"A study released in September by
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looked at school tech
initiatives in more than three dozen countries (although not the United States)
and found that while students who use computers moderately show modest gains
over those who rarely do, heavy technology use has a negative impact. “Students
who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning
outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student
demographics,” the report concluded."
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looked at school tech
initiatives in more than three dozen countries (although not the United States)
and found that while students who use computers moderately show modest gains
over those who rarely do, heavy technology use has a negative impact. “Students
who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning
outcomes, even after accounting for social background and student
demographics,” the report concluded."
I gave my students iPads — then wished I could take them back - The Washington Post
Technology usage in the classroom has been one of the most controversial topics in education the past few years. Although technology offers many opportunities to students, it can also be detrimental, especially with young children. I found Launa Hall’s statement, “They flashed their gap-toothed grins — not at each other but at their shining screens” to be particularly powerful. Giving students access to technology at a young age can have serious effects on their social skills. Moreover, placing iPads in front of young students can stifle their creativity, as evident by the students reaction to playing with Legos once they had access to iPads. More than academics are learned in school. I agree with Hall that communication skills are also essential a child’s success and that offering children technology can detriment this social development. I also agree with Hall that although people believe technology connects kids to “students across the globe,” it can impede on their connection with students right in their classroom. On the other hand, I find technology to be essential for taking notes efficiently and accessing online resources as a high school student. I wonder, what is the correct age to introduce technology into the classroom? In which classes is technology most beneficial and in which classes is technology most harmful? Is it possible to monitor technology usage to ensure it is being used to further students’ learning rather than just distracting students?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Sera on the points that she makes. It is crucial that from the minute children are placed in a school environment, the priority is to develop their critical thinking, creativity, motor, and social skills. The efficiency of developing these skills is vital to their well-roundeness as a person, both in and outside of the classroom.If technology is introduced at too young of an age or used to prominently, the development of these skills can be hindered or not addressed at all. But also to the point Sera made, technology can be very useful and help with education. For young kids, there are many apps and computer activities that stimulate the brain and help kids to learn. In my own life, I have seen many kids using their parents technology to play educational apps that are proven to stimulate problem solving, creativity, and learning recognition of things in the brain. I do agree with Sera on her last point that technology should be most prominent in high schools, where note-taking, research, and projects needs to be done, whereas in lower grade schools it is not as necessary. I think the questions being asked should be, "what is the proper balance?” and "is it being used for the right or appropriate reasons?" rather than "should technology be stripped from kids all together?”
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very prevalent to classrooms across the country today. Although our generation has been classified as Generation Y, some experts now like to use the nickname generation iY due to the excessive use of iPhones, iPads, and iPods. I would agree that phones and other electronic devices have greatly hindered the development of social skills throughout younger generations. People will not fully commit their attention to the person across from them, but rather, devote their attention to their screen full of online “friends”. Phones now can be found at the dinner tables, or kids will hang out together only to be spending time on each of his or her individual’s phone. They are missing out on the critical first years’ development of understanding other’s emotions and social cues. I would also agree that kids are obsessed with technology, and electronic devices in the classroom can distract students from the teacher and learning the lesson. Despite this, I have found computers extremely helpful in keeping organized, taking good notes, researching, and writing papers. It is important for continued research to take place to find a balance between electronics in the classroom and human interaction.
ReplyDeleteI know from personal experience in Marian High School that the use of technology is a very controversial conversation. I think personally that it is ridiculous that the school gave 3rd graders i-pads to learn in the class room. When I was in 3rd grade, I was not even thinking about electronics except when I got to watch tv for 30 minutes at night. I can not even imagine being given a iPad in 3rd grade and being able to use it for school work. Even up to 8th grade, we had no use of electronics for school and I still learned, so I do not know what the need would be for 3rd graders to have iPads.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many teachers have different views on technology in class, I believe that it all depends on the school, age of the students, and work ethic of the students. If a student had no desire to do well in class they will obviously get off task while using technology. But at Marian high school, with students from ages 14-18, I think we are responsible enough to make our own decisions. Because we are such hard working students, you don’t see much distraction, but rather great grades because of the technology. But with third graders, you will obviously see a much bigger difference. These children have no purpose for ipads at such a young age in school. If anything they should be on school computers with teachers supervising them.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the comments above. I believe technology as it is currently used in the classroom is detrimental to students' learning. It provides students with a teacher and school approved distraction. Lesson plans can be carried out on iPads and laptops which will interest students more than classic pen and paper worksheets and activities. I do believe teachers should have he option to occasionally teach an interactive lesson involving technology. However, free, daily use of this technology in class does more bad than good. Sera, Elizabeth, and others above argued that laptops can be helpful to have in school to do research and take notes. Actually, studies performed by Scientific American, PBS, and The Atlantic have shown that retention rates of students who hand write their notes are significantly higher than those who type their notes. Additionally, students should not need to do research on a daily basis during class time. When teachers require students to do research in class, they can go to the library. All other research should be done as intended-for homework. Teachers are lecturing while students face infinite distractions on their screens. Listening to teachers' lessons can be boring and difficult already, laptops and tablets give students an easy way to escape the class without the teachers knowing. I believe students should have access to technology with the guidance and supervision of their teachers. This may require teachers to only allow students to have laptops out at certain times or for teachers to monitor students' screens.
