Short Essay On The Impact Of Technology On Education

Throughout this course, a new perspective has provided us with the opportunity to take a look at many of the different ways in which the digital world has become one of the most dominant viewpoints of today’s generation, and how technology has taken over and welcomed itself into many aspects of our lives. This course paper will take a look at one topic of interest in particular, which in hopes will shed some light on a heavily discussed topic in the education world: does technology help or hinder the student. This paper will look to prove the point and discover more about the way in which technology has been incorporated into the classroom, both in an elementary context as well as a post-secondary context, and the effects that it has had on the student, the teacher, and the overall academic development that accompanies it.

Technology has always been a controversial subject between conservative people and innovators. Some people believe that it is a great tool to connect cultures and improve education and innovation in our society today, but others view it as a menace in our lives. “Growing Up Tethered” by Sherry Turkle and “George Orwell...Meet Mark Zuckerberg” by Lori Andrews both view technology as a dangerous tool. They believe in the many drawbacks of technology and the harm it can do to our lives with no explanation of the positive effects it has had on our society. “Our Future Selves” by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen plays the role of a positive look at technology and its role in our lives today. It gives examples of how advancing technology helps us and improves so many peoples’s lives. We can use Schmidt and Cohen’s essay as a lens to view the other two texts and gain a different understanding of what they are writing about.

Alfonzo Porter, a publisher for The Washington Post, is a strong believer that technology has caused massive problems when it comes to educating students. The publisher mentions that student are losing interest in school and becoming more distracted with their cellular devices. In the newspaper, Porter writes, “76 percent of teachers believed students are being conditioned by the internet to find quick answers, leading to a loss of concentration.” Alfonzo Porter believes that students are not taking advantage of technology, instead, they are manipulating it. In today’s modern society, there is a higher percentage of students using their cellphones to find answers, compared to students that are properly reading a book to find solutions to their problems. This issue is leading students becoming less interested in expanding their knowledge.

There have been many time periods throughout history. There has been the stone age to the iron age, from the age of ancient Egypt to ancient Rome, and from the middle ages to the industrial revolution. In today’s time, we live in what is called the digital age or the computer age or the information age. Without a doubt, we live in a time period where technological advancements have risen up to the point where horses have been replaced with motor vehicles, letters replaced with phones, and people can now access buy food without ever leaving their homes with just a click of a button in a screen. Technology has certainly evolved drastically in the last couple of decades. Technology has evolved to the point that some people born in the digital age cannot live without it. Americans today tend to believe that technology has provided people a better living situation and better lifestyle. However, while it has given people a better life it also comes with drawbacks and negative opinions and advantages. Technology has enabled people to become better thieves and it has also made people to become too reliant and dependent that some have become lazy and recluse in their own homes. And though some people may not notice technology can also indirectly cause physical pain.

This idea that the physical action of such seemingly meaningless tasks makes me want to leave my phone aside for the few hours I spend at school, learning and enriching my mind. These articles have clarified for me that the negative outcomes of technology in learning prevent my mind from absorbing knowledge. My academic work, whether it be in high school or college, will constantly deteriote if I let technology overpower my ability to think and learn. It is not even the fact that the use of technology will probably lower my grades, but the possibility of not growing or learning makes me realize that the consequences of technology use in the classrom are some that I will avoid and prevent by allowing myself to use my senses and knowledge to gain new ideas and experiences. Such implicaitons are ones that I wish to not face and will do so by simply setting my phone aside to learn, and by letting go of the temptation that technology can be, in such a modern, tech-savy

Before the Internet, students did work in books and teachers taught through books. Almost everyone in the same grade was taught the same, with a limited curriculum until technology took over the world. Now that society has endless resources from the advancements of technology, students, teachers, and others use it to expand their knowledge on certain subjects and also to complete their work faster. The effects of technology is explained in the text, “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” by Amy Goldwasser, she argues that the Internet actually aids kids in developing skills in writing and problem solving. Steven Pinker also defends the use of technology in his essay, “Mind Over Mass Media” by claiming that people just need to control their use of technology.

The internet needs to be embraced as an integral part of education and in turn schools should promote the responsible and effective use of the web. Teachers need to understand the importance of the internet and technology in the modern world and should take it upon themselves improve their “techno-literacy” when it is lacking. Without adapting to the modern world, they hamper their ability to teach their students. Students should be taught the critical thinking skills needed to effectively browse the internet; they need to be taught how to effectively judge whether or not an article or website is credible and worth their time. Access to the internet can be a significant part of any classroom and will allow students to further their understanding of the material. Being able to find extra examples for a concept that they do not understand in calculus or trying to find some constant they forgot in physics, all in seconds, can be invaluable to any student. It can be just as invaluable to teachers for whom the internet could be something of an additional tutor in the room for students to ask questions, which would ease the burden on a teacher’s shoulders. However, it will also fall upon teachers and students to ensure the responsible use of the internet and prevent any misuse and exploitation of such a powerful tool. Though it is possible to concentrate while working on the internet, it is also possible to fall prey to the myriad of distractions that present themselves on the internet. Things like YouTube and social networking websites are all parts of the reason that the internet is so wonderful, yet at the wrong time they can serve as pitfalls to a studious student. Thus it is up to individual students to make the ever difficult decision to postpone pleasure for work and it is up to teachers to ensure that this is done in the classroom. If used

