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Zach Cramer
Paul Anderson
English 111
26 October 2014
I-Tech
Its impossible to avoid technology, because every day we are surrounded by it. There is
question whether technology is getting too involved inside the classroom though. What is too
far? If technology can be used in the classroom and makes learning easier for students, then the
possibility of learning more in less time is a greater benefit. Technology has a lot to offer such as
making it easier to communicate with professors, such as being able to ask questions about
assignments, or due dates. Technology has made it much easier to do research, instead of having
to go to a library and sit in an uncomfortable chair for two or three hours, I am now able to stay
inside the comfort of my home. Being able to use the internet to look up any book at the tips of
my fingers makes it much easier then walking up and down the endless aisles at libraries or book
stores. With the amount of technology that is available and being offered to college students, the
lack of it in the classroom makes it seem like the colleges are limiting all that is at hand. While
some students may just see college as a waste of time and surf the web, other students who are
trying to do the best to their abilities can be robbed of what they can and cant do because the
college is limiting its technologic resources. Yes, technology can get expensive but there is no
reason to limit the amount of learning that is provided. While Consten and Rust show that
technology, and course management systems help with communication between students and
professors, they also show that students are able to help each other to better understand

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assignments and help teach each other. While other sources such as: Randall S. Davies,
Douglas L. Dean, and Nick Ball, and Michael A Chilton, say that technology can completely
erase the needs of the classroom, that technology would do all the teaching while the classroom
would just be a place to help with any individual problems that a student may be having, whether
it is what is being taught or how to use the technology given to them to learn with. Then sources
such as Joy V Peluchette and Kathleen A. Rust feel that technology is unreliable and is causing
more problems for both students and faculty. Although I can see all of my sources perspectives, I
believe technology is being limited in the classroom. Technology allows students and teachers
to communicate anytime and anyplace, students to collaborate and be a resource for each other,
and students to work at their own pace giving them time to better comprehend the material.
In the article The Value of Staying Connected with Technology: An Analysis Exploring
the Impact of Using a Course Management System on Student Learning, written by Wanda M.
Consten, she shows how course management systems are greatly increasing understandings
between students and teachers. Consten explains that a course management system is, a
software system that is specifically designed and marketed for faculty and students to use in
teaching and learning" (Morgan, 2003, p. 2)(Consten). By using these systems, students can
interact with other students and ask any question they need to at any time, via email. Course
management systems like Blackboard and WebCT provide a vehicle through which faculty can
communicate with students and students can communicate with each other. I believe by having
that advantage students can understand assignments easier by being able to ask questions even
after classroom hours have ended. Students also learn from one another by asking questions and
are able to teach each other. Consten shows that professors are able to give students the power to
teach each other. They also have the power to alter the means to distribute knowledge, create

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more equal learning communities and enhance student performance (Katz, 2003). Moreover,
electronic discussion groups (available in VLEs) may help create collaborative online learning
communities where students learn as much from each other as from the professor (Sigala &
Christou, 2002).(Costen).
Technology has greatly enhanced communication between students and teachers. It has
also allowed students to be able to turn in assignments after class hours giving them more time to
be able to work on those assignments longer then what was once able. Colleges and universities
are advocating the use of technology in teaching and learning in order to accommodate today's
students, who have grown up in a technological age (Lowry & Flohr, 2004). Technology allows
learning to extend beyond the classroom walls (Mann, 1993).(Costen). Growing up with
technology I am able to understand and be more adaptable with what I need to know for college
courses.
In the article, Flipping the classroom and instructional technology integration in a
college-level information systems spreadsheet course, written by Randall S. Davies, Douglas L.
Dean, and Nick Ball, they believe that technology can completely end classrooms. Rather than
the teacher providing synchronous in-class group instruction, students are expected to use the
video resources provided, along with other materials, to learn concepts and complete tasks on
their own, at their own pace, and at locations convenient to the student. Individual students can
focus their efforts on their own learning needs so that they are not left behind by class
discussions that go too fast or become bored by class time that is spent covering content they
already know(Davies, Dean, and Ball 565). I do believe that there should still be in-class
learning and that classrooms shouldnt come to a complete end because then students would lose
personal and professional interactions and wouldnt be able to make as many connections.

