World of Technology:
Impact on Education
What did mankind do before the internet? Educational technologies are changing the lives of current and future generations. For years, technology has been flooding into the classrooms of youngsters. On an average, a student uses up to three devices daily. Teenagers count on a cell phone to do things, from waking them up in the morning to giving them any information needed during the day. The incredible World Wide Web saves many hours of research for a paper compared to three decades ago when days were spent looking up research that is now available almost instantly. The floppy discs of a few decades back cannot compare to digital textbooks on mobile devices, e readers, laptops, or tablets of the day. Technology plays a huge role in today’s world impacting education on major levels in regards to accessibility, communication, and opportunity. Education will continue to be part of people’s lives, regardless of age or lifestyle.
First, an article from 1995 proves how much technology has changed when it comes to accessibility. In his Nation article “Virtual Students, Digital Classroom,” Neil Postman points out, “It would be quite astonishing if computer technology equalized all learning opportunities, irrespective of economic differences.” (381). Modern technology is a part of every classroom unlike it was back years ago. Equipment has become accessible to everyone attending classes, not just the wealthy. Fat pencils have been replaced
Modern technology has penetrated every aspect of our lives and made great impacts on our daily activities, especially in the area of education. The continuous infusion of technology in education has become an unchangeable tendency. Given the increased use of technology in education, much research has been done on the value of technology in education. However, none of the studies have answered all of the questions that are essential to determining whether continuous infusion of new technologies in education can improve the quality of education. Since a clear answer to this question is vital to help educational organizations to make decisions on how much
“By 2009, 97% of classrooms had one or more computers, and 93% of classroom computers had Internet access. For every 5 students, there was one computer. Instructors stated that 40% of students used computers, often in their educational methods, in addition to interactive whiteboards and digital cameras”(Educational technology). The country is on the threshold of the most radical change in American education in over a century. It is clear that technology is increasing and is now woven through education as well.
One topic that will continue to bring contribution to education is technology inside the classroom. Elementary school all the way up to college and even further up to Doctorates programs will continue to face the rapid changes in society. To stay on-top and updated with the world, there is no option but to convert with society to technology. One side will continue to say technology is beneficial to everyone that has something to do with education. Now, it is not uncommon to still have others say, “technology has its pros, but the good doesn’t not out weigh the bad in this situation”. To look at each side and say they are right or wrong is undoubtable but, the education system must find the balance and the between of paper mixed with some technology.
Every day the world is changing and things are done differently. Technology has also affected the way students are taught and in which they learn. It has changed the classroom. Technology saves us time and allows us to access material in only minutes. “The Internet and online subscription databases, even as a supplement to the printed works in the library, allow students to see, and force them to consider or reject, points of view that they might never have encountered in decades past” (Gow 4).With all the time technology produces, it also has downsides and it also may have created a less intelligent society.
Jenny Arledge, a first grade teacher in Valparaiso, Indiana states, “Technology can become the ‘wings’ that will allow the educational world to fly farther and faster than ever before—if we will allow it.” In today’s society, technology is all around us and ever changing, especially in schools. Technology can help give students a better education by allowing more opportunities for learning. Some people claim that technology is a distraction from learning and that it is more negative than beneficial, but this is not true because technology helps students learn more than they would ever be able to. Without technology students would not have the opportunity to learn to their potential. Although technology has its drawbacks, schools should consider how technology helps schools change in preparation for the future, allows students to retain new information, and increases interaction and communication.
On a daily basis, both businesses and individuals rely on technology. It cannot be denied that technology has become part of our everyday life. As individuals, we all depend on technology, either for education, health purposes, transportation, communication, romantic relationships, and/or business growth . It is impossible to explore how each advancement in technology has impacted our lives as well as how it will impact the future, but we can briefly explore the major advancements. Technology impacts the environment, people individually, and the society as a whole.
Education is defined as ‘the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgement, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.’ A good education leads to knowledge, career progression, enlightenment and helps a nation progress, as John F. Kennedy said; "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource." The introduction of technology in education has impacted education both for good and bad. According to the Oxford dictionary, Technology is; ‘machinery and devices that are developed from scientific knowledge to increase or better, everyday functions.’ Technology used in education, is part of a large debate over whether it is improving educational outcomes in students. Some say technology is revolutionizing education for the better, and others say it is a trend that offer/s no specific improvements to education. Although technology can never replace a good quality teacher, the advantages and benefits of technology, positively supplements a bridge between education and the technological world, hence offers students the marketable job skills they need in order to satisfy in the evolving technological world.