ReplyDeleteThe use of technology in a classroom has been a controversial topic for a while now. Technology does offer a lot of opportunities for students to learn but it can also hurt the students. Like some of the people said above, having the use of technology at such a young age can really hut those students. It can affect their social skills and many other things. I do not think that 3rd graders should be given iPads to learn with. They do not need iPads to learn, they can learn without them. The 3rd graders don’t really need them, they will start doing other things on the iPad and get distracted.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Sera and Kelli. Technology is something that is relatively new in this modern age. Technology can be very useful and helpful to students however it can cause a lot of stress for teachers and students. Technology can help with students who need to visualize to learn, but they can also lead kids to be distracted. There are many different capabilities of an iPad. I don't think 3rd graders need to be exposed to those capabilities. They could easily become distracted because they have not yet learned that they must listen during class in order to learn. This premature instillation of technology will not be beneficial. I do, however, see the benefits in older students. I think that outside the classroom technology can be very helpful to younger students because there are many games that stimulate brain function. These games should not be allowed in classrooms unless being done for classroom procedure. They would be very distracting if used for the wrong purpose. I think older students are able to use technology to expand their own knowledge. The ability to "google" a question and get an answer within seconds is very beneficial when writing a paper or studying for an exam. In conclusion, technology can be helpful however it should not be instated at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteI think it is ridiculous that 3rd graders were given iPads. While it offers more opportunities and can make assignments easier, it can also be very distracting. Third graders still do not understand that if they do not give their full attention to teachers and the lesson they will not fully understand it or remember it. I do not believe students should be able to use electronics during class unless it is for the lesson or during free time, and the games on the iPad should be educational. However, I believe they can also be beneficial to younger students. Our generation is very dependent on technology so I think it is important that the younger students learn how to use it, however, instead of having children start using iPads in third grade, it can wait until maybe sixth grade. I did not have a laptop until eight grade and I did very well in school and am not behind in the world of technology. Not only are electronics distracting, it influences students to use electronics instead of handwriting, drawing on paper, or playing outside; not to mention looking at screens is bad for your eyes. In conclusion, I do not believe students should be given technology at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteStudents today are mostly not mature enough to handle a iPad to use for all school assignments. High school students but ESPECIALLY third graders! iPad's are a great resource and technology offers many new opportunities in the learning community, but they are also a big distraction in the classroom. I think technology such as laptops and tables should be allowed in the classroom starting in high school. Elementary and middle school students don't need to be surfing the internet and playing online games during the school day. High school students are at least a tad more mature than the youngsters and we know when we must pay attention or when we have a few minutes to relax. I believe technology is helpful in the classroom but it should not be demanded. I believe it is distracting and if a student's grades drop or their behavior changes due to the use of technology, it is their own fault. I think the use of technology in the classroom should be based off of the maturity level of the students.
ReplyDeleteTechnology in classrooms is only effective to a certain limit. Throughout elementary once a week for 40 minutes I experience going to the computer lab, and we learned how to use a computer and the software and the typing, and we still have that today. However an ipad is a smaller, portable, version of that and to give to 3rd graders would not help their education but delay it. Students need to learn to take good notes on paper, do activities by hand and not have imessages at their touch. It is a liability to the school to have 3rd graders taking selfies or using the camera at all because those are all minor and they have to have parent permission for a photo to be taken legally. This also hinders a child's social development from an early age, they should be playing together not on a screen. Often seen in society today technology is used in awkward situations when a person doesn’t want to talk to the people they are around, and those kids can do that at the age of 3rd grade. Ipads should be for school use only with the right programs to lock a person in the education app they are using and a teacher can monitor each screen like the software brother rice uses. Although this should not be an issues in elementary, high school sure when you have teenagers but not as early as the age of 7.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lot like another article i blogged about that said technology is "turning people into idiots" and taking away social skills. I think third grade is extremely young for students to own their own devices and use them in class. It is clear that their attitude in the classroom change the second they were distracted by iPads. The teacher speaks of how she noticed her young lively students had turned into quiet distracted ones on the first day of owning these devices. It is fearful that being glued to iPad screens this young may stunt the growth of social skills in these little kids. I don't understand the point to having iPads in the classroom when the extent of their third grade projects would be no more than a colorful poster. The only thing i see third graders doing on iPads would be playing games--they won't be typing documents like high schoolers so where is the true educational value of it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the people who have commented on this. This topic is very controversial and there has been multiple studies related to this topic. I see technology as something that could be very helpful, and I stress the word "could". As someone who doesn't have a laptop, I see the ups and downs. Some things are just a lot more tedious to do; having to write things down or having to find a computer to look at sources, those sorts of things. I definitely see that laptops, ipads etc as things are could be helpful, but it's the people that misuse it that suffer. If you're in class and use it to go on social media or other sites not related to class, you lose focus and your grade suffers in the end. Then there's the blame on the teacher that they didn't teach it, but then the teacher tries to take away or limit technology time and then that causes controversy so it's just a continuous cycle that doesn't seem to end. i don't think it will end unless there's a change in how the school in itself is run or in how the students chose to use their technology.
