Debate: Techonology
Everyday places and things began to be impacted by technology over a decade ago: offices gained computers, homes acquired tablets, and some replaced paper books with electronic reading devices. However, one of the places that is affected most by this wave of new technology influences children every day : the classroom. At school, blackboards are now Activboards, lesson plans are transferred from paper notebooks to laptops, and some teachers even use computerized tests instead of handwritten ones. This all leads to one of today’s popular debates – do the fancy gadgets that are so common today benefit the students? Many may say that the technology does not help students, in fact worsening the way they learn. Many educators are concerned about the possibility of it having an unsatisfactory impact on students. However, the benefits of using technology in schools far outweigh the flaws of doing so.
Technology helps capture students’ attentions, improve lesson plans, and facilitate exploration for students – and those are only a few of the advantages that technology gives students. With the avant-garde technology today, there are educational games, projects, and many other things that can certainly benefit students. Each of these online activities can cater to an individual student and can help him or her in ways that can not happen when a teacher teaches a whole class. After a lesson, there are always a few students who are left confused and helpless. Technology will allow each student to go at his or her own pace. The simple and short lessons that educators give are simply not enough for students to comprehend, and they can review what they have learned through practicing online.
It is true, however, that technology can be distracting; thus, this responsibility of limiting the distractions with strict supervision lies with the teachers. There are people who believe that finding the lessons online may be difficult and that teachers can easily be frustrated. However, some may not consider that most teachers are generally more adapted to technology than many may think. Also, lesson plans can be easily organized online with the advanced programs that we have today. It is tedious for students to learn the “old-fashioned way”. School is something that many students dislike, often being associated with the word “boring”.
On the other hand, technology is something that people today are interested in. A mix of spice into something perceived as dull will certainly excite the students and help them be more engaged in the subject. With the teenagers of today so reliant and fascinated with technology, they will most certainly be more absorbed if it is incorporated into schoolwork. After all, a video and interactive Powerpoint on the Industrial Revolution is certainly more impressive than taking notes from a blackboard. Lastly, technology can help the students explore. An example is something that is quite common among students: research.
Using such a large resource, the Internet, students are bound to learn more and will be less likely to get tired of searching for things – making use of a plethora of facts is much more engrossing than flipping through an encyclopedia. Though some may say that technology is unnecessary, one must be reminded that technology is now a major part of one’s life. Using a computer or an online resource will enhance their knowledge on technology, which is something that the students will soon be dependent on. All in all, it is quite obvious that technology will benefit students who are working with it. Technology can help students explore what they will now be relying on, it can help them gain interest in school subjects that they once disliked, and it can aid students by helping them fully understand a lesson in creative ways.