In current times, technology has become such a big part of life, and most people would not be able to live without it. It has become very prevalent in education today, but technology appears to be more detrimental than beneficial. It has become the world’s main focus of the educational system, and although it has been useful to have, the disadvantages should not be ignored. Technology has clearly made an impact on society and education, but an inadequate amount of evidence has surfaced to justify that it is helping students and the community. Because of the technological advances in education, students’ learning is hindered because they have become accustomed to relying on it, and the learning environment is limited to fancy, expensive technology.
The contemporary world prides itself on being technologically advanced more than any other recorded society in the history of humankind. One of the most prominent channels that technology has been able to assert its influence is in the digitalization of every perspective of human life. Most of the human activities have adopted a technology; a move normally referred to as digitizing, in their operation. Education has not been left behind. There has been an incorporation of the digital process of learning at all level of education. The process has had a very large influence on the field of education today.
As each day goes by, the world continues to invent new ways to use and enjoy technology. Humans live in a society where there’s a television in every restaurant, a computer in every classroom, and smartphone in every person’s hand. This new rise of technology affects all types of people, especially young children. Teachers and educators all around the world embrace technology because they believe that children gain academic benefits from it, leading to a smarter and more educated world. While having access to screen time as a young child can help them sharpen their brain skills, many parents know that the harms outweighs the benefits. They know that an extended amount of screen time leads to physical and psychological damage in their children, all while impairing their social skill and actually decreasing academic performance.
Technology is advancing in everyday life and is starting to make its way to the education field. Teaching students how to read has always been one of the school's main focus. Students have always learned to read out of textbooks, but now that technology is growing, schools are starting to use e-books and different online software depending on the class type. Because of the growth in technology in school, students need to be taught how to read and comprehend books and online books at a young age.
The educational process in the last century has been forced to interact with the beginnings of the technology that the world knows and uses today: computers, phones and the internet. The rise of laptops, cell phones and tablets from these original
Jane Healy presented a strong argument encouraging others to pay attention to technology in schools and its impact on teaching and learning. She stated that her ideas about technology have changed over the years to now becoming a “cautious critic.” She argues passionately that technology will not solve our educational systems issues, cautions against the capitalistic consumerism of purchasing products, the pros and cons of computer use, and whether or not technology provides better support in the classroom rather than a strong teacher.
In the 1990s, many classrooms where equipped with six to ten PCs, where children could access educational programs. However, this only allowed six or ten children to use this type of learning resource at a time. It was even new for the schools to have four or five rooms dedicated for computer use, with possibly thirty desk tops.This type of technology was used to help student’s reinforce what they had learned, and to become familiar with programs such as Microsoft Word or Works. Now, with wide use of the lap top and increase in the budget, schools can provide carts that hold twenty to thirty lap tops. Unfortunately, in most school districts these carts must be rented out and there is a limit on how many classrooms can use this technology at once. Also, a new type of technology used in classroom in my hometown is microphones, which the teacher wears on their shirt or jacket. The class room is then equipped with surround sound speakers, which ensures that each student can hear and understand the teacher. This type of technology is a good idea; honestly, there are times now, where it would be nice if professors would wear microphones. The second most influential technological breakthrough that has impacted education tremendously is the internet. Both teachers and students use the internet to find information on the World Wide Web, where there are millions of sites of information: some good and others bad. The internet
Did you know that all the knowledge in this world can be accessed within the touch of your fingertips? With technology today, it has become easier and more convenient to access any information you would like using multiple devices: computers, iPhones, tablets, etc. The use of social networking and research done with appliances has become more common within society. Technology has been able to positively affect many aspects within our human lives, especially within education. In today’s era, technology has taken over a majority of our lives; it is a way to connect with our peers and society. This will allow us to broaden our horizon in different ways of teaching and the educational system. There are no limits on what you can educate today’s society with technology. The rapid change in technology is slowly edging its way into the educational system and holds the potential to profoundly reshape education. Educational technology is beneficial for students, teachers, and school systems across the country.