Technology and Education - Essay Example

Does technology in the room help or hinder education? Affiliation: Introduction Technology has generally been providing positive and negative results in all fields and education is one of these fields. Both students and teachers are benefiting from the use of technology which is enhancing the learning skills and environment reducing monotony of the classroom and increasing more creativity and participation by every student in the classroom. The journey to making technology acceptable in the education field despite a few negative reviews and effects to the students has been long but has yielded positive results nevertheless. The fact that teachers can use videoconferencing to teach as well as using simulated classroom models to teach not to forget the online curriculum that students can access even at home has improved learning for the students and made teaching easier and much more fun for the teachers as well (Granberg, 2000). Simulations Teaching aids and simulations of models in classrooms are the greatest advantage of technology indication. Students from the kindergarten age to the college and graduate level are able to have vivid teaching at their desk and with only a few clicks of their smart devices. For the kindergarten students for example, they are able to learn even animations through the use of different software and teaching aids (Wolpert, 2009). This makes it easier to remember what they have learnt and hence improve their performance. This is especially helpful for students with learning difficulties and who are unable to quickly comprehend concepts. The more advanced for of technology is using PowerPoint instead of reading off from written notes that students have to copy down taking all the teaching time. Students simply refer to their PowerPoint notes which even have diagrams and pictorial explanations (Wolpert, 2009). For the science students, simulation programs and software are able to make the scientific models such as of the DNA, the human organs among other scientific concepts much more vivid than they appear in textbooks. This makes it easier for them to comprehend how they work and hence able to remember and even derive research topics from all these. Videoconferencing For a very long time prior to the use of technology in classrooms, teachers were using only textbooks to teach and the students had to rely on that. When the teacher was away, they had to either miss class or have a replacement which they had a hard time to relate and create a rapport with. With the technology however, learning does not have to be monotonous anymore. Teachers can seek roles models or experts in different areas of the course being taught to teach the students via videoconferencing (Granberg, 2000). The expert will not have to incur travel expenses and the students will get to learn the about the real world which is important in relating the theory and practical aspects of their education. Teachers who are away can also videoconference with the students and take a few minutes to teach them wherever they are. Students can also video chat with their lecturers and fellow students holing groups work or seeking clarifications over the assignments provided. Students will also learn the aspects of creativity using technology in the end which is what they use in the video chats. All this will have one result and that in increased performance of both students and teachers. Online discussion Online education for the long distance learners as well as online discussions for the rest of the students is the norm in most school nowadays. Teachers are providing assignments to be submitted online and have the rest of the classroom comments on the work of each other and make both positive and negative critiques as long as it does not lead to conflicts. These serve the purpose of the students teaching each other which is something teachers cannot be able to do to each and every student. When these students get in the discussion, they provide different points of view about the same concept according to their research, understanding and interpretation. In the midst of all these, they are learning from each other hence increasing their chances of remembering during examination time or practicals. For the distance learners, they are able to use the technology to catch up with the lecture, do assignments and even interact with the lecturers all at the comfort of their homes and at lesser costs of the college fees and still be able to work the normal hours. Online discussions and education has been seen to improve the performance of the shy students (Sahakov, 2014). Declining performance Research conducted by Ritchel, (2012) which focuses solely on technology from a point of view of using videos games opposes the advantages discussed above. According to the teachers who spend hours with the students, the constant use of technology by these students affects their attention span as well as reduces their ability to multitask. This translates to them not being able to concentrate for long during the class lessons as well as not being able to listen and write at the same time and this in essence has negatively affected their performance. Their depth of analysis in their essays is also on the decline. The teachers have to work harder to hold the attention of these students and hence take twice as long to teach a subject which is affecting the performance of the teachers making them be reviewed negatively as well. Conclusion Students’ boredom in classrooms making them skip some classes has been reduced tremendously with the introduction of technology in learning. Students now find it easier to be much more creative in the classroom discussions and especially the online ones and for the shy students. The use of software to create models through simulation has also made learning much more real and comprehendible. This has however come with the cost of increased distractions and reduction of the attention spans of some students and hence more work for the teachers in the long run. This applies to the use of this technology to play video games which takes up majority of their time, makes them immune to multitasking and reduces their attention span in class making them miss out on educational concepts. References Granberg, E. (2000). How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning. Teaching Forum. Retrieved from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/library/articles-and-essays/the-teaching- forum/how-technology-enhances-teaching-and-learning/ Ritchel, M. (2012, November 1). Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students- learn-teachers-say.html?_r=0 Sahakov, R. (2014, January 15). 2 Pros and 2 Cons to Education Technology. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/education-technology-pros-cons/ Wolpert, A. (2009, January 27). Is Technology producing a decline in critical thinking and analysis? UCLA Newsroom. Retrieved from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/is- technology-producing-a-decline-79127 Read More