goods, and it saves lives. How could it not be a good thing?
Sovern, Jeff. "Laptops in Class: How Distracting Are They?." Christian Science Monitor. 06 Jun 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Mar 2012.