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In this paper, I am going to be exploring the role of technology within the classroom. Because classrooms are becoming increasingly technological and technology is increasingly becoming more important in education, it is important to understand the impact of classroom technology on student learning and engagement. Thus, in this essay, I am going to examine some basic benefits of technology within the classroom, consider some negatives of technology within the classroom, and how technology can assist students with disabilities in the classroom.
In an article from the Pew Research Center, in a survey of 2,462 Advanced Placement teachers, authors Purcell, Heaps, Buchanan, and Friedrich state that “92% of these teachers say the internet has a ‘major impact’ on their ability to access content, resources, and materials for teacher (Purcell, Heaps, Buchanan, Friedrich, 2013).” This is a very important consideration. Prior to the use of the internet and other uses of technology within classrooms, teachers were limited to the resources they had directly within the classroom, such as the textbook, materials the teacher had gathered from previous lessons and classes, and their own background knowledge. Now, with many schools employing the use of high-speed internet, teachers have literally anything they want at their fingertips.
The natural question comes, then, as to whether or not the use of technology within classrooms is actually helping students achieve better academic results. Fortunately, John Schacter of the Milken Report compiled results of numerous studies in an attempt to answer this question. In his compiling of data, he found a number of themes across the board. First, in James Kulik’s 1994 research, they found that students who had computer-based instruction scored “at the 64th percentile while students in the control group scored at the 50th percentile (Schacter, n.d.).” Further, in a student in West Virginia concerning basic skills, the more students continued to participate with computers, the higher their scores were (Schacter, n.d.). This continued with each of the major studies that were included in this report, and was concluded that essentially any work that students do with a computer or other technology based instruction raises their scores on standardized testing compared to those who do not use instruction. Thus, the evidence seems incredibly clear: the use of technology positively impacts students ability to perform on testing and understanding material presented in classrooms. The report, as it compared other researchers from a time in which seemingly every student did not have a cell phone or other type of tablet, might look even different if these same researchers conduct the same types of studies today. I believe that these studies absolutely justifies the use of technology within the classroom.
Further, and perhaps an unintended consequence of the use of technology within the classroom, the same authors state that “67% of those teachers say the internet has a major impact on their ability to interact with parents (Purcell, Heaps, Buchanan, Friedrich, 2013).” This is important because as teachers continue to work on creating the best and most holistic educational experience for their students, parents must be a part of this conversation. Thus, it is important for teachers to recognize that technology has changed the expectations of teachers in regards to their communication with parents.
One of the most interesting aspects of technology comes in the experiences of teachers from higher socioeconomic areas versus those in lower socioeconomic areas. In the same article from the Pew Research Center, the authors go into great detail regarding the highly significant difference between the access that students in high socio-economic status areas and those in low socio-economic areas. For example, our authors state that “70% of teachers working in the highest income areas say their school does a ‘good job’ providing teachers with the resources and support the need to incorporate digital tools within the classroom, compared with 50% of teachers in low areas (Purcell, Heaps, Buchanan, Friedrich, 2013).” In much the same way that students deserve up to date textbooks in all socio-economic areas, students in all socio-economic areas deserve equal access to digital resources.
Another major area in which the use of technology appears to be greatly assisting our students is when it comes to students with disabilities. According to Heather B. Hayes, this is happening in a number of exciting ways. First, new technologies have been designed that are able to making educating students with disabilities more effective. The use of iPads, smart phones, and other digital resources “come equipped with universal access functionality, making it possible for users to deploy built-in or easily downloaded assistive technologies (Hayes, n.d.). This means that there are a multitude of applications and other downloaded programs that are available to students with disabilities. Further, according to Hayes, technology has added the ability for teachers and special education programs to “open back up the classroom (Hayes, n.d.).” This means, in no uncertain terms, that there are often times in which special education students are taken out of the classroom for special and individualized instruction. There is no doubt that there are educational lessons that are taught to students that aren’t necessarily academic in nature. These include the ability to be in a large setting and knowing proper socialization skills. With technology allowing more and more special education students the ability to get back into the classroom, these students are able to learn these type of socialization lessons that they would otherwise miss out on (Israel, Marino, Delisio, Serianni, 2014). Technology within these classrooms is allowing for this to happen, and goes without saying that this is absolutely a positive for technology.