One topic that will continue to bring contribution to education is technology inside the classroom. Elementary school all the way up to college and even further up to Doctorates programs will continue to face the rapid changes in society. To stay on-top and updated with the world, there is no option but to convert with society to technology. One side will continue to say technology is beneficial to everyone that has something to do with education. Now, it is not uncommon to still have others say, “technology has its pros, but the good doesn’t not out weigh the bad in this situation”. To look at each side and say they are right or wrong is undoubtable but, the education system must find the balance and the between of paper mixed with some technology.

Every day the world is changing and things are done differently. Technology has also affected the way students are taught and in which they learn. It has changed the classroom. Technology saves us time and allows us to access material in only minutes. “The Internet and online subscription databases, even as a supplement to the printed works in the library, allow students to see, and force them to consider or reject, points of view that they might never have encountered in decades past” (Gow 4).With all the time technology produces, it also has downsides and it also may have created a less intelligent society.

Technology is always advancing, and people use it almost everywhere. It is used in jobs, homes, and everyday life. Recently the use of electronics has also made an immense impact on the way people learn. In schools, students have the ability to use the internet for a mixture of thing including, reading, and finding information. Teachers can even post tests and homework online so they do not miss anything when they are absent. Many people have different opinions on the use technology, and if it is a good tool for finding information. Some believe the use of the devices can help with creativity, and comprehension. Others believe that the internet lessens imagination, and leaves students not understanding what was read. The use of technology can have positive and negative results on student performance; researchers also have conducted many different tests and studies to see the impacts of the use of technology in classrooms.

When people walk into a classroom and a teacher is up front lecturing, all they see are heads down on desks. As they walk around people are sleeping and doodling things like “I love you”, and writing their names 1000 different ways. The room makes someone feel like they are standing in a funeral home. It is boring and no one pays any attention, and anyone could notice that when there is dried drool on the desks for the next class. Not all classrooms are bland though. If someone would walk into a room with technology being used, such as computer interaction, powerpoint presentations, and upbeat music that teaches students a fun way to remember conjunctions, there is a lot less drool on the desks. There is much more interaction in that type of environment, because students are tired of being lectured for seven hours a day, five days a week and want a new and interesting learning technique. Schools need to have technology in all their classrooms, so students stay interested and involved.

With increasing numbers of smart phones and devices connected to the internet, the world has entered the digital era with huge amount of digital content (Bhargava & Klat, 2017). New technologies : Internet of Things (IoT), big data, platforms of sharing economies, and gamification are the feul of digital transformation (Panetta, 2016). Many industries will face disruptive waves of innovation using these new technologies. Disruption can be harmful if it came from an outsider. Traditional transportation companies have to change their strategies and business models to survive against new transportation platform applications such as Uber, Careem, and others (Daus & Taye, 2016). Hotels and resorts are facing new competition from Airbnb (McDermott, 2017). Airbnb is a leading accomodation platform based on crowdsourcing (Zimmerman, 2016). All these new technologies/platforms are studied in depth by several reserachers to know their benefit and impact on businesses (Boudreau & Lakhani, 2013). Benefits are mainly diversity, scalability, and sharing assets. This is beside the social and economical impact that can be revolutionary (Ferrari & Fidanboylu, 2013).

Technology has always influenced education, even when the most advanced technology available was a chalkboard. “In the early 1800s, a technological invention was introduced to classrooms that would prove to have a profound impact on teaching….What was this technological wonder? The chalkboard![1]” Now, more than 200 years later, technology is still finding it’s way into the classroom, but in more modern ways. Some of ways that technology enhances today’s classrooms are through the appropriation of grant money to fund further research on technology in the classroom, the use of technology to increase civic awareness and through the use of Assistive Technology in helping the disabled.

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines technology as "the science of the practical or industrial arts." In the context of using technology in schools this generally refers to the use of computers and computer technology as tools and aids to help teachers teach and students learn. What technology is has changed significantly over the years. In the early 1800’s the chalkboard was new technology in schools. For today’s new technology we have interactive multimedia presentations. Today’s teacher faces the same dilemma as the teacher at the turn of the nineteenth century; what do I do with the new technology?

With technology benefiting various fields, life has suddenly become a joyful journey for everyone. In the simple forms, like electronic stoves, telephones displaying caller's ID and automobiles the ride of life has become a pleasure. In the same way, the lives of students have also taken a leap towards easiness.