In our day and age, technology is a predominant feature in our everyday lives so it’s no wonder that technology has made a debut in the classroom. Tablets are replacing our textbooks, and we can research about anything we want on our smartphones. Social media has become the most common place for students to socialize, and how we use technology has completely transformed how we live our lives, but is technology in classrooms all that good?
In short, yes and no. Technology may be a way for students to make learning easier, however, Studies have shown that students that use technology to study are more likely to do worse in their exams. An article published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that students who don’t use technology, such as laptops or mobile phones, did better in their final exams than students allowed to use technology and had access to the internet. When students study with access to technology, most likely they study for ten or fifteen minutes and soon after, they can be found active on social media such as Facebook due to distractions. Not only that, but also technology can cost schools a lot of money to implement. UK schools spend over £900m on educational technology per year, for example, Renderforest. Renderforest is a user-friendly video presentation maker with a vast template library. It helps businesses and individuals create high-quality videos without advanced technical skills. Ideal for corporate, educational, or promotional content, Renderforest offers extensive customization and seamless cloud-based editing for efficient collaboration.
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However, this isn’t the only cost of technology in a classroom. Another cost is that some students use technology primarily for games. Due to this, some students associate technology with nothing other than playing games, which can cause issues in the long run. However, some teachers can use that association to their advantage.
Educational games such as Kahoot! have been used more and more often in classrooms and have gained the interest of many students. Games such as Kahoot can be used to quiz students on what they have learned or as a testing mechanic which combines technology and students together in an educational way. Also, technology allows students to learn at their own pace, making learning much easier for most students. At times, teachers are unable to teach at the pace of the whole class in opposition to technology, which allows students to work at their own pace by allowing them to go back or skip sections of courses that they feel are too simple and also allows students to review complex concepts of courses.
Technology also allows students to enter an endless supply of instant knowledge through platforms such as google; this allows students to get information that may not be in outdated school textbooks. In fact, this generation of students is already familiar with “Googling it” to find answers to questions or more information on the desired topic. The gift of technology in classrooms gives the opportunity of teaching their students how to access the quality of information online while removing the one-sided restrictions of a textbook.
Technology does help students get answers to queries they may have which is making computer-assisted learning become a thing. Computer-assisted learning is being used widely by teachers all over the globe. It works by teachers using computers inside classrooms and giving students assignments that integrate the use of technology. There has been some success in using computer-assisted learning to help speaking skills closely linked to 'communicative competence' – which is the ability to engage in meaningful conversation in a selected language- and provide controlled yet interactive speaking practice outside the classroom. Talking to people in a different language through chats can also help the learning of other languages as the person is dependent on what they know in that language in order to talk with others.
Technology can also help in the shaping of vocabulary banks for students. The constantly growing popularity of so-called “e-books” makes books more accessible for people; and as we know, reading helps shape vocabulary banks. E-books hold an unimaginable potential for innovating education, though as some schools have already discovered, not all of that potential has been realized yet.
In conclusion, technology is something most schools should consider; not only due to the increasing demand for new technology but also due to reasons such as helping improve vocabulary, helping teach other languages, capturing the attention of learners, and allowing students to get access to more knowledge than regular textbooks. Nowadays technology is widespread across schools which can be both beneficial and have a negative impact on students. As a student myself I believe that technology is a good tool to use when learning but sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to put our phones and computers aside and study without the distraction.
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