Role of Computers in Education

“Abundance of books makes men less studious; it destroys memory and enfeebles the mind by relieving it of too much work.” 15th century Italian humanist Hieronimo Squarciafico said this in 1477 to show his objection to the printing press after its invention. He was worried that the amount of books made readily available by printing presses would hurt people’s minds and memories. Replace the word “books” with “technology” and a current opinion against the use of technology for learning is shown. Nowadays, many people are concerned that using technology for learning purposes is actually making people lazier and less apt to think for themselves, but that is not the case. When used for learning purposes, technology is extremely useful and beneficial for students of all ages and abilities. Educational technology is important because it allows learning to be individualized, motivates and engages students, and leads to improved academic achievement.

With the use of the computer a lot of students especially those with unfortunate disabilities or severe illnesses are able to enroll to different schools through home schooling. Students are even able to take their examination tests or check out their grades by the use of the computer. To the students, the positive effect and benefit they can get from using computers is that they get instant availability of resources, preparation for examination, produces neat and readable product, can reduce the need for hard cover text books, and prepares students for using the machines in college. Today, the affect of computer technology to students depends on the student who use it. Most students now use computers in the wrong way and others don’t know how the use the computers in the way where they can get good benefits from it.

I am currently registered with the Queensland College of Teachers, and have been since I graduated my Bachelor of Education in 2011. Since then, I have taught in both my subject areas, English and Computing, and completed a Master's degree to further my knowledge in Information and Communication Technologies, an area I am very passionate about. Throughout my university studies, I have shown keen interest for technology in education (especially appropriating non-education technology for education purposes and 1:1 learning). I have a strong belief that technology can benefit education, given that it is carefully chosen to suit the context; one size does not fit all, one app does not fit all. In the past year at Saint Stephen's College, I have demonstrated that I am capable of teaching in a technical area (Technology) and it is a teaching area I quite enjoy.

What once was a 4.0 student is now a person facing D’s and F’s on his next report card. Vishal Singh is a typical 17-year-old at Woodside High School, he was considered to be a motivated young student, until like most other kids in this century, he got increasingly captivated by the internet after getting his computer in sixth grade. Since then it's been late nights, and GPA downfalls (Richtel). The increasing screen time that teenagers are exposed to leads to distractions that often always lead to school becoming a their second priority. Students are constantly distracted by social media, when they should really be focusing on broadening their education, in order to create a better future for themselves, and to set better goals for the education systems we have today. Technology is controlling teenager’s education, but education is not controlling their technology, and this causing students to be encapsulated in the cyber world in the classrooms, and halls of almost every twenty first century high school. Knowing this, we need to limit electronic use and students must shut off their devices during studying hours and limit computer use to school related topics, in order to create a brighter future for our educational systems.

There are many types of modern technology that allows us to improve the education system. The main one that is being used in educational systems today are computers,

How important is technology in this day and age? I am sure we all agree that technology is one of the most important resources in this day and age. Now, how many people actually took more than just a basic typing class in K-8th grade? Or maybe even up to 12th grade. If you went to school more than 10 years ago, I am sure that all you were able to take was a basic typing class. So my question to you is, why is it so hard to implement technology into the school system? Teachers not willing to be trained? Parents thinking technology will be a distraction? Governments not willing to do away with standardized tests? Everyone pretty much uses mobile phones, tablets, and laptops on a daily basis. As digital natives, today’s students have grown up with technology integrated into every aspect of their lives. Education cannot be an exception. Yet, we are trying to fit 21st century students, into a 19th century system. We need to implement the effective use of technology into all of our education systems. I know this is not something that can be changed overnight. However, if we can get the educators, parents, and the government all to agree, then the effective use of technology should, and will be implemented in our school systems.

As a teacher, we must learn how to achieve academic success in the classroom and with our students. The educator philosophers Borich and Wong have different points of view of how learning should be taught. Borich focuses on how technology integrates in the classroom, also on how questioning strategies help with targeting inquiry, and how teacher directed strategies help improve learners to actively respond. On the other hand, Wong focuses on everything you need to prepare for when you as the teacher have your own classroom such as: having a well-managed classroom, how to introduce yourself to your class, seating arrangements, grading systems, discipline plans, and how to achieve opportunities to learn. Consequently, the teacher should be able to balance the way the classroom acts expressively, and the same time encourage them to be culturally responsive to learning.

