Technology In the classroom

Entry written by:Chris Morgan Topic: Technology In the Classroom

         In the world today technology has been making its way into the classroom slowly but surely. If you were to walk into just about any school there is some sort of technology being used. This includes the use of smart boards, ipads, and even computers. The debate that is present in most school districts is if this is something to be embraced or if it should be halted and the old tools of the trade should be brought back. Many different opinions have been voiced about the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom and that is what I will be going over.
         Their are many advantages to having technology involved in the classroom in society today. Not only would this have a great impact on the environment by limiting the amount of paper that is being used in the classroom, but the students would learn better. The students would learn better because instead of just reading the materials, technology will allow them to get a hands on experience with the material. This would be helpful in just about every subject. In history it could be used to trace the routes of explorers or to discuss geography. In math their are websites that explain how the students got the problem wrong instead of just a red mark over their work. In the science classrooms many of the experiments have been cut due to the price of the materials and the quantity of the students. But with technology these experiments could still be done over the computer. This is how technology could enhance the classroom.
         On the other side of the debate are the people that feal technology could limit the learning in the classroom. There reasoning in these theories are held up by the feeling that it takes away from the fundamentals of learning. Their belief that by using the new technology the students wont have the essentials that we learned as children. Also the other fact that is usually put up for the debate is the students not being on task in the classroom. But there are many computer applications that limit what activities the students can be doing at a certain time. These are the cons of having technology in the classroom.
        I am all for having technology in the classroom. By having this in the classroom it benefits the students more then it hurts their learning. By giving them the hands on experience that would not be available otherwise, their learning will be tremendously increased. The technology that is being used in the classroom allows the students to be more included in the class instead of being lectured. Also it would save the schools a lot of money in the end because of the economic resources that are used day end and day out.