Technology in Schools

Technology in Schools

Do you believe the education system is being taken over by technology? Though some experts may argue that technology in schools is not a good idea, others are arguing the fact that technology is much needed in today’s society. Laptops, tablets, or readers are more cost efficient for students then buying textbooks every year. It would be easier for students to keep up with assignments, access, and reread text and students would be more willing to come to school.

Laptops, tablets, or readers for every student would be a more cost efficient way for school districts to purchase and provide text books for the students. I work for the school board so I know firsthand how costly it is to buy text books for every student every year, when the same books are rarely used for more than two years. Each student on average has at least four textbooks at a given time with the majority of them costing at least one hundred dollars. If you do the math providing textbooks for one student every year comes out to be about $400. If each textbook is only one hundred dollars, then multiply that by the number of students that are in a school. In my school for instance we have 629 students multiplied by $400 that is $251,600 just for our school. Plus you have to provide the teachers with the teacher editions to these books, even though the books are already available online. For every one student textbook there are three or more teacher’s editions. Our reading series has six books plus an assessment book. You are spending even more on the teacher’s editions than you are on the student books. Whereas you could buy each student a $300 tablet and pay to load the needed text onto the device. One download can be shared with up to six Kindles (Zipke).  That first year is going to be the most costly but after that you are only paying to update the text as needed and not have to continue spending the money every year to buy actual books.

Not only would purchasing laptops, tablets, or readers for every student be more cost efficient it would also be more space effective. You can load all the required books on one device, instead of student desks and cubbies being jam packed with books there will only be one device. Students’ grades will also increase because they would be more eager to carry one device home than they would two or three bulky books to do homework. It would be easier for students to go back and reread necessary text at home. This would also make it easier for them to keep up with their assignments. Assignments can be saved and submitted to teachers via email as soon as a student is finished so they are less likely to lose papers. Teachers will have easier access to work for conferences and data upkeep. When a student is absent instead of them falling behind they will be able to check to see what assignments and lessons they missed because teachers could email them missed work.

A student would be more likely to want to attend school because they will have something to help keep them engaged. Most children are active learners so they need to interact during learning and a technological device would be one of the best ways for them to work. Tablets for example, require them to use their fingers or hands to move objects and the cursor around the screen. They can easily go from screen to screen, or even make the writing bigger which can be a big help to students with vision problems. At one digital media school “attendance is up ninety percent” says Jason Levy, principal of I.S. 339 in the Bronx (Digital Nation). Having access to a device they may not be able to have access to at home would be a great motivator for many students.

Many educators would disagree about technology being used for every student in schools. Students' wrong usage and damage of technological tools in classroom ineffective time management  while using technology are some of the examples emerging as a result of the entrance of new technologies into the schools (Yildiz). Professor Clifford Nass of Sanford University says “Students aren’t applying themselves because they are distracted by multitasking” (Digital Nation). This could always be an issue but if the students are engaged enough they will not have time to try to multitask.

There will always be pros and cons when discussing the use of technology in schools. Students having access to technological devices can help enhance their learning. Laptops, tablets, or readers are more cost effective for students then buying textbooks every year. It would be easier for students to keep up with assignments, access, and reread text and students would be more willing to come to school. Yet the question remains, do you think the education system is being taken over by technology?

Works Cited

“Digital Nation.” Frontline. PBS. 02 Feb. 2010. DVD.

Ismail Yildiz, et al. "A Qualitative Study On Classroom Management And Classroom

Discipline Problems, Reasons, And Solutions: A Case Of Information Technologies Class." Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice 10.2 (2010): 881-891. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.

Zipke, Marcy. ”Teachers’ Thoughts on e-readers in the Elementary School Classroom.”       Education and Information Technologies Feb.(2012): 1-2.Print