Technology in the Classroom

Technology, as we all know, is helping and improving many aspects of life. Technology is “the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems.” (Merriam-Webster). Using technology is education for the purpose of better understanding is a positive step taken by most of the schools all around the world. Technology can play an important role in improving education systems, changing the student-teacher role, and technical skills of kids, but just like everything else, there are disadvantages. Every day you will see a change in a school classroom. Technology is everywhere and now more than not, you will see at least one student using technology for educational purposed. When technology comes into play, the roles of students and teachers will change. When students use technology as a resource or form of communication they are no longer passive thinkers. (Effects of Technology). They begin to think actively and independently because they make their own choices about how to deal with the information they find. The use of technology enables many students to think about information, making accurate decisions, and enhancing their skills; something that a teacher-taught class cannot really do for students because everything is written out for them. Along with the student role changing, the role of the teacher will also change because the student technically does not really need to teacher’s guidance. “During 10 years in the profession, I 've seen technology alter the role the teacher almost beyond all recognition. Teachers have undergone a Kafkaesque metamorphosis from Mr. Chips to Mr. Jobs; […]”. (Britland, 2013). The teacher will no longer be the head of the class, giving the students the information they need to pass the class or give them the instruction that they once needed. All the teacher does is tell them what the assignment is while the technology is showing them what to do. The teacher is no longer the teacher, just the facilitator, mentor more like. Technical skills is not something you normally see in children, but early exposure to technology can teach them way ahead of their time. They will learn a lot of the software that they will end up needing in their future. “In today’s elementary classroom, technology aids expression. Students learn to make visual presentations, design websites for science projects and write book reviews as bloggers.” (Thomas-Fox, 2013). Even though the software that they are learning to use now may change later on, they are at least getting the basic understanding and knowledge of the tools and technology that will later change. Just like there are advantages of technology in the classroom setting, there are also disadvantages. One major disadvantage of technology in the classroom is the financial aspect of it. Not every school or every family can afford the numerous pieces of technology needed to advance their child’s education. Not only is it a one-time expense, once the technology is purchased, its costs for all of the upkeep and maintenance of the software may be too expensive for the school to afford. Money is not the only downfall to having technology in schools. Just as previously talked about, the role of teachers will change because once the students get used to being on the computers and the technology becoming teacher, the actual teacher will have a hard time trying to get the students’ attention. The concentration level of the students may also dwindle because there are a lot of other things that can potentially catch the eye of a child. There are games, social sites, etc. Anything could possibly go wrong when having technology as the prime source of instruction and work. Technical problems, like a slow/bad connection, for instance. (Gozalutem, 2012). Or what if a computer shuts off without the child’s work being saved? That is a big problem. Nothing is worse than losing your work. To every advantage, there is a least one disadvantage that can counter argue. Technology has been used in classrooms as early as 1967. As we all can see, technology is making a big boom in education. The role of teachers and students are beginning to change. Students become more dependent on computers to teach those lessons as the teacher acts more like a mentor than an instructor. Along with the advantages of roles changing, children gain outstanding technical skills enabling them to have a better understanding for future technical changes. Aside from the good changes, depending solely on technology for teaching can have its negatives, like kids getting distracted by all of the extra apps on the computer like games, social sites, etc. Also, there could be those pesky technical problems causing your computer to force close maybe making you lose work. Technology is good and is only getting better, but there is a better time and place for technology other than school.

References
Britland, Mike. (2013). How has Technology Transformed the Role of the Teacher?
Retrieved from www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher.blog/2013/Jun/18/technology-transform-teaching-studnts-schools.
Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students. N/A. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html Gozalutem. (2012). Teaching English. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/gozalutem/advantages-disadvantages-using-technology-classroom Thomas-Fox, Martine. (2013). The Importance of Computer Technology in an Elementary
School. Retrieved from www.globalpost.com/importance-computer-technology-elementary-school-7383.html http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technology

References: Britland, Mike. (2013). How has Technology Transformed the Role of the Teacher? Retrieved from www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher.blog/2013/Jun/18/technology-transform-teaching-studnts-schools. Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students. N/A. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html Gozalutem. (2012). Teaching English. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/gozalutem/advantages-disadvantages-using-technology-classroom Thomas-Fox, Martine. (2013). The Importance of Computer Technology in an Elementary School. Retrieved from www.globalpost.com/importance-computer-technology-elementary-school-7383.html http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technology