Technology has been around since the beginning of modern man and it has continued to evolve and transform with time. When once simple hand tools to complete simple tasks were considered technological advances; today technology is viewed a little differently, but the presence remains the same. Technology, beginning near the end of the 20th century and on into today has grown exponentially, and so have the uses and roles, it plays in our daily lives. With this ever-increasing role technology plays in the day-to-day lives of man also comes the increasing role of technology in the workforce, as well as in education. While some educators are open to the notion of implementing technology into the classroom, seeing it enhance student engagement and student learning, other educators see the increasing push for technology into the classroom as a negative outcome. This debate may never be solved completely, but perhaps those resistant to the idea, fearing the technology will, in fact, replace them, are merely just uninformed about how to go about using technology in their classroom, and how it is meant to be an aid in the education of students, not a replacement.

Technology is useful to have around like when kids get lost or when parents need them to track their kids. Technology can be useful in other ways, like technology is better for education. Also, keeping touch with family and friends, and for emergencies.

The production of technology as increased, allowing the output of information to exponentially increase, thus setting the need for 21st century skills at an all-time high. In the past, there have been two sources of information, the encyclopedia, and the dictionary. Our education system’s foundation has been built through the knowledge, and information handed down by each generation. The learning, and memorization of facts was the ultimate goal in a child’s education. As a country, it is important to evolve as our culture evolves. Everything must continue to grow in unity, and progress together. Having the technology that produces a vast amount of information, but no students who can decipher the information, ends up being a waste of time, and resources.

Technology is changing at such a rapid pace that it is extremely difficult for any one person to keep up with the latest developments. However, just like doctors or marketers, teachers are also expected to keep up with the latest research and technology that will result in the best possible outcomes. It is much easier for educators to do this if they have a social community, with whom they can exchange ideas, share experiences, and ask questions together. The first two ISTE Standards for Educators, “Learner” and “Leader,” encourage teachers to become life-long learners and leaders in their practice. Data patterns from the teacher survey show that there is room for improvement with these two standards at McNicholas High School.

In education today there is new in sight to link educational strategies, programs, initiatives, or technology so students can achieve there goals of passing their classes. There are many groups and organizations that are trying to advance technology literacy for students. In all aspects of our society, technology has revolutionized in so many ways ,plus enhancing our way of life. It’s no surprise that the public,researchers and others have the question on why hasn’t technology affect education yet?. But over the past 20 years there have been so many advancements in information and new tools that are being used to increase human knowledge. With all of the available technology and information researchers showed that integration of 21st Century technology increases student achievement and some college students shown a huge advancement in test and exam results.

We’re living in a country that is called a technologically civilized society. The use of the internet has not changed the way that we think. However, it is making unique contributions in classrooms by providing us with immediate and convenient access to an extraordinary amount of ideas and information. “In the world that we currently live in, technology is a very vital factor”. Today most people are more familiar with the technically advanced gadget that they carry in their backpack, or their pocket. Every other day a new software device is being brought into the marketplace, which helps improve our knowledge in and out of school. One of the advantages that the internet provides students with, is being able to access all sorts of books that are available at any time. Despite the fact that technology plays a positive role in making our school lives much easier, it also has a negative effect. The internet seems to be impairing our ability to focus and to think deeply on any subject. The more technology continues to grow, the more improvement it provides in an education level for certain students; while for others it has a very different effect in the way we read and take in information. In this paper, I will be discussing both pros and cons of the way technology is used in and out of our schools today.

Technology connects students to the world. Educators must use this as a teaching tool to influence thinking, learning, and achievement. According to Holzemer (1998), “the integration of multimedia into the curriculum has helped teachers create student-centered learning environments that encourage students to take responsibility for their learning” (p. 1). The students will receive the opportunities to think critically, provide substance to their activities, learn with their peers and the teacher, and adapt to a continuous learning experience. During multimedia projects, students must learn and apply the appropriate way to present the material. This can be accomplished through photography, videography, a multimedia presentation, and so much more. The more confident a student becomes, the possibilities will be endless. “Putting together a multimedia presentation is a lot of work”, but using an innovative and creative solution will foster creative thinking (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Multimedia allows students to work in groups much more effectively. The teacher can set goals, mentor the group and individual students, and keep their projects on task. If the students choose to use PowerPoint or GoogleDocs, for example, “students teach each other the details of the multimedia authoring program being used” (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Many students are already familiar with the programs, and occasionally know or can learn the program quicker than the teacher. Many teachers admit, “students

As humans living on the earth, society send people to learning institutions for education. A learning institute is one of the most popular place where people get knowledge based on what they have choose as field of study. In this twenty first Century, technology has improved human’s education systems a lot. Although, technology is now part of everything that human does in daily basis, a balance should be established between methods of education and technology. Getting knowledge today is done by utilizing traditional education system, keeping the basic of learning and maintaining the use of technology tools in education.