Why is technology important to students - Essay Example

The 21st century has posed a new challenge to the traditional way of learning as administered by teachers to their students. These days, learning is no longer limited to the 4 walls of the classroom, nor the pages of the school approved textbook. With the advent of the internet, search engines, laptops, smart phones, and tablet PC's, the world of education and learning has entered unknown territory. Technology is now an integral part of the educational system. It has become a vital and all too important part of the modern day classroom and learning process of the modern student.

Education is no longer limited to a mere 40 minutes per class subject in school. Technology has allowed education to extend far beyond the recognized educational system and has come to offer the highest benefit to students in terms of a well rounded education thanks to the gadgets that help in their discovery and learning processes. Students of today must be computer savvy in order to ensure that they will be able to compete in the modern workplace. Lack of technological education such as basic computer skills will prevent these students from reaching their full employment potential.

That is why the modern day teacher must work with the students in order to provide themselves with challenging learning opportunities (qtd. in Hayden). Education has never before had an all too important role in the future of a student. The advent of technology has forced the students to develop a higher level of thinking and analytical skills (Delgado, Rick “Top 10 Reasons Technology is Important for Education”). The use of computers and other technology based equipment in the modern or digital classroom has provided the students with the ample development of their problem solving skills through the use of computer software and other programs that help them to accomplish that task.

By successfully completing the assigned tasks, the students sense of motivation and self - esteem is heightened and their desire to learn more about topics of interest to them is fueled by their exposure to the technology that helped them kindle their interest in the topic. It is important to note however, that even though not all the students in a school will have computers at home, they all have an equal chance at learning while in school because of the computers that are readily available either in the computer lab or the library.

These gadgets are available free of charge to the students who can use it to research any topic on an unlimited basis. However, the advent of technology also poses new problems for the students and the teachers who use learning tools such as power point presentations. Not all students manage to learn at the same pace. There are some who require extra time to process their learning material and the oral lecture of their teachers. Power point presentations and other technological advancements have also made teaching faster and easier for most teachers.

They then fail to take into account the learning curve of their students (Hayden, Kelly “Reasons Technology is Important in Schools: The Digital Age in Classrooms). Technology has allowed students to also become their own teachers because they are given projects that require them to research and understand various materials