John Freire And Susan Behuniak

Since such connections are broader and accessible to almost every students, schools have become progressive in the way they use electronics. Kevin Delaney comments on teaching tools in schools, “Pioneering teachers are getting their class to post writing assignment online so other students can easily read and critique them…educators are beginning to interact with students..”(Source B) Students are able to give constructive feedback to other students and help each other improve. When teachers join the tech world, the relationship and communication between student and teacher is able to progress and advance. Teachers are able to direct students to specific resources which gives multiple online options to students who can look at different approaches to learning new information. However, too much information can inundate a child’s mind and can lead to a lack of imagination. Rather than create one’s own ideas, students are now force fed information without the ability to form unique beliefs. Esther Dyson calls attention to the fact that technology prevents students from being able to process information. She states, “machines automate the production of attention-consuming information.. today’s children are living in an information-rich time-compressed environment that often seems to stifle a child’s imagination.”(Source C) Giving students too much information in school

Technology in the classroom is important for teachers, parents, and students alike, because technology use has become a necessary skill for survival in today’s vastly expanding technology driven global economy. Research has shown an increase in student’s success rates when exposed to technology in the classroom. Also technology has opened lines of communication between educators and parents to keep students on track, and help teachers educate better.

As technology continues to evolve educators, continue to find ways to incorporate new technology in to classrooms. This drive to innovate is a great thing as it has been shown repeatedly that technology can improve grades, student engagement and increased creativity. However, in all their excitement to push new ideas and devices into schools many over look the basic problems these devices introduce when thrown into the classroom. Regardless of how well a school prepares there will always be two problems present when technology is introduced into the classroom, distraction and cheating. This essay attempts to explain why these problems are counterproductive to the learning process and offer solutions proposed by researchers in the field.

Many people now understand the benefits of teaching students how to be proficient with technology. There are many new jobs that came about with the rise of technology. But there are also downsides to the quickly growing online community. Terry Heick of teachthought, a website that promotes itself as being informational to “21st century teachers” says that technology can be a distraction among students that can be hard for teachers to restrict “It may be difficult for a teacher to monitor her students so closely in class as to determine whether they are utilizing educational apps on their tablets or browsing Facebook.”(Heick 1). Many schools also provide students with their own computers or tablets for them to use while they are in attendance. This can be a problem for many schools because of the huge financial commitment this can be. Many schools choose to provide students with Apple products. Apple products can be extremely expensive to supply children with, the most inexpensive Apple computer is the MacBook at $1299,

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.

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.

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.

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.

Even though many education systems are embracing the face of technology, some schools are still attempting to hold on to traditional teaching styles. In a 2012 New York Times article, teachers reported a decline in written work, and shorter attention spans which they believe is the result of all of the technological distractions (Richtel). This is just an example of the many concerns coming from teachers and school boards. Another issue they find is that they are being pressed to integrate these new advances into their time tested lesson plans, ultimately taking away from teaching and the student learning. If teachers believe or see that the students are the ones suffering from that, they are going to be less willing to try and understand the concept of technologies role in education. Although these educators have respected opinions, the goal should more so be to

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

Most faculty and even students say that “Technology is an excellent tool students typically add to their metaphorical tool boxes, but in the classroom, its effectiveness often is diminished by the distractions it causes” (Katie Bane, 1). Technology is often used in the classroom to save time and information faster but with that comes temptations and some students can’t help but get off task. Research shows that students know technology is distracting but they don’t realize the educational penalties (Katie Bane, Brandon Thomas, 3). Kevin Smith, a political science professor, began research and he would alternate each semester between letting his students take notes online and and banning technology altogether. He discovered that his students who weren’t allowed to use technology typically scored a whole letter grade higher than the students who took notes online. (Katie Bane, Kevin Smith, 7 & 8). Another study was performed by Barney McCoy, an associate professor or broadcasting. He surveyed 777 students at 6 different universities about how the predominantly journalism and advertising majors used technology in the classroom, what advantages technology offered in school and what classroom policies they thought would successfully work to limit their use. 90% of the students surveyed responded saying that their technological use

Many students are exposed to technology early in life. Many of them have computers, tablets, game systems, and smartphones available for use. Children as young as two (2) years old can be found playing games on a parent’s phone. Therefore, it stands to reason that technology would be introduced in the classroom.

The long time use of balances, overhead projectors, busen burners, and document cameras has existed in the classroom for years. Generations have continued to be introduced to these pieces of equipment, but has the technology ever changed? Technology has changed our world, but what about our classrooms? Not so much. The challenge today is to incorporate the 21st century changes into classrooms across the nation (Metz, 2014). Many classrooms see smart phones and electronic devices as a distraction. According to Kowarski (2010) districts nationwide are increasing their use of technology in the classroom. As technology utilization increase Kowarski (2010) identifies a correlation to a student-adopted model for learning as well as an increasing distraction to the curriculum.

Obviously, teachers will have to ensure that teaching with electronic devices stays academic. Students will be tempted to text their friends, check Facebook, post twits, or simply browse for a non-academic content. However, there’s a simple way to make sure that students use their electronic devices for educational purposes. First, instead of a giving a lecture in front of