ReplyDeleteThis has been my generations biggest discussion in schools. We constantly fight back and fourth about advantages and disadvantages. On one had I do think that having laptops and iPad in school can make learning easier. It can also decrease paper use. Make it easier for students to keep up with assignment because assignments load instantly to things like edline. However, I do think it can cause distract. It is easy to find yourself checking Facebook, reading BuzzFeed, or texting friends but I think that is the students personal choice if they want to pay attention or no. On another hand, I strongly believe that students that are in elementary school or middle school do not need personal laptops or iPad. These years are the cruel years or learning and developing skills. Children won't get the same social and educational skills taught in school with their heads buried in the internet. I find it sickening that my generation is the last one to have gone most of elementary and middle school without smart phones. I know 3rd grade girls that have the same smart phone and I do and I think it is only hurting them. It is training them to be attached to their phone extremely early in life when they should be out playing with their friends. So to sum it up, personal technology devices can indeed further a students education, however, there is an appropriate age and time in which they should be used.
ReplyDeleteAt Marian High School, the use of technology is a very controversial topic. I personally think that it is obsurd that the school gave 3rd graders iPads to learn in the class room. When I was in 3rd grade, I barely knew wat technology was. All I knew about was a TV. I cannot even imagine being given an iPad in the 3rd grade and being told to use it for school work. What could a 3rd grader possibly be using an iPad for in school? When I was in 3rd grade, I was still learning how to spell words and learning how to interact with my fellow classmates.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with Erin on this matter when she says that technology is detrimental. Today with everything right at out fingertips, it provides a placenta of distractions. This also inhibits a persons ability to do real research. Simply being able to google something takes away the capability to go to the library, search for what's necessary and use books as sources. I believe that though technology is a helpful thing and makes things easier, I think that it often takes away a chance to learn new things. In a classroom setting, it is easy to become distracted with the amount of things online like games, TV shows, and random articles. Even with being raised to only use a computer to write papers during school hours, I still find the distraction ever pulling on my mind as I've had an iPad for the past three years and the ability to look things up right when I want them in every class. As such, I cannot imagine the effects that beginning this process in 3rd grade will do. Using technology for teacher run activities can greatly increase learning, but simply putting a screen in front of a student creates a large distraction and often increases their ability to socially interact with those around them. It will decrease their ability for discussion, because the screens will become more important. I personally find it ridiculous that third graders were given such a valuable toy, as for their age that is all it really is. Although technology can help learning through activities and other things, having it at ones fingertips adds many distractions that can inhibit someone's learning capability.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is very controversial topic in this day in age. Technology can be very helpful in school, but only if you are using it for the right reasons. It is always difficult for teachers to trust students with laptops when learning in the classroom. Technology gives you access to almost anything, so using it in class is obviously very distracting. I feel as if technology should definitely be restricted from those in elementary school, especially to third graders. I also feel that learning how to use technology should be a choice. There are lots of people who don't feel the need to have their computers or technology in school, me being one of them. Forcing third graders to start using technology is just cruel. The best years of my life were when technology was never involved. Nowadays, it takes over my life. Cherishing those years of growing up not having to worry about technology should go on as long as possible. I just think it is completely absurd that anyone would think it is okay to give third graders iPads so they can start learning how to use them.
ReplyDeleteTechnology in the classroom is both a tricky and prevalent issue. In the elementary years, human interaction is key to becoming a successful communicator. The introduction of tablets at this age greatly decreases the amount of socializing that is happening. While there are many educational creative ways technology is great, the ability to read social cues, converse with both peers and superiors, and effectively formulate a sentence is not able to grow. While both 3rd graders and seniors both need to find a moderation of screen time, teenagers are set up better for success. They have formulated key social capabilities, and are now able to use tablets as a resource and not a life style.
ReplyDelete