Technology is changing education
It is interesting to reflect upon how much has changed from when I was in school which was in the 90's and 2000's and to think about how much technology has advanced. When I was growing up in school we had to go to the computer lab and if we were saving anything it had to be saved to a floppy disk. Not to mention, a research paper actually consisted of going to the library and checking out books because at the time using the internet was not the norm. The internet was just coming around when I was in 7th grade and that was when you had to make sure nobody in your house needed to use the phone because you had to use dial up internet. Oh, and if you wanted to get a hold of your friends you used AIM instant messenger which just this past weekend AIM signed off for the final time after 20 years which was kind of sad to me seeing as how that is actually how my husband and I first started talking was on AIM.
Like anything else in this world technology in education has its positive aspects as well as its negative drawbacks. In 2017, we are living in the age of technology. We all grew up with basic cable, no one had a cell phone, there was such things as a car phone and a beeper. And if you had a computer it was one computer per household. Now we all have computers that we carry around in our pockets that we as people whether we like it or not from one day to the next are totally consumed by. You used to have to take a gamble to talk to someone because if they weren't home you had to leave a message on their answering machine and now it is very rare that you can't get in touch with someone because we have so many different forms of communication at the swipe of our finger tips. With that comes my first positive of having technology in education because we live in a digital world. Just like I have watched technology evolve so will my students and it will be my job to help prepare them for a future full of constant evolvement in technology.
Technology also has the potential to teach students valuable life skills that they will use forever. Including writing emails, creating digital presentations and even how to behave appropriately when on the internet. And again, like I have stated before communication is available at the swipe of your finger tips, and so is information. With the internet and the advances in technology it has made sharing information super easy and available in an instant. The internet has given us the opportunity to look up any idea at anytime. There are also a ton of resources available to enhance education, for example ebooks this has made it a lot easier for students to afford their textbooks because usually ebooks are a lot cheaper than regular textbooks and again it is a way to keep everything that a student needs in one place.
However, there are some negative aspects associated with technology in education. My husband is in his first year of teaching and in his high school students are allowed to have their cell phones on them during the day. Now as mentioned before having access to instant information can be great, but on the other hand that allows for a lot of distraction. I would imagine that when you are trying to teach something and your students are distracted by their phones it can pose a lose-lose situation for all involved which would be a huge negative in the classroom. Another negative, is that not every student is able to afford the latest and greatest in terms of technology. We have to always keep in mind that from one student to the next their situations are all very different and when assigning assignments this will be something as a teacher I will need to be aware of so that if students do need additional resources I can help with that. Another aspect that all of my future students will most likely deal with is social media and unfortunately it is not always used for good and instead it is used as a way to bully other kids because it can be done behind a computer screen. This is something that again was just starting out when I was in school and I witnessed first hand the effects of bullying through social media.
Technology is going to continue to evolve and we either move with it or get left behind that is just the way of the world at this point. We have 2 year olds who know how to use iPads better than some adults. At the end of the day technology is the future and we have to grow with it.
Like anything else in this world technology in education has its positive aspects as well as its negative drawbacks. In 2017, we are living in the age of technology. We all grew up with basic cable, no one had a cell phone, there was such things as a car phone and a beeper. And if you had a computer it was one computer per household. Now we all have computers that we carry around in our pockets that we as people whether we like it or not from one day to the next are totally consumed by. You used to have to take a gamble to talk to someone because if they weren't home you had to leave a message on their answering machine and now it is very rare that you can't get in touch with someone because we have so many different forms of communication at the swipe of our finger tips. With that comes my first positive of having technology in education because we live in a digital world. Just like I have watched technology evolve so will my students and it will be my job to help prepare them for a future full of constant evolvement in technology.
Technology also has the potential to teach students valuable life skills that they will use forever. Including writing emails, creating digital presentations and even how to behave appropriately when on the internet. And again, like I have stated before communication is available at the swipe of your finger tips, and so is information. With the internet and the advances in technology it has made sharing information super easy and available in an instant. The internet has given us the opportunity to look up any idea at anytime. There are also a ton of resources available to enhance education, for example ebooks this has made it a lot easier for students to afford their textbooks because usually ebooks are a lot cheaper than regular textbooks and again it is a way to keep everything that a student needs in one place.
However, there are some negative aspects associated with technology in education. My husband is in his first year of teaching and in his high school students are allowed to have their cell phones on them during the day. Now as mentioned before having access to instant information can be great, but on the other hand that allows for a lot of distraction. I would imagine that when you are trying to teach something and your students are distracted by their phones it can pose a lose-lose situation for all involved which would be a huge negative in the classroom. Another negative, is that not every student is able to afford the latest and greatest in terms of technology. We have to always keep in mind that from one student to the next their situations are all very different and when assigning assignments this will be something as a teacher I will need to be aware of so that if students do need additional resources I can help with that. Another aspect that all of my future students will most likely deal with is social media and unfortunately it is not always used for good and instead it is used as a way to bully other kids because it can be done behind a computer screen. This is something that again was just starting out when I was in school and I witnessed first hand the effects of bullying through social media.
Technology is going to continue to evolve and we either move with it or get left behind that is just the way of the world at this point. We have 2 year olds who know how to use iPads better than some adults. At the end of the day technology is the future and we have to grow with it.
That's all for now!
--Danielle
I so appreciate your post and it made me laugh as I grew up in the same way. The answering machine statement cracked me up. Your voice came through in your post and that was truly amazing. Nicely done!
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