Today, I want to dedicate my blog space to the letter “T,” that is, the second letter in “STEM,” that is, technology.
But I’m not talking about “technology” in the connotation that STEM puts it, being a type of major.
I’m talking about the use of technology in the classroom. This is an issue that wouldn’t have come up in the past. Technology in education at that time referred to encyclopedias and typewriters.
In 2015, we have access to a large variety of items that are at times used in a classroom setting: smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartboards, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, iClickers, iThis, iThat, iEverything. You name it, there’s probably something out there like it.
It’s quite amazing the amount of technology that the innovators of our world have produced. And there are obvious positive impacts that our technology can have in an education setting,
Tablets allow students to store all of their data in one place. All notes and textbooks are available for use. Software, like Microsoft Office, allow for students to produce projects beneficial for learning. The Internet access can allow for seamless research, and communication with no boundaries.
Khan Academy is a free website run by one awesome dude that has over 2,400 videos that can teach anyone about a very large variety of topics.
There are countless benefits to the use of technology in education. But also, countless drawbacks.
We live in a generation, like all generations are, much different from the previous. As millenials, we are much more inclined to use technology, and it has become a sort of addiction.
According to a study, the average person checks their phone over 100 times a day. It is a massive temptation, right in everyone’s pockets.
I’m sure many others can relate, as I’m sure I fall around or above this average value. Oftentimes, it’s for no good reason at all. My iPhone is not that special, however, it commands a lot of attention.
And it drives me nuts to see how many people in my college classes are just sitting on their phones. I’ve never done a study to count how many people use their phones in class on a daily basis, but it must be quite a lot.
I don’t understand why so many people bother attending class when all they do is sit on their cellular device, but it is obvious that it has become a distraction for many students paying attention in lecture.
Luckily, as I’m sure many of you may know, Pocket Points has become an incredibly popular app on campus, accruing 10,000 Penn State users since it’s beginning. This app is helping incentivize students to not use their phones in class, which will help in the education setting. Nonetheless, there is still a major problem.
So to sum up the benefits and the drawbacks of technology in the classroom, we benefit from the capabilities for learning that our technology contains, but, we also waste a lot of time doing meaningless things with our technology in class.
So what kind of a solution best utilizes the technology we have, while improving the quality of education?
I believe that the solution is to increase the use of technology in the classroom. Use of laptops should be encouraged. Use of cellular devices should be encouraged (for educational use). Any and all technology that has any use in a classroom should be encouraged.
Because this is how older generations need to connect with our millennial generation, hard-wired with technology. If we convert the use of cell phones from useless Facebook browsing to something more research, or app-based, millennial students will have their phone-unlocking desires filled, while learning at the same time.
I can say that our human attention span is decreasing; it is no longer (and it may have never been) effective to use lecturing as a way of learning. Students just cannot pay attention to one man or woman talking about a certain subject for a 50 or 75 minute period.
I assume that as more millennials become teachers, this problem will be remedied. But a new problem may arise. With new generations come new philosophies, and ways of learning. We need to make sure we keep up with the best ways to educate our youth.
I think that technology in the classroom is a great tool for students to learn. That being said, it drives me absolutely crazy when students use their phones in class. There should be a policy that penalizes students for doing so (possibly a deduction in attendance/participation points). Instead, students should be encouraged to use other types of technology during lessons to make them more interactive and fun, thus reducing the need to play on your phone instead of paying attention to a lecture.
I see firsthand in the giant lecture hall classes (as I’m sure most of us do) the problems with having laptops and cell phones in the classroom. It is really just a distraction. Plus, there are multiple studies that prove it is better if you take handwritten notes. Personally, I don’t blame professors for banning the use of technology in the classroom. I understand it is necessary in some classes and I also understand that some students simply prefer the computer. However, my personal opinion is that it is not necessary.
Technology is an intriguing idea to think about when it comes to assessing its place within education. It comes to many as a distraction, a way to escape the ensuing boredom that sometimes results from listening to a lengthy lecture. I also think that technology should be more incorporated into the classroom, but it would not be easy to do so. Many high schools do not allow students to have phones on them because of the distraction. Imagine handing out a tablet to each student, there is little chance you can have the attention of the students for more than 30 minutes let alone fifty. If we try to incorporate technology into the classroom, we will need to try to put ways to inhibit students from using them for non-educational purposes. There can become a point where incorporating these new technologies can become a hassle. Despite this, I do think and hope that there will be a time where most classrooms will be technologically advanced.