Technology is now the mainstay of the classroom. Students were fortunate enough to have access to a computer lab in their school a generation ago. Students nowadays use computers for a variety of duties, such as exams, reports, and presentations.
Numerous technical tools are now available in the classroom thanks to the internet. Students can now compete with one another and play interactive activities to enhance their learning process instead of watching educational television.
Technology use provides a few clear benefits. When incorporating technology into the classroom, there are additional possible concerns that need to be taken into account. The benefits and drawbacks of using technology in education are relevant to current K–12, undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programs.
List of the Advantages of Technology in Education
- It gives the instructor credibility.
Students of today have never experienced life without cutting edge technology. Over a sluggish dial-up modem, they didn’t have to wait forty-five minutes for a new webpage to load. There are never enough delights in an AOL chat room. Technology-savvy educators lend their expertise to this generation, opening up instructional applications across a wide range of areas. For the modern learner, even one technology gadget might have a significant influence.
- It offers fast access to a wide range of materials.
Students used to have to haul bulky textbooks to class every day, but that was not too long ago. These days, the majority of such textbooks are computer-accessible online. Organizational platforms enhance the e-books and other technologically accessible resources to make learning more efficient and productive.
- The tedious tasks are automated.
Technology in the classroom is crucial for educators as well. Today’s engagement technologies have the ability to start automating the grading process. Software solutions facilitate the tracking of individual student performance and enable faster identification of learning gaps. Less time is spent at home examining assignments and more time is dedicated to teaching when more of the tiresome labor that teachers perform on a daily basis is automated.
- It develops a method for collaborative learning.
The amount of information that students, regardless of age, remember in a lecture-based learning environment can be as low as 5%. Many pupils believed that the teacher was a “expert” who used the classroom as a platform to share knowledge. The classroom can now collaborate thanks to technology. Up to 80% of the material studied by students can be retained when they learn in a collaborative setting. And for certain pupils, information retention rates can reach 95% when interactive practice is incorporated into the classroom setting.
- It is a simple approach to pick up essential job abilities.
Nowadays, almost everyone has access to the internet. When technology is used in the classroom, students learn how to restrict personal information in a secure setting. When it comes to communicating online, they can acquire appropriate writing etiquette. They get to design slideshows. They follow formatting requirements when writing documents. They pick up new research techniques and the correct way to cite sources for information they acquire. All of these are essential skills for today’s workforce, and students have the chance to become proficient in them before they even begin job hunting.
- It enables the classroom to incorporate contemporary ideas.
Every day when students walk into their classroom, they ought to be able to look forward. Regressing to the past may bring nostalgia to some, but it won’t equip pupils to face the demands of a technologically-driven society. While there is much to be learned from the past, we also need to be prepared for what lies ahead when the curtain rises.
- It has the ability to compile all required data in one place.
With the help of numerous platforms and apps made possible by technology, educators can compile and utilize any student data that could be beneficial. This could cover everything from their track record of attendance to their level of mathematical ability. Once acquired, this data can be utilized to pinpoint areas that would benefit from an intervention. Additionally, it can assist teachers in assigning pupils to groups where studying together may be more beneficial than learning separately.
- Students are free to work at a comfortable pace for themselves.
Although there are still strict schedules in schools, technology has helped to loosen some of the constraints. Students can work at a pace that suits them thanks to technology. Programs or curriculum requirements can be more easily modified to accommodate unique needs and improve the learning process. In the event that a student finds the classroom’s stimulation to be too much, it can also be utilized for remote learning opportunities.
List of the Disadvantages of Technology in Education
- Students may find it distracting.
Access to technology can be just as addictive as using drugs, alcohol, or other vices. The average person in the US checks their smartphone over 100 times a day. Even in the absence of any notifications for them to check on, that action takes place. Instead of focusing on the learning process, students can discover that they are attempting to access other parts of the online experience. This problem can only be resolved by having explicit guidelines and standards to adhere to, which will allow technology to serve as a vital tool for education.
- Students may get disengaged from interpersonal relationships.
The experience of connecting with people in person differs greatly from that of dealing with them online. People start to lose the filter they have over their words and behavior when they start to feel like they can be anonymous. For the convenience of a screen, words, and emojis, some people even cut themselves off from everyday social contact. For this reason, technology has a place in the classroom as a tool. It cannot be the sole element of the educational journey for pupils.
- It might make cheating simpler.
One clear benefit of technology is that it makes communication between individuals easier. The ease of communication also increases the likelihood of cheating. If the teacher is not keeping an eye on students’ computer activities, all it takes to give the answers to a quiz or test is a single group email blast. One simple solution to address this problem is to give assignments that call for a unique viewpoint. The tendency to cheat is usually lessened when thinking is encouraged rather than memorizing.
- It might disadvantage certain pupils.
One out of every five youngsters in the US lives in a household where there is irregular food security. The notion of using contemporary technology in their daily life is incidental. Keeping a stocked pantry full of necessities is preferable to carrying around a brand-new iPhone. For technology to be a useful teaching tool, schools must guarantee equal access to it. Access obstacles to free resources, including computer use in libraries, must be eliminated. This problem can only be solved by sharing.
- It might lead to kids using shaky sources of information to learn.
These days, the internet has a ton of useful information. Additionally, a great deal of data that is blatantly erroneous and deceptive can be discovered. Pupils need to be able to distinguish reliable sources of information from what can be considered “fake news.” Students who draw opinions on content that they find problematic may find it more difficult to make a name for themselves in society.
- It may increase the cost or difficulty of curriculum planning.
The contemporary resources that help teachers be more organized now days are not widely used. It can take just as much work to learn how to utilize a new tool as it does to pass a challenging course and obtain a teaching degree or certification. Although other school districts might not cover the cost of these technologies either, they still anticipate having them in the classroom. Thus, the expenses are directly deducted from the teacher’s salary.
- The teacher may be replaced by it.
A lot of software learning solutions have built-in teaching methods. Apps function similarly. As they finish studying classes, students can communicate with a preprogrammed online teacher using an application like ABC Mouse. This compels the teacher to take on the role of manager or observer. Although they might never go out of style, teachers can already be largely replaced by technology in the classroom. This suggests that rather than creating a customized curriculum to be implemented, teaching may have a future in which it involves participating in the development of new technologies.
- Privacy concerns may arise.
Identity theft is a serious issue in the modern world. An estimated $16 billion was pilfered from 15.4 million Americans in 2016. Javelin Strategy and Research’s study claims that between 2011 and 2016, identity thieves took more than $107 billion from victims. Every day, kids’ privacy is compromised when they are exposed to cutting-edge technology. Although the majority of software and apps have stringent privacy policies in place, the hazards associated with this space cannot entirely be eliminated.
Conclusion
The benefits and drawbacks of using technology in the classroom demonstrate that experimenting with new teaching resources can be helpful. Individuals vary in their comfort level when it comes to presenting something novel. This implies that there isn’t actually a correct or wrong response to be found.
Technology has the potential to create new experiences and open more possibilities. It will also lead to fresh global discoveries.