Many of the negatives are fairly easy to see when it comes to technology within the classrooms. The same devices that are enabling teachers to be more connected with students and parents than ever before, allowing new and exciting ways of instruction are also causing major distractions within the classrooms. In fact, Purcell states that the “internet, mobile phones, and social media have brought new challenges to teachers (Purcell, Heaps, Buchanan, Friedrich, 2013).”
Robert Earl, in his 2012 article, question whether cell phones belong in the classroom. He begins by suggesting that every time teachers turn away or go to assist another student individual, cell phones often come out from the other pupils to text message or watch a video online (Earl, 2012). Ultimately, Earl poses a single point that suggests that cell phones as a form of technology within the classroom is a major negative: “cell phones distract students from schoolwork and class activities (Earl, 2012).” He states that one half of “teens send 50 or more text messages a day (Earl, 2012).” Further, he states that “older teen girls ages 14-17 average 100 messages a day (Earl, 2012).” With these types of statistics, there is no question that some of these messages can be occurring when classroom instruction is occurring. It is also naïve to think that if students are permitted to use their cell phones during class from classroom activities that at least some are not using it to text friends or family when they should be concentrating on the lesson being presented. Thus, Earl adds an important element to the discussion regarding technology within the classroom.
In an attempt to respond to the cell phone issue, educator Ben Johnson suggests that policies within middle and high schools need to be much more clear regarding their stance on the use of cell phones (Johnson, 2015). Further, Johnson suggests that schools need to be supportive of teachers in following these policies (Johnson, 2015). Johnson suggests that many teachers do not feel that they are supported when confronting students regarding their cell phone use. While many individuals may feel that the use of cell phones is not a significant issue, there are additional concerns that must be addressed. In an era in which cyber-bullying is becoming more and more rampant, and schools are having to deal with the issues surrounding bullying, the use of cell phones absolutely encourages cyber-bullying and other forms of mistreatment. The ability to stir drama and rumors has never been easier, and the ability to record other students through applications such as snapchat is truly something that school administrators and teachers must be in tune with.
Another negative can be discussed when considering whether or not the use of technology within K-12 schools is preparing students for the type of learning and engagement they will have to have in college classes. Simply put, college professors seem less interested in ensuring that they are meeting various learning modalities than they are simply getting information to students. Therefore, when in a college classroom, especially one in the humanities, college professors are known for using lecture as their primary source of relaying information to students. Does the constant and profound use of technology within classrooms prepare students for this type of classroom as the college level?
In conclusion, technology within the classroom has come an incredibly long way in recent years. Further, many teachers are finding great educational value with technology. However, with all advances, the use of technology has not been without it’s challenges and many teachers are finding that there are issues that must be addressed regarding the use of technology within the classroom through the advancement of policy and practice. While technology seems to be helping most students, including those with disabilities, school systems must find a way to make access to resources equitable in order to give each student the same chance to succeed within the classroom. Currently, there are major issues, or at least perceived issues, with access to equal resources.
References
Earl, R. (May, 18, 2012). Do Cell Phones Belong in the Classroom? The Atlantic. Retrieved
classroom/257325/
Hayes, H. B. (n.d.) How Technology is Helping Special-Needs Students Excel. Ed Tech Insider.
Retrieved from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/03/how-technology-
helping-special-needs-students-excel
Israel, M., Marino, M., Delisio, L., Serianni, B. (September 2014). Supporting Content Learning
through Technology for K-12 Students with Disabilities. The Cedar Group. Retrieved
Johnson, B. (June 17, 2015). How to Manage Cell Phones in the Classroom. Edtopia. Retrieved
Purcell, K., Heaps, A., Buchanan, J., Friedrich, L. (Feb 28, 2013) How Teachers are Using
Technology at Home and in Their Classrooms. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/02/28/how-teachers-are-using-technology-at-home-and-in-their-classrooms/
Schacter, J. (n.d.). The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the Most
Current Research Has to Say The Milken Exchange on Education Technology. Retrieved from http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/Milken%20report.pdf
