Introduction
Technology has started to play a very big part in people’s lives. Every day, people interact with technology, or at least, with the products of technology. The television set that strips away boredom after a long day at work, the contemporary cooking set (e.g. gas ranges, induction stoves, electric stoves, etc.) that modern people use to cook food, and the different modern methods of agricultural farming and livestock raising are some of the most socially-relevant products of technology. Apart from these lifestyle-relevant examples of the different products of technology, the correlation between the use of technology and an individual’s academic success is something that remains to be a significant and a question that is yet to be answered. The objective of this paper is to discuss the different possible uses of technology or of the different products of technology to increase academic success and whether it is more cost-effective than the more conventional methods such as the pen and paper approach and etc.
These days, students, professors and instructors, and basically any other individual involved in the works of an academic or educational institution use notebook computers, tablet computers, and the recently revolutionized version of cellular phones, also known as the smartphones, in their everyday activities, of which academic and educational-related ones are not exempted. According to a recent study conducted by the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, some 86 percent of college students in the geographical location they surveyed own and use at least once a day a notebook computer while some 60 percent own and use at least once a day a smartphone . There are two things that one can infer from these statistical results: number one, notebook computers and smartphones, both of which are technology-related products that can be used for academic purposes, are becoming more and more ubiquitous and number two, the increase in ownership and usage rates of these technological devices may imply that there is a real need for these and other related devices, perhaps not only in the consumer electronic industry that caters to the leisure and recreation sector but also in other industries that cater to educational institutions and the academe.
The increase in the number and variations of infrastructures in state colleges, universities, and even in primary and secondary educational institutions serve as strong indicators that educational institutions are now recognizing the importance of being up to date technologically in maintaining a higher level of academic integrity. According to the same study by authored by Daly (2012), some of the activities related to the academe that notebook computer and smartphone users (who are at the same time students) perform include but may not be strictly limited to: checking subject grades, purchasing and reading textbooks in machine-readable formats (e.g. PDF and or electronic books or e-Books), visiting and using academic journal databases, using course management software solutions such as Moodle, and doing online research activities. Communication is also a vital process and or function that these technology-inspired devices enable the students to perform. Communication or being able to communicate is an important aspect of being in the academe since there are activities that require the effort and ideas of an entire group of students. There are currently a wide variety of software solutions that can be installed in notebook computers, tablet computers, and smartphones, that would enable the students to communicate with their peers and instructors for academic purposes.
Gone are the days when products of technology are only allowed to be used outside the classroom. The use of glass boards with a touch-screen function and overhead projectors coupled with Ultra Books which are basically super thin and lightweight versions of notebook computers are becoming a common part of a typical classroom setting in developed countries and even in a few developing countries. According to a study conducted by Richey (2008) about the use of technology and technology-derived devices of which laptops and electronic book readers are good examples, technology is becoming a more and more critical factor in an individual’s academic success. Some academic sources suggest that although technology may really be used to empower the students and improve their academic performance by making academic tasks easier to perform and by optimizing learning, it is yet to be considered as an essential component in education . According to the handbook of human performance, technology may indeed be a useful tool in optimizing basic human abilities, of which learning—a task that is usually performed in an academic setting or while in an educational institution, is a good example, as it (technology) makes the life of a student more worthwhile, easier, and efficient . The same is what other literatures, studies, and academic journals generally suggest: that technology indeed helps an individual achieve academic success.
However, there is one question that such studies rarely address. Given that technology indeed helps improve an individual’s chances of achieving a higher level of academic success, whose responsibility would it now be to make sure that the students utilize technology and its products optimally? Should it be included in the already long list of responsibilities of educational institutions or the professors and instructors alone; or should society leave that small but significant a responsibility to the students? There are still a lot of research gaps in this field. Another example of a rarely answered question in academic discussions, forums, and studies that aim to identify the existence of a correlation between technology and an individual’s academic success or chances of achieving a certain level of academic success is how and to what extent do technology and technological devices empower and improve the performance of students? Being able to answer a research question by a simple yes or no does not end the problem. It only leads up to more problems that need solution. This time, it would be beneficial to quantify the hidden numbers so that leaders and policy makers in the field of education can make informed decisions on whether to promote or discourage the use of technology and technological devices in the academe.
In a study authored by Geer and Sweeney (2012), 66 percent of their respondents said that they were ready and expecting to use more technologically-advanced devices such as laptops, printers, tablet computers, smartphones, digital scanners, electronic book readers, and course management software solutions by the time they enter college; 75 percent of the students they surveyed said that they believe that technology and its products help them achieve their academic goals and objectives; and that from 2004 to 2012, there have been a staggering 83 percent increase in the number of students who owns and uses a notebook computer for doing academic works such as accessing course syllabi and websites and course and learning management systems, checking grades, registering for courses, purchasing textbooks, accessing library resources, ordering transcripts, among others.
Another evidence that shows how the academic community sees technology as an important component of the students’ academic growth is the number of subjects and or courses that have online components. This can create a dramatic change in the learning environment that students dwell in because things that they were confined to do in a typical classroom setting can now be done anywhere, even at home or in a coffee shop provided that they have a stable internet connection and a device that can provide a stable access to the internet. Whether the students learn better in a four-walled classroom setting or in the new and more contemporary online or virtual classroom environment is not yet completely proven but according to the American Society for Training and Development or ASTD (2012), the answer to this question would practically depend on an individual’s learning style and or preference. The available literatures that address this particular issue however present a mixed proposition. Some studies suggest that learning is still more optimized in a typical classroom setting; there are also some studies that suggest that learning is more optimized, according to student outcomes and recounts, in an online environment.
Conclusion
It is already established that technology helps empower the students by increasing their chances of achieving academic success but more specific questions like up to what extent and how remain to be not fully answered. In terms of the question how, technology helps increase a student’s chances of academic success by making the life of a student more worthwhile, easier, and efficient. Meaning, a student, with the aid of technology and technology-derived devices, would normally be able to finish his taxes faster and more easily compared to a student who does not have technology on his side.
References
Daly, J. (2012). How Technology is Powering Academic Success. EdTech .
Geer, R., & Sweeney, T. (2012). Students' Voices about learning with Technology. Journal of Social Sciences, 294.
Lowerthal, P., & Wilson, B. (2010). Labels do matter: A Critique of AECT's redefinition of the field. TechTrends, 38.
Richey, R. (2008). Reflections on the 2008 AECT: Definitions of the Field. TechTrends, 24.
Stolovich, H., Keeps, E., & Pershing, J. (2006). Handbook of Human Performance. Technology.
