Summer Bond

UWRT 1103

Dr. Presnell

October 12th, 2017

Technology and its Impact on Creativity

As the public education system begins to mold and shape around the demands of our

modernizing society, we realize that principles such as free thinking and creative learning are

increasingly stressed and challenged now more than ever. Grades are the undeniable factor that

pushes students into the next academic level. Test scores have become so standardized and vital

that they are the main factors behind college acceptance and academic success. Despite this, the

wave of technology shines a new light on how the public education system educates its students.

It brings a glimmer of hope to the students and teachers as it is further introduced into the

traditional classroom setting. How exactly does the use of this technology in an educational

system really impact the creativity of the students?

\ In certain public education systems principles such as free thinking, creative learning,

good grades, and good test scores are valued differently. On a more detailed scale, how exactly is

creativity and free thinking valued in the traditional classroom compared to grades and test

scores? Creativity is a form of intelligence, but it is not the form usually assessed by tests and

grades (Jalongo, Creativity and Education).Unfortunately grades and test scores are so highly

valued in our public education system that it almost overshadows the creativity of the students.

Grades and test scores are typically required to carry a lot of weight in a students academic

progress. They are necessary for determining if students are able to retain information and fully

understand it before moving on to a different or more difficult topic. Standardized tests, such as
the SAT and ACT, along with regular grade-level advancement tests are emphasized as critical

in education; they develop a one-way method of thinking and fail to test on creativity and

mindful responses. Along with this, grades are slightly valued more than actual learning. This is

seen with the increased record of cheating and plagiarism at public schools and universities. This

is exactly where technology comes to play.

The implementation of technology in the classroom creates for a diverse conversation on

whether it is actually beneficial for freethinking and creativity. Recently a survey of twelve

public university students from UNCC showed that 72.7% of students do not believe that

technology blocks their ability to think creatively and that 54.5% of students believes that

technology benefits their intelligence (Technology in the Classroom). Technology in the

classroom allows for a wide variety of possibilities for a young learner. It seems as though

students greatly appreciate the generous amounts of technology in the classroom. The internet

creates a place for students to look up information, create projects, find inspiration for their own

ideas, and journal their thoughts. Students believe that they can go beyond the pen and paper

restrictions with the use of technology. Educators also use technology to appeal to visual, hands-

on, or auditory learners. Smartboards, laptops, ipads, and other forms of modern technology

allow for both students and educators to take a more creative spin on education and knowledge.

It seems as though many people agree that technology in the classroom gives students a sense of

academic freedom and sources for endless knowledge. Technology seemingly makes learning

more fun, easy, and accessible. It only seems to benefit one's view on education and learning,

but how exactly does one begin to view their own creativity and ideas when they are so

immersed into a world of everyone's but their own?

 The increasing amount of technology in the classroom definitely sparks a topic on

whether there is too much technology accessible to students and how exactly does that impact

the way they view their education. Technology has not necessarily left a negative legacy on our

education system but the way that it is used, mistreated, unused, or taken advantage of can leave

lasting impacts on our public education system and the values that lie within it. On a small scale,

the overuse of technology has created a sense of laziness for some students. Young learners

become so accustomed to the free internet access,information that it has to offer, and the

quickness of its retrieval (through phones, laptops, tablets, etc.); this hinders them from

developing as free thinkers and innovative learners. Students begin to view the internet as their

own mind. The thoughts, ideas, and words of others seems to work its way into the mind and

vocabulary of students who have never fully learned how to form their own. Students and

educators can become so invested in the idea of quick and easy learning that they fail to realize

the importance, process, and relevance of creative learning and free thinking. The wide array of

websites and tools such as Sparknotes, online paragraph summarizers, Answers.com, Wikipedia,

and Slideshare make it exceptionally easy for students to take shortcuts to creating essays,

answering problems, or even taking tests. While this seems completely harmless, we must think

about the large-scale repercussions that this technological pursuit really has on the public

education system as a whole. The growth of plagiarism and cheating at public universities and

schools has only seemed to multiply throughout the years as students find new ways to use

technology access to their advantage. This is the result of thousands of expulsions, dropouts,

failed classes, and irreversible reputations for students and the institutions involved. The public

education system is forced to take a stance on whether the implementation of technology in the

traditional classroom is actually beneficial to the students education.

 Speaking more specifically on the topic of education related to creativity; we must

understand the relationship between education and intelligence. Creativity is an aspect of

intelligence and allows a person to think freely and imaginatively. Specifically, creativity is

acting as a possible vehicle for individual empowerment in institutions and organizations and

being used to develop effective learning (Jeffrey, 17). In a traditional classroom, this type of

learning is key for academic development. Creativity is the driving force behind individual

development.On a larger scale, it is also the force behind economic and social development

(Jeffry, 38). The main purpose of public education is to create and develop educated individuals

who will further benefit and provide to social and humane development. Therefore, creativity

holds the greatest power to the purpose of public education. We must take into consideration

how exactly we are impacting our creativity with the use of technology in our classrooms. While

the list of advantages and disadvantages of the use of technology in our education system can go

on forever; we must take a step back and consider exactly how these factors are solidifying,

expanding, or blocking the creative insight and free-thinking ability that deserves to be catered

by the public education system.

Works Cited

Craft, Anna. Creativity in Education. Continuum, 2004.

Jalongo, J.P. Isenberg|M. R. Creativity and Education. Education.com, Pearson, 24 Apr. 2014,
www.education.com/reference/article/creativity-education/.
Reflection:
While researching, I found myself using more detailed phrases and words so I was able to

directly find the information i was looking for. I also began using more reliable websites and

articles that would allow me to find more factual information that i could tie with my survey

findings. I began tying my survey responses to the outside resources and was able to develop a

diverse array of sources. Writing this essay was much more different than writing the reflective

essay because it involved much more research and planning. I began writing more structured

and fuller paragraphs because of all the evidence and detail that I had to include. Writing this

essay allowed me to also show my own voice within the writing because of the certain facts and

sources that I used. By using these new research methods, I believe that my writing skills have

benefited because I am much more able to mix my own ideas and words into the diverse set of

sources that I found in order to effectively illustrate my main points. I feel much more prepared

for further experiments conducting research. I definitely feel as though my writing skills have

benefited from the way I wrote this essay because I feel as though my writing is much more

structured and organized. I also feel as though I am able to really mix my words and thoughts

into an essay filled with research and analysis. I will use these skills I learned by writing this

essay in future English classes when it comes to writing a paper, a research paper specifically. I

will also use these skills if I am needed to analyze sources and evidence in a lab report. The

construction of a survey will allow me to really understand the thought process of others as well.