Distracting Classroom Technology

There’s no denying that technology has grown to play a major role in education and learning. Students are using laptops, tablets, and smartphones to research, complete, and even collaborate on assignments, both in and outside of the classroom. Timothy D. Snyder and Thomas L. Friedman both have written articles expressing their opposing opinions on technology in the classroom. Timothy Snyder is a Professor of History at Yale University who has written five different award-winning books. In his article, “Why Laptops Are Distracting America’s Future Workforce”, Snyder explains to students and teachers why he is against technology in the classroom. Thomas Friedman is a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, author of six award-winning

You walk into most public-school classrooms and you see laptops, I pads, Desktops and sometimes smart boards. These are used as learning tools. When using these tools, the kids really are learning with a hands-on approach. For some kids, it’s a helpful tool for other kids it’s a distraction. The students can use technology for school work at home and it also helps with the Turing in process with teachers. I think that technology can be useful in a classroom setting but should not replace the classroom

These past few years technology has grown rapidly in fact we now have technology in our hands that can search, send, and receive information along with numerous other functions; don't forget the laptop that can do everything a computer can do just smaller and portable. Technology has been great for our education because now a student can search for anything he or she has a question on and find an answer rather quickly unlike our older generation that went to a library and find a book to search for answers. Past technology in education was great but now it has reached a time where students are being given too much freedom with phones and laptops in class and our educational system is not seeing the increase in knowledge that was expected. A research project was done where two widely reported studies one from Winona state and one from Cornell university “students using laptops in class remember lectures poorly and miss understand course material. Their ability to focus even on course related Internet searches is weaker than that of students who are not digitally connected during class” (Nettleton 2). Now people can see how technology has its drawbacks and we need to know if it is beneficial or not to have technology in the classroom and should it continue to be a part of the educational system.

Technology has a huge impact on everyone. Despite the variety of age groups, we have all become dependent on using technology throughout our lives. With the use of smartphones, alarm clocks, headphones, and so forth, we have started to invest tech into our everyday lifestyle, where it is now a social norm. As we are moving rapidly into a tech-based world, the use of technology has been incorporated into classrooms. Teachers have introduced PowerPoints, chatrooms, online assignments and much more to make the classroom run smoothly and help students accomplish more from their learning. However, problems can arise with technology usage in the classroom. Through students being able to access technology, they can become distracted

Remember that scary, grotesque, evil monster we were all scared of when we were younger? Well, it's alive, we just can't see it, and it's called technology. As we all know, technology is changing and evolving every day; but it's almost as if the technology is taking over the minds of our future generation. Schools are incorporating technology into learning more and more all the time. Every month there is a new phone, tablet, television, laptop and even thousands of websites. These devices can come in handy and can be helpful, but they almost are consuming everyone's mind and minimizing critical thinking. Many of technology users are children or young adults. Although the use of technology in education can have some positive results, it has more negative effects that are affecting students.

Some people think that technology is ruining our future and students. By using technology as a distraction in the classroom and does not help but becomes effortless. Technology distracts students’ for learning or paying attention in the classroom. They can be playing games or on social media when they are supposed to work. Some think using electronics in the classroom is a lazy solution for teachers to use that the computers are doing their work like grading or teaching. Another theory is that too much technology in one day affects their eyesight from staring at a screen after a long period of time. Myopia has been the most common syndrome diagnosed from too much use of technology. Gary Heiting from All About Vision has said that”Sitting for

Many of our students have smartphones, laptops, and tablets they use throughout the school day for school work. While some students depend on their devices to look up the current fashion trends and football stats, we feel that technology has also enabled students to think in a different way. Many students are quick on their feet to Google information to prove their friend wrong, send texts and emails in less than 10 seconds, and get excited when they are allowed to use their

Technology is one of the greatest things invented, yet it has many drawbacks. In school and at home, smartphones, texting, video games, iPads, Facebook, Web surfing and television do get me distracted and interrupt my learning. Technology is everywhere you can see. Technology is in the workplace, education, at the mall, and many other places. In education, technology is a great thing, making life easier for teachers and administrators everywhere and lessons more engaging for students. However, technology is a huge distraction.

Electronics are believed to interfere with learning. Jose Antonio Bowen states in his article, “NO: Classrooms Must Be a Place of Focus and Mental Stillness,” that instead of improving education, technology “doesn’t solve the problem, it only brings it into the classroom.” However, these problems could be prevented if students were given restrictions while still having the ability to find different and unique ways to boost their knowledge. In “YES: New Tools Let Students Learn More, and More Deeply,” Lisa Nielsen explains that just because they have access to electronic devices does not necessarily mean that they are doing something other than texting or cheating, and that teachers are monitoring their students at the best of their ability.

The rise in computer and laptop use has been evident in schools and classrooms across the US, but learning with the assistance of technology is a recent controversy that is being investigated on to comprehend whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental for elementary students. Technology has gained popularity in classrooms and school districts because of its promise to provide low cost education; and the potential to allow students to participate more easily, to learn more effectively, and to enjoy learning more than with textbooks. Other experts argue that laptop integration in classrooms is a distraction, and can make it more difficult for students to

Did you know that about 12% of the students in a classroom are either texting, emailing, or checking social media? Students are more distracted than ever before with the use of phones and laptops. Students spend about a fifth of their time in class on their devices that have nothing related with their school work. Students do not pay attention, complete school work, and retain information.

This is a problem that is common among most colleges and universities today; according to studies conducted by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, in most college classroom settings where internet access is available, evidence suggest that when these students use laptops, “they spend 40% of class time using applications unrelated to coursework, are more likely to fall off task, and are less satisfied with their education (May).” However, the solution for this problem is relatively simple. The most sensible way to rid distractions in the classroom caused by the use of laptops and other personal technology is to no longer allow students to use this technology in the classroom unless it is absolutely required for a class assignment, and also with the exception that some students may have medical disabilities that might require them to have some sort of technological device in class. In the case of a disability or otherwise medically documented illness or academic need, a provision should be made to allow these students to still have the technology in the classroom. Clay Shirky endorses that students seemed to noticeably exhibit signs of relief when asked to put aside their devices when they were allowed in class, and additionally that it was “as if someone has let fresh air into the room (Strauss).” This demonstrates that the classroom environment becomes much more lively and engaged from the learner 's side of the room when technology is pushed out of the

Some people believe that computers distract students from learning the lesson of the day. There are those who don’t care if they use computers or not. Others believe that we should be able to use computers in schools and improves learning the class subjects.

Technology during school. Is it distracting or is it helpful? Kids looking at the screen, and teachers not knowing what is truly going on. Fifteen percent of the students in each class are playing games or on other irrelevant sites when they are supposed to be taking notes or completing an assignment. On the other hand, the other 85 percent of the students in each class get their work done much quicker and easier on a school laptop. A school laptop can be useful in many ways, but teachers should still stay aware of what their students are doing.

The other half (control group) had a teacher that allowed their laptops to be used but did not involve the use of the web-based material as part of the class. The final report showed that more students responded to the use of computers in the classroom and said that it helped them engage during class and learn more. However, 75% of the students from the total group of the sixteen courses admitted that having the computer in the classroom had allowed them more opportunity to be distracted and do irrelevant class activities like checking social media. Also, 40% from the uncontrolled and 46% of the control group reported that they felt somewhat distracted by their peer’s computers (Zhu).