Last Updated on March 11, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Since the development of the modern internet in 1989, it has become easier for anyone to communicate, exchange and find information. The use of technology in Education will expand access to education also creating opportunities for communication and collaboration.
Introducing technology to students in a classroom setting can certainly help the educational environment, but it also requires equal access for all students to ensure that everyone receives the same opportunities to succeed.
Many believe that the use of technology literally hinders the steps of learning. They are largely becoming dependent on technology for their assignments rather than using their cerebrum for the thought process. However, there are many who are significantly improving with the use of technology to support learning.
Pros Of Technology In Education
Technology can bring classroom excitement
Gone are the days when the only tools for teaching are limited to books, a blackboard or whiteboard, and chalk or markers. So, it’s clear what the students would prefer and be more excited and curious to use technology rather than attending and just listening to the teachers.
With technology integrated into education, teachers can now incorporate images, videos, and other graphics when delivering lessons. They would love to use and do their works and presentations on laptops, tablets and other similar devices and use the software.
Easy to track progress & behavior
The tracking progress of the students, as well as their syllabus with the teacher’s performances at the same time, is also difficult for the institution to handle.
In this case, technology will be quite helpful with certain grading related software, where all the data can be kept and manage single-handedly and keep updating the performance. It makes the task easy and time-consuming with less manpower.
Provide instant access to information
If they are unable to understand in the classroom, they can give themselves a chance by watching explanation videos on the internet. This way they build confidence in themselves, when they go to class tomorrow they will only ask for an answer but can start with the question.
Help students improve their presentation skills
As the internet keeps on growing, students need to know how to maintain a good online presence and be able to connect with other students through emails and other social platforms.
Modern learning is about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, critical thinking, developing different forms of communication and leadership skills, and improving motivation and productivity.
Opportunities to explore future
Technology provides them to explore different fields and faculties they think of to achieve their life.
Even if they can read and see expertise advice and comments from experienced people on how to achieve success. And are able to talk directly to the consultant/college/person himself, where no ambiguity would be left for them in the future when the time comes if vision or concept is clear.
Updated to the external world
With exposure to technology while at school, students will be less intimidated by technology in the future. They will be knowing about the new inventions, discoveries, geographical as well as political issues.
How to act, how to react, the situation of the world. Knowing about the study is ok, but understanding the whole thing going around all over the world seems very knowledgeable.
Beneficial for teachers
With countless online resources, technology can help improve teaching. Teachers can use different apps or trusted online resources to enhance the traditional ways of teaching and to keep students more engaged.
Virtual lesson plans, grading software and online assessments can help teachers save a lot of time. This valuable time can be used for working with students who are struggling. What is more, having virtual learning environments in schools enhances collaboration and knowledge sharing between teachers.
Other tools available for teachers include Smart Boards (interactive whiteboards), email, Skype, and PowerPoint.
Teacher student-friendly
Most students don’t like to go to school if they feel like they are wasting their time. When there is technology allowed in the classroom, then teachers have an opportunity to let kids work at a pace that suits them the best without disturbing others.
Many of the programs that encourage learning also issue rewards or award certificates, which helps to make the lessons fun as well.
Administration and parent relation
Even day to day information can be relayed to parents nowadays if they needed it. Teachers and administration can solve the issues of children and provide a facility to special children who need it.
Even parents can have good communication with staff and teachers about the problem his/her child has in school or about the particular subject. In this three-way relationship maintained by technology is gonna help students and teachers the most and provide confidence to the parents that their children are in the right hands.
Encourages the development of new teaching methods
Rather than spend an hour or so talking while the students listen, or have them read an entire chapter in silence, teachers and professors now have the option to use advanced teaching methods, such as podcasts, blogs, and social media.
Technology also presents universal tools that enable teachers to educate all types of students, including those who are struggling or have special needs.
Cons Of Technology In Education
Distraction
Students can be distracted easily if they gain access to the social media site or star tweeting and using chat apps during the classroom.
Nowadays the sincerity is lacking in learners as most of the lessons can be easily accessible to them online through different websites on their computers which are making them inattentive in classrooms or making the most skip schools frequently.
It results in most of the students relying on the computer rather than their teacher for studying.
Impact on Skill Development
When teachers give easy tasks like essays, tests or reports, students can easily find that information online and copy them. In other words, it has hampered brain development.
It was to sharpen the brain why education was needed but nowadays addicted to one certain pattern making it a habit not looking for alternatives. For e.g. they are using a calculator avoiding the benefits of manual calculation, and As on one hand its benefiting students, it’s also depriving them of the associated valuable benefits.
With most schools accepting electronic submission of answers or essays, students no longer need to be spelling and grammar usage.
Impact in Health
It affects their eyesight and it’s hard for brian to relax and unwind if stayed too long in front of a computer screen. Other symptoms include eye pain, neck pain, back pain, tiredness.
It makes our brain dull and unable to function because of our dependency on technology. When children sit for too long during the day, then they face health challenges that adults do when not getting enough exercise.
There can be problems with obesity, hyperactivity, muscle fatigue, sleeping problems, and metabolism issues with prolonged sitting.
No equal access to technological resources
Some students even the school’s can’t afford all the resources to facilitate learning. Some students may experience difficulty in using the internet. The electrical outrage, slow internet, loss of data from the system, system formatting many being the issues for this problem.
This grows frustration in students changing the environment of the classroom and their life. It’s hard for them to stabilize themselves, and survive in this hard and high-tech world, which may be very harmful to their future.
Can diminish the overall value of in-person education
Although research on online learning did not establish a direct link to how personal interaction affects a student’s performance, data gathered did show that those who enrolled in online courses have higher chances of failing, dropping out of classes, and are less likely to benefit from them.
This may have something to do with the fact that lessons delivered online or through digital resources lack the face-to-face interaction between teachers and students that provides a more personal experience.
It can replace the teacher
Online Courses have been using learning tools to provide education to students. where the program itself is a teacher. Everything is managed in a systematic way and it follows the procedure which makes it easy for the learners.
They can be in touch with their teacher and solve the problem right away and can access 24/7 as tools never go off. Teachers may never become obsolete, but technology in the classroom can replace much of what they have done in the past already.
That means the future of teaching may lie in being involved in the creation of new technologies instead of designing a personalized curriculum to implement.
Confusion
Certainly there is some difficulty in distinguishing between reliable and unreliable sources from the internet.
When the student searches for an answer to a question, or does research and study, he does not delve deeply into the search for information on the correct manner, but relies on superficial information that cures the answer a bit, and is less likely to be found in libraries where there are books and references where the correct information is available.
Incorrect information is not monitored, so the Internet does not answer the questions that may be raised by the learner, or student.
Less social interactions
Online colleges have been introduced, where you can share your work with your friends and talk to your teacher, who or what can be faked easily. This may even create risk for their life and isolation may even hamper their personal relationship or status in society.
Depending on technology for classroom assignments will affect the social interactions among the students who spend more time isolated from others.
Security concerns
Security is one of the most significant challenges of having technology in the classroom, and it is the reason why many schools have decided against using this tool in the past.
Most students are not malicious when using technology in the classroom, but they are curious about what they can find online. If your network grants them admin access in any way, even if it is not published or widely known, you can bet at least one person is going to figure out that gap to exploit it.
It is up to each faculty to ensure that role-based access controls are in place on every computer so that you always know who, what, when, and how connections to your network occur.
References:
https://www.ed.gov/oii-news/use-technology-teaching-and-learning
https://www.aft.org/ae/spring2016/debruyckere-kirschner-and-hulshof
https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2495/Technology-in-Education-SCHOOL.html
