The Computer’s Positive Impact on Education

The Computer’s Positive Impact on Education

Once upon a time there was a teacher and a classroom full of bright and ambitious

students. One day a bit of brand new technology was introduced into the classroom. This new technological tool was designed to enable teachers to save time and better instruct groups of students. Students would also be able to utilize this new tool for practicing math problems and spelling words. This new tool is also proven to be very easy to use to compose and edit information on it. In spite of all these wonderful qualities this new advanced technology can bring to the classroom, it was approached with much skepticism. In the early 1900’s, people were concerned and worried about the kinds of problems "the chalkboard" would bring to education! A century later, teacher across the country teachers and students are still successfully utilizing chalkboards in the classroom for teaching and learning. This little story is true and significantly compares to computers entering the education turf. I’m going to take this opportunity to expand on the positive contributions computers have and will make in the education field.

Computers are having a positive affect on education in many ways. Some of the optimism about computers in education is due to the fact that computers offer diverse collections of resources, variations of media type, increased communications, as well as provision of a records management tool for teachers.

The diversity of resources teachers and students have access to through the use of computers is phenomenal. Basically, software and the Internet are the methods used to obtain access to overwhelming amounts of data. The information may be in the form of written material, audio material, games, user-interaction, animation and many more. The Teacher Resource Center (TRC) in Indiana maintains an updated website of teacher resources at "www-ed.fnal.gov/programs/ed_mat_trc.html".

Software provides age-appropriate instructional design in the math and science disciplines, as well as in language arts and social studies. Many of these are interactive and/or re-create models of items ranging from complex graphs, historical events, to science experiment labs.

Reference libraries are also available on software. There are complete electronic encyclopedia software with color graphics and audio. Information can be printed out, which is convenient for students who are conducting research.

Another software area relating to the educational field is pre-school software. Pre-schoolers use computers for "coloring/painting", playing memory games and learning basic letters, numbers, shapes etc.