Does Technology Belong in the Classroom?
Hello everyone! My name is Gabriela Colmenares and I am currently a fourth year student at California State University, Northridge. I am majoring in English Subject Matter, with a minor in Child and Adolescent Development. I am working towards becoming a high school English teacher. I love to read, listen to music, go to concerts, and binge watch shows in my free time.
Now, let's take a look at whether or not technology belongs in the classroom.
There has been a rapid rise of technology in the classroom in the past few years, with every student receiving their own laptops and teachers a big screen to use in place of white boards. Although it is great that students are receiving laptops because most of them do not have access to them at home, it is important to limit the use of technology in the classroom. Laptops serve as excellent resources for research assignments, but students oftentimes begin to rely on the internet to do the work for them, especially now with the rise of AI and ChatGPT.
I was lucky enough to observe two different high school teachers this past year who were not encouraging their students to become dependent on technology for their assignments. Although both classrooms were utilizing their devices for research purposes, students were required by the district to complete a certain amount of time on a iReady/IXL where they must sit in silence taking tests on their screens instead of learning material or working with their peers. Students already spend the majority of their time on their phones, so there is no need for the district to provide them with more time to spend on their devices.
As a student, I have seen firsthand how people tend to slack off more and get distracted by social media or different websites with a screen in front of them. When I was in high school, many of my peers would begin playing games or watch movies or sports games on the same laptops provided to them to complete their classwork on. It is more beneficial to eliminate distractions in the classroom so that students may focus on learning and engaging with the material.
Now, this does not only apply to students, but teachers should also not depend on technology in their classrooms and make sure to create engaging lessons for their students. As the leaders of the classroom, it is essential for teachers to set an example and show them ways to avoid becoming dependent on technology. Due to this, I will ensure to limit the use of technology in my future classroom and go back to the basics: pen and paper.
What do you think? What role do you think technology should play in the classroom?
Thanks for reading, hope to see you again next time!
Hi Gabriela! Your take resonates with me a lot. Technology is definitely a helpful tool in the classroom, but in my eyes, that's all it ever should be. I feel that if students have too much free access to technology, it easily can become a distraction rather than a means to further their learning. Like you mentioned, AI and ChatGPT usage is growing at a rapid pace within classroom environments. It becomes more and more tempting for students to use such methods to allow technology to do their thinking for them, rather than actually making an attempt to engage with the material. I have also witnessed how quickly and easily students are distracted by games, social media, and/or videos when a screen is placed in front of them for any reason. Over the past year or so, I've begun to feel like technology has started to replace intentional learning rather than supplementing it in the same way it did when we were growing up. I also agree that teachers need to be more cautious in the ways they use technology in the classroom. I feel as though putting focus on engaging lessons that require participation, collaboration, or any sort of deep thinking without a main focus on technology will help students to stay more focused and actually learn the necessary materials to succeed.
ReplyDelete- Hallie Shore :)
Hi there Gabriela, I’m Diana. I am so happy to hear that you want to become a high school teacher because I too want to become one. Another thing about me, is that i too enjoy going to concerts.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through your blog one thing that stood out to me was how you mention the slack people have and how distracted they have become due to media technology. I completely agree because I have witnessed this in my classes and outside of class. A large amount of people have become very dependent on media technology that it can be hard to disconnect from it. However, I believe it has become harder to disconnect and avoid it due to its high demand. Almost everything is through technology. For example, we as college students depend on Canvas to do all our work and other platforms, given this homework assignment.
On the other hand, I believe that media technology can be helpful because it allows for easier access to students to do their work and perhaps make it more interactive as it is something at the tip of hands. Another example, myself; I will be quite honest, I have done many assignments through my phone rather than a computer or paper. I find it easily accessible and find it less difficult to do when it feels like texting. Therefore, I believe that another factor of positive usage of media technology can help student engage more because it does not feel like work but more of a way to engage with their classmates and class.