Technology has begun being introduced to the classroom at an ever growing rate. The possibilities for help are nearly endless as are the potentials for misuse, abuse or neglect. As Samantha Cleaver noted in her blog: "Technology in the Classroom: Helpful or Harmful?" technology can be beneficial to students in certain ways, however it often falls far from meeting its potential.
As Samantha notes, introducing technology into the classroom can be a daunting task for a teacher as they must find a way of incorporating it into the current curriculum or in the case that technology is a stand alone subject top be learned on its own, the teacher may have top draw up a completely new lesson plan in order to create space to learn about the new subject while attempting not to take time and resources from other subject matter.
One aspect of introducing technology into the classroom which I feel the article neglects to some extent is the difficulty some students may have at adapting to it. While learning to use and become proficient in technology is an important aspect of having a positive outlook for your future, this is not a skill which all possess or have come to them naturally or easily. Just as some students perform poorly in math, science, reading or learning additional languages, technology can be a difficult, challenging and upsetting subject for some to learn about. Introducing technology in the form of games used to teach can be quite helpful, however some students may learn best through some other form or median of learning.
As Ms. Cleaver notes in her article, the teachers themselves may find themselves having issues related to answering questions from the students who are having difficulty dealing with the technology aspect of the learning. As there have been difficulties involving teaching through the medium of videos, the introduction of technology (which is by its very nature constantly growing, expanding, adapting and changing) into the classroom can create unwanted distractions and delays in the learning process if the teacher is not properly educated in how to use the medium itself effectively.
In her article, Samantha also notes on the ways in which learning through the means of technology can be useful in today's and, more importantly, tomorrow's classroom. Students who are used to playing video games may exhibit a much stronger willingness to learn by using a tablet which has an app where math science, reading social studies and other lessons are learned through the disguise of a game. It can also be easier for a teacher to track students' work and to encourage learning at home through online assignments and students' themselves can track their progress more rapidly and easily by having grading available online and the ability of the teacher to create a website with a test or other method of checking the students knowledge which can give instant feedback about the correct answer once the question has been answered by the student and the "submit" button pressed.
Ultimately I largely agree with Samantha Cleaver regarding her article asking if technology in the classroom is helpful or harmful as it can cut both ways. I feel it is the responsibility of the teacher not to simply neglect technology completely nor embrace its use as the only method of education worth while. The new technologies being introduced to the classroom have the incredible ability to teach and interest students in learning in ways which have never been done before and creates new methods for teachers to track and display student's progress. However, they must remember that some students learn best through seeing or hearing or doing and due to the fact that not every student learns best via the same medium, there must always be other forms of instruction being displayed to the students and options which allow students who do well learning through other means to opt out of learning through technology and learn through another medium.
Source:
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/effective-technology-teaching-child/
"Technology in the Classroom: Helpful or Harmful?"
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