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However, I think it would be beneficial to place all class resources online for students to rewatch, reuse, and review. Also, a class could hold half of its sessions online and half in-class.
Then, students would be able to do class lessons online at their own pace and then meet the
following week for discussion.
In the article Technology in the Classroom: Using Video Links To Enable Long
Distance Experiential Learning written by Michael A Chilton he talks about students who are
exposed to their desired work environment while in the classroom. He shows that the student can
be in programs that are a part of class to show them the responsibilities of their work
environment. Chilton then has the idea of introducing what the students need to know at an early
age in learning, and talks about using virtual classrooms, what if the model were reversed
(somewhat) by allowing the firm to train students in their techniques and methods while still in
the classroom? Would this benefit the student and the educational process? Would the student
become more competitive upon graduation? If so, how would such a model be accommodated?
The technology to accomplish this has been around for some time, but its use has been
prohibitively expensive. Using more modern and less expensive technology, the virtual, real time
classroom has not only become possible, it offers a richer learning experience on a much larger
scale than has heretofore been offered. This type of virtual classroom and experiential learning
goes beyond what has been offered in recent history. Video links and teleconferencing have been
used in the classroom, but have primarily been confined to linking prerecorded video case
studies (Boling, 2007) and other students in remote classrooms (e.g., West, 2010). In the former
case, teachers are able to link via a web browser to a case study found somewhere on the Internet
and present this to the class, while in the latter case, classrooms located in various parts of the
world are able to interact in real time with one another. (Chilton)

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What the instructor is teaching also has an influence on how likely they are to use
technology. Often the teacher will try to decide whether using the computer will help explain
what they are teaching, or whether it is making it more difficult for the students. For example,
many faculty members now use a computer simulation in strategic management courses because
they believe that the simulation provides a more realistic set of scenarios for students in making
strategic business decisions. Likewise, those teaching production and operations management
might use the computer in class to show students how to solve problems using Excel
spreadsheets.(Chilton). Teachers arent the only ones effected by technology in the classroom.
Students also have had to learn to adapt to these new teaching styles. While younger students are
able to understand modern technology, older students who might be returning to get a degree are
having more struggles with learning the new methods. Due to the fact that older students may
not understand the newer technology being used in the classrooms, it would be a great idea to
offer a basic technology class that introduces the different programs being used and how they
can benefit from them.
As you can see, there are many positives to incorporating technology into the classroom.
Although, like all programs, it has its faults. In the article, Technology Use in the Classroom:
Preferences of Management Faculty Members written by Joy V Peluchette and Kathleen A.
Rust, they sent out surveys asking what teachers and professors thought about these course
management functions. Their studies also showed that senior faculty members are more
repulsive to use instructional technologies. With everyone using the same management program
often times the system can take a while to respond or crash while in use. That also plays a key
role as to if the teachers are more likely to use it during teaching. Faculty members indicate that
technical problems such as slow systems and software or server problems are important factors

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in determining how or whether they decide to use certain instructional technologies (Hantula,
1998; Piotrowski & Vodanovich, 2000). Papo (2001), for example, indicated that faculty
frustration with slow equipment delivery, equipment set-up time, and limited funding for
technology upgrades can foster a reluctance to use instructional media.(Rust Peluchette)
Though technology is easily accessible, the reliability of it is whats being questioned. I
understand where they are coming from, however with advances in technology these errors are
becoming less frequent and will continue to decrease with some patience.
As you can see, technology in the classroom allows for better communication,
collaboration, and comprehension. Technology is making learning much easier for future
generations from allowing students to communicate with their professors easier, enabling
questions between students, and also having the ability to better understand course material,
management, and research. Although there are a few minor kinks in the system, they can easily
be fixed and worked around to create a better, brighter future. There is a lot of positive aspects
that technology is capable of changing.

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Works Cited
Chilton, Michael A. "Technology in the Classroom: Using Video Links To Enable Long Distance Experiential Learning." Journal of
Information Systems Education 23.1 (2012): 51-62. Pro Quest. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Costen, Wanda M. "The value of staying connected with technology: An analysis exploring the impact of using a course
management system on student learning." Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and Tourism Education 8.2 (2009): 47-59. Pro
Quest. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Davies, Randall S., Douglas L. Dean, and Nick Ball. "Flipping the classroom and instructional technology integration in a collegelevel information systems spreadsheet course." (2013): 563-78. Pro Quest. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Gibbons, Susan. "Integration of Libraries and Course-Management Systems." Library Technology Reports 41.3 (2005): 12-20.
Pro Quest. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Peluchette, Joy V., and Kathleen A. Rust. "Technology Use in the Classroom: Preferences of Management Faculty Members."
Journal of Education for Business 80.4 (2005): 200-05. Pro Quest. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.