1930, the overhead projector was introduced in schools. 1951, the videotape takes the scene. 1959, the photocopier. 1963, the Vocational Education Act passes which supports technology in schools. 1972, the calculator dominates the world. 1986, usage of PCs in high school hits 25%. 1994, most U.S. classrooms have at least one PC in the classroom for instructional delivery.
Technology has undoubtedly revolutionized the way we teach and learn in classrooms. With access to a wealth of information and educational resources, students can now broaden their knowledge like never before, and teachers can create interactive, multimedia-rich presentations that make lessons more engaging and effective. However, we must balance technology and traditional teaching methods to ensure students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for success.
According to agirepair.com, “The evolution of technology in the classroom reached a critical moment in the late 1990s with the introduction of 1:1 student computing. One-to-one student computing means one computer for every student… It’s estimated that 40% of US schools have a 1:1 program, with another 30% having at least one device for five or fewer students.”
Much like the creation of cement, this amazing contribution to society holds a darker underside that many overlook, simply because of how dependent we have become on technology. Over 35% of students in a poll admitted to cheating with their phones in school; think about all the students who didn’t take that poll, or didn’t want to answer truthfully. Students have always found ways to cheat in school, whispering answers around, and cheating off the answer sheet, but now their ways are more powerful than ever. In the poll mentioned above, kids reveal they text each other answers during tests, use notes and information stored on their cell phones during tests, and download papers from the Internet to turn in as their work.
Everyone knows that Quizlet holds just about every answer to most assignments passed out in school, and most students use this site among others to easily finish a late assignment without even reading the questions. This diminishes the effect teachers are trying to have on students and renders their and your time useless as you gain nothing but a free 100 from copy-pasting all your answers. While you may not use everything you learn in school in real life, you would be better off with a general idea, rather than being stumped on the EOC because you don’t remember what you pasted in that one assignment all those weeks ago.
While schools are being more lenient in allowing technology in school, it has effects that could lead to the downfall of some students’ future if they continue down the path of not putting any work in simply because “they probably won’t need to know this in the future.”
Over time students are losing grip on the consequences of plagiarism and academic dishonesty. This could lead to even worse behavior as they grow up, and possibly even legal trouble. It is not just the prospects of the students that are at stake; such actions also harm society. The deepening of social inequalities, that is, students who can possess technology and those who cannot, is becoming a large issue as with the gaining popularity of technology at school, it renders some students hopeless as not everyone has a personal device or money to rent a school-owned one.
Now a final statement, and possibly the most important thing to consider when talking about technological advances in classrooms. You learn more when you fail. This is called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a process in which your brain rewires itself to function or think differently than how it did before. This occurs when your brain does something that causes distress or a feeling of defeat; that way your brain opens more connections and can think of more and better ways to deal with a problem similar to the one you failed at. If you can go online and search for the answer to your quiz, you are not failing at anything, you are immediately getting the answer. This does not cause the brain to go into neuroplasticity, which causes you to not make any connections to the answer you put down, with the question it asked you. When the time comes for you to take the EOC, your brain, which has not undergone neuroplasticity because you searched for the answer, will not be able to make the connection between the questions, and the correct answers.
Next time you are struggling with a test or an assignment, put in the work, take the time to learn what it is asking about, and most importantly, be open to making mistakes, as these will cause you to be able to make connections faster and improve your skills in the field you are learning.
