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Sophie Sheridan
Mrs. Cramer
College Composition 1
20 January, 2017
Technology Affecting Education Today
Is technology effective in education? This is a popular question among the teaching

industry lately. Some teachers believe in it, while others do not. It has both a negative and

positive effect so far. Technology is becoming more popular every year; however, it can distract

students while trying to advance their learning capabilities.

Technology is everywhere in education today. Many schools are starting to resort to using

laptops for class activities. In some schools, they try to ensure they have one computer for every

five students. The standardized tests are also making a change because of technology. In 2015,

the standardized tests were administered on laptops instead of paper, because they are attempting

to keep up-to-date with the latest technology. According to Benjamin Herolds, Technology in

Education: An Overview, public schools spend around $3 billion on technology and purchased

more than 23 million devices for classroom use per year. Although it seems to be a good idea,

some teachers are slow to change their teaching ways. A new technique that many schools and

districts initiated is called, blended learning. This technique combines traditional teaching with

technology-based instructions. It allows students access to learning content whenever they want.

There is also another teaching device that uses a rotation model. It is more personalized with

smaller groups. The rotation model makes students rotate for certain parts of the day between

online and in-person stations. Without technology, these teaching techniques would not exist. In

the article, it states that there is no evidence that these learning styles work, the answer as of right

now is it depends (Herold). The transition to technology in schools is occuring fairly slow
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because of financial and technical problems. Soon almost every school will fully utilize the

technology needed to become more advanced in education.

Typically, a classroom full of distracted students is not preferred by teachers. Shortly, this

will be a normal classroom scene. Once students get on their phones, it is hard for them to get

back off. Even when their phones are on silent or vibrate, students always feel like they are out

of the loop. In the Washington Post article, Why a Leading Professor of New Media Just

Banned Technology Use in Class, author Clay Shirky noted, Humans are incapable of ignoring

surprising new information in our visual field, an effect that is strongest when the visual cue is

slightly above and beside the area were focusing on. This example is showing that students

really cannot ignore anything. When you see or hear something go off, it is an automatic

response. Clay Shirky also stated that, Jonathan Haidts metaphor of the elephant and the rider

is useful here. In Haidts telling, the mind is like an elephant (the emotions) with a rider (the

intellect) on top. The rider can see and plan ahead, but the elephant is far more powerful.

Sometimes the rider and the elephant work together (the ideal in classroom settings), but if they

conflict, the elephant usually wins. This example represents the conflict extremely well.

Technology does not just distract students; on the contrary, it also has a side effect. This side

effect is multi-tasking, which can have a negative long-term effect on declarative memory.

Declarative memory is the kind of memory that helps you remember what you learned from

studying earlier on. Multi-tasking makes you forget what you have learned or studied. Not all

students turn to multi-tasking, however it is extremely common. Technology in school may seem

convenient, but looks can be deceiving.

There are numerous amounts of positives that come with using technological devices in

class. This helps students become technologically skilled. Technology is also growing in
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workplaces, not just schools. So, this will prepare them for modern workplaces. It also saves

students time. For instance, writing an essay would consume and abundance of time if you were

looking in a library full of thousands of books just to find the one you need. Another positive

effect is, it gives students the power to do more advanced and creative work. It allows them to do

things on online programs that you cant do without the technology. In fact, some online

programs improve the communication between students, teachers, and parents. Parents can e-

mail teachers about their kids to see how they are doing in school and etc. Also, students can e-

mail their teachers ID they need to talk or have a question about something. Computers also

include things like auto correct, Microsoft documents, a calculator, and other helpful tools like

these. Additionally, technology can create a more personalized learning experience. Benjamin

Herold voiced that computers are Allowing teachers and software to deliver more personalized

content and lessons to students, while allowing students to learn at their own pace and ability

level. The teachers can do this by creating assignments online, such as courses sites or by

simply having you research. Students become more motivated to learn when they are using

computers because it becomes more hands-on so they can take some control of their education.

Furthermore, not all students learn at the same pace. Online activities allow them to learn at a

comfortable pace to complete the assignment. While the students are working on their

assignments online, that gives the teacher more time so he/she can guide any one that needs help

in the right direction. Technology in the classroom makes learning more fun in general, it is nice

to have a change. By all means, technology definitely making a positive change for many

schools.

Without a doubt, technology has made a colossal impact on teachers, students, and even

their parents. It may distract some students and have a couple negatives, but at the same time
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there are also positive effects to it. The positives and negatives seem to weigh each other out.

The timing for technology to advance in this way could not have been more perfect.
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Works Cited:

Herold, Benjamin B. "Technology in Education: An Overview." N.p., 5 Feb. 2016. Web.

Strauss, Valerie. "Why a Leading Professor of New Media Just Banned Technology Use in

Class." The Washington Post. WP Company, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.