The era of technology means a lot to humanity. It is present in merely all spheres of human activity and provides people with multiple benefits. The educational sector is no exception and millions of colleges throughout the globe actively utilize different gadgets, applications, software, etc. They help to improve skills, gain more knowledge, complete assignments more productively, and faster. However, many people claim that different technological devices negatively reflect on students too. Therefore, we feel it’s important to review this problem from different angles.
We want to mention the expert opinion of Joan Young. She is an academic writer and blogger employed at AdvancedWriters, which is a famous custom service that has only the best specialists. Her opinion can be trusted. “Technological progress provides college students with unbelievable benefits that can sufficiently enhance their results. Nevertheless, it may ruin everything if students use it incorrectly”. This opinion is vital and the wrong use of technology in college classrooms will be highlighted in our article, as well as many other crucial points.
Common Technologies for Students
Younger generations are commonly more progressive than their ancestors. They are smarter, learn things faster, and adapt to new changes better. Therefore, it’s no wonder students quickly understand how to use various technological devices. The most common technologies used by students are:
- E-mail;
- Course websites;
- Spreadsheets;
- Presentation software;
- CMS (Content Management System).
These technologies help to access the necessary data, complete tasks faster, become organized, track all the assignments, find the right answers, etc. In the meanwhile, teachers, and professors also use technology to make their job easier and more productive. Smart machines track the grades of students, help to create plans, optimize learning processes, make lessons more interactive and informative, find and offer useful educational sources, and something of the kind.
What are the Benefits?
We want to begin with a review of the main benefits and reasons for using technology in the classroom. Technology has a huge potential and helps students in a variety of ways.
- Access to Information
Students always use the resourcefulness of the Internet. The main objective of the Internet is to provide users with any kind of information and students reap the necessary benefits from this function. Students can find and use helpful guides, manuals, tutorials, webinars, workshops, scientific articles, etc. to solve almost all their issues.
- Engagement in the Learning Process
Thanks to various applications and tools, students can fulfill their tasks in original ways. Those gadgets and software reveal their creativity to the fullest because they aren’t obliged to use only pens, papers, and textbooks. Some youngsters take it as some sort of game, which helps to work more effectively and they like the results.
- Learning Apps
Youngsters have a rich choice of learning tools that make learning faster, more creative, and effective. For example, students with poor grammar skills can use grammar checkers similar to Grammarly to get feedback on every text they write. A smart tool will outline their mistakes and will propose correct versions.
- Enhanced Collaboration
Teamwork is crucial in education. Students can complete projects together using the Internet connection and any messenger. They only should determine the active hours when the whole team discusses the issue and looks for the best solutions. Everything runs fast and conveniently.
Why is Technology Bad?
At times, the use of technologies leads to negative outcomes. They are not always effective and useful for students. However, some people are convinced that negative outcomes from the implementation of technology in college classrooms are induced by the wrong use.
Is it really so? One study, carried out by Arnold Glass (a professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University), tried to answer this vital question. It involved 118 students of the University and checked the way technology affects their academic progress.
The students were allowed to use any kind of technology they want to complete their tasks. They could use it right in the class. Afterward, they weren’t permitted to use technology for the same period of time. Students passed short tests daily, more complex tests in a few weeks, and a final test for the completion of the class material.
The initial results showed no harmful effects. They remained effective and received almost the same grades. Nonetheless, the outcomes of the larger tests showed that students had a poorer performance. Negative outcomes appeared when they answered tests related to the topics students have passed thanks to devices.
Glass is convinced that poorer outcomes appeared because of the wrong use of technologies by students. According to the professor, students couldn’t comprehend all the things told by their professors because of distractions caused by texting or handing on social media platforms. They heard their professors but didn’t assess materials critically. It’s a typical drawback of technology. Students should listen to their educators. Only after that, they should use technology to solve some tasks.
The Common Cons of Technology in Classrooms are:
- Loss of attention and concentration;
- Possible cheating;
- Mental addiction;
- Worsened eyesight;
- Obesity due to inactivity;
- Problems with posture, etc.
Technology in college classrooms has pros and cons. The possible benefits are great because different programs and software have huge potential. However, technology may complicate the learning process for some students. We are convinced that various devices can help educators and learners only if they are used reasonably and correctly.