Joshua Wooi
Professor Meredith Smith-Lane
English 250
18 April 2019
Documented Essay
How does one know when they have really learned something? How would they know, that they know, what they need to know? For that matter, what even is the point of knowing and retaining information when an infinitely extensive archive of information is readily available on the internet? In the twenty-first century, technology has evolved to accommodate a more convenient lifestyle and meet every need that could possibly need fulfilling; the needs of education included. In the same time that it takes to pick up a book, an internet search would have already provided the answer and more. In the same time that it takes for a professor to write on a board, they could have gone through twice the amount of materials with pre-prepared electronic slides. The landscape of education has been extensively altered to accommodate the integration of technology in the classroom, and one has to wonder how this impacts the education system.
Some may argue that technology has positively affected education. Some say that technology has expanded accessibility to education with “e-learning”, which describes the utilization of electronic technologies to access educational curriculum outside of a traditional classroom. In most cases, it refers to a course, program, or degree delivered completely online (Zhang et al.). It allows for the flexibility of time and location, where students are not restricted to a schedule or have to travel for any distance to class. While this may initially appear to only be a flexible alternative to the average student, this privilege also affords the working individual the opportunity to advance their education without deterring them from their professional obligations. Thusly, the opportunity for education is amplified. Furthermore, e-learners absorb information at their own pace and are not pressured by the tense atmosphere of a traditional classroom, resulting in a better learning experience. To support this is a study that was conducted in 2004. There, researchers found e-learning to be advantageous over the traditional classroom setting, where the experimental group of e-learners outperformed the control group, which attended regular lectures, on the same test (Zhang et al.). While it may be true that this was an isolated case, the results are compelling and should be a telling consideration within the discussion. Additionally, the point was put forth that technology has made learning easier (Sununu). The most rudimentary example of this claim would be the calculator. While it is certainly feasible to learn and understand advanced concepts in subjects based in mathematics without it, a calculator streamlines the process by offering ease and efficiency. This becomes helpful when a student is at a place where basic mathematics becomes more of a tedious burden than constructive practice.
Conversely, others are of the opinion that technology adverse education. An initially harmless use of technology in the classroom may be a slippery slope to over-reliance. Or worse yet, misuse. In an article released by Jeffrey R. Young, Young wrote on the results of a survey that assessed the opinions of college students on the use of technology in the classroom, such as PowerPoint (Young). The general consensus was not in the favor of the practice. Common reasonings were that the slides were often used as an “information dump” and did not offer much that warranted its use over the reading material. Furthermore, professors often uploaded their slides onto the institution’s preferred course management system after the lecture (Young). Doing this discourages classroom attendance as the same material, that should have only been made available in the classroom, were also made available online. Relatedly, this removes the incentive for students to take physical notes in class, as they are under the impression that the material would still be accessible at a later time. This habit cultivates procrastination and causes a buildup of work load when students have to play catch up on the syllabus near the end of the semester. On that matter, taking notes doesn’t necessarily mean using pen and paper anymore. The innovation of lightweight, personal computers has made it possible for students to produce neat, legible, and paperless notes in a relatively efficient manner. In the context of education however, this is a demanding task on cognitive resources as students are forced to multi-task with typing at a relatively fast pace while also dividing their attention to the lecture (Mueller and Oppenheimer). When spread so thin, the cognitive performance is severely deteriorated and a study found the practice of taking notes by hand to be more beneficial in the long term (Mueller and Oppenheimer).
However, some are of a third opinion that the integration of technology in the classroom is just a sign of the time, but not necessarily a bad one. Over time, everything progresses and requires to be brought up to date. More children are exposed to technology today than ever before, and this is according to the results of a recent survey by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Stott). As such, when most students today are exposed to technology from an early age, it only seems logical and necessary to align today’s classrooms with the way that students are familiar with. Additionally, a study found a positive correlation between the amount of Twitter usage and student engagement in university‐associated activities including organizing their social lives and sharing information (Evans). Moreover, computers and other technologies are an increasingly important part of the world, in which students live. More and more information produced currently are being digitized, which increases its exposure to an increasing demand for education (Rovai and Downey). Equally important, a good education opens doors to job opportunities otherwise inaccessible to the uneducated. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics have stated that an increasing percentage of jobs require some use of technology currently, and as such it would be wise to prepare and orient students to the requirements of their future careers (Martinez).
The need for more research and discussion on this topic is clearly indicated. The impact of the integration of technology in the classroom remains complicated by multiple factors, each with valid viewpoints. While it is clear that benefits exist, the imperfections are undeniable, yet some argue that it comes to be an inevitable change. Part of being successful is to be educated. Should the integration of technology augment the pursuit towards education, those striving towards success should fully embrace it. However, should technology present a potential hurdle towards education, questions and concerns are and should be warranted. That said, the answer to the question remains in the grey area.