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Tyler Dobbins

Professor Koll

Eng 101

7/11/18

More Technology In The Classroom

Technology is a controversial topic as it pertains to everyday life in America. Some argue

that technology is invading every aspect of our lives. There is now even an app to order your

groceries. This commonly debated issue, namely whether there is too much technology or not

enough, is especially pertinent when it comes to American public schooling. Many think that

adding more technology will hurt student’s ability to communicate and removes the person

interaction between students and their teachers. However, it would be foolish to neglect the ways

of the world today. Technology is becoming a required skill for the workforce, higher education,

and modern communication. If schools are there to educated and prepare the youth for the real

world, how can they avoid including technology? For these reasons, it is essential that American

public schools integrate technology into schools across the nation and continue to update the

technology they have. American schools have a duty to prepare their students for the real world

and teach them skills they will need to use for the rest of their lives. In order to improve the

public school system in the United States, we need to integrate technology, train educators how

to use the given technology, and focus on the specialized education of each student using the best

programs available.

The first step in ensuring that the public school system improves their education is by

making sure that all schools have access to the internet. Some schools in rural areas are unable to
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introduce the internet to their students due to lack of resources. Students who do not have the

knowledge to use a computer, simply cannot compete with students who are able to used

computers with proficiency. According to the telecommunications direction of the Colorado

Department of Education, “​Feder says some schools in tiny districts lack enough electricity to

plug in computers, while more affluent locations such as Boulder Valley and Cherry Creek have

been cruising the Internet for years” (Griggs, 16). The resources for basic technology must be

provided to all schools in order for public education to be improved. Creating a mismatch, as

such demonstrated by the lack of electricity example, makes it extremely difficult for students to

all be progressing across the nation. However, just as important as having the equipment, is

having the knowledge to use these resources.

Next, teachers must be able to effectively use the technology their school has provided.

Understanding that technology and programs change quickly is part of using technology and so

the learning can never stop. A study that was conducted in colleges notes that when technology

is not used properly by the educator it is ineffective can also be applied to the public school

system. Warren Arbogast, a higher education technology advisor, states, “​Though many colleges

offer optional training sessions or workshops on how to use technology in teaching, some

professors say they are too busy with research to participate, especially when tenure committees

put so little emphasis on effective teaching” (Young). This example brings attention to one of the

major problems that can occur with technology in the classroom: teacher’s being unaware of how

use the technology. It is just as important to have the training for teachers as it is to have the

technology itself. Thus, the appropriate teaching for instructions must also be implemented if

technology is to help improve education in the United States.

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Some refute having technology in the classroom claiming that it is destroying the

personal relationship a student develops with their students. Blankenship states in his article

about technology in the classroom that: “There's an interpersonal quality to education that has

been lost,” (41). People remember special moments with their teachers and are concerned that

such moments will be lost to a computer screen. However with growing diverse classes, teachers

are asked to do more than ever. There are so many lessons to be taught and making sure that the

lowest student is being helped just as much as the highest student is being challenged is difficult.

If public education is to improve there needs to be a way for teachers to challenge all of their

students at virtually the same time. The personal connection might suffer in some ways but

technology is able to reach each student’s individual skill level better. How can a teacher present

a reading lesson when Suzzy can’t read her sight words and Lucy is already on chapter books?

This is a struggle that teachers have always been asked to deal with and technology is able to

help that challenge in many ways, and the benefits outweigh the negatives.

For example, Accelerated Reader is a reading program by Renaissance Learning

demonstrates how technology can help teachers effectively challenge each student in the

classroom. The program rates books by reading level and allows each student to independently

read their level. Then, to ensure comprehension, the student logs into a tablet or computer, finds

their book by entering its title, and then takes a brief quiz on the book (Rosen). Teachers are able

to monitor their student’s progress on the program and see whether or not their students are

progressing. If they are not, intervention from the teacher occurs. This is an opportunity for

personal interaction between the teacher and student to troubleshoot where the issue is located,

whether the book be too difficult or the student is rushing and not comprehending the story.
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Accelerated Reader is an example of how technology can allow for individual student progress

and also allows for plenty of teacher intervention, if needed. Rather than having to sit with each

student, or group of students, to try and teach to the learning level, this program allows each

student to succeed individually. Getting through to all of the students and helping them reach

their potential is just one way technology will effectively improve the public school system in

the United States.

By adding, or increasing, technology in the classroom, students will gain more a more

personalized education. In result students are both more independent in their education and are

also more prepared for their futures after school. The critique that the personal connection

between educators and their students is threatened by technology does have some merit however,

as the Accelerated Reader example demonstrated, there is also plenty of room for teacher

intervention. By implementing these technological programs the classroom will not be losing it's

social interaction, just simply evolving how communication occurs. Some lessons will still need

to be taught whole group, but can now be better enforced using the developed online programs.

However, bringing more technology into the classroom does not only benefit the student’s

learning while they are in school, but it greatly benefits the student’s future plans. As mentioned,

technology is the now a basic skill for both higher education and most jobs in the workforce. It is

essential that schools graduate young adults who have the knowledge to be successful.

Improving public education is not only about raising test scores, it is about making sure that each

individual student has the tools and skills to be independent. Colleges expect that students can

use the internet for many tasks: enrollment, online classes, grading, doing research, typing

papers, checking emails, and various other tasks. Similarly, most jobs require some basic
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technological skills. Thus, to improve the United States public school system is to add more

technology to the classroom, effectively, and prepare students to be successful in whatever they

do next.
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Works Cited

Blankenship, Mark. "Plugged in or Tuned Out?." ​Education Digest​, vol. 75, no. 5, Jan. 2010, pp.

61-64. ​Academic Search Premier​.

Griggs, Robyn. "Technology in the Classroom." ​Colorado Business Magazine,​ vol. 22, no. 12,

Dec. 1995, p. 17. EBSCO​host​.

Rosen, Peg. “Accelerated Reader: What You Need to Know.” ​Understood.org​. Web. 2018.

Young, Jeffrey R. "When Good Technology Means Bad Teaching." ​Chronicle of Higher

Education,​ vol. 51, no. 12, 12 Nov. 2004, pp. A31-A32. EBSCO​host​.