Effects Of Technology On Education
We live in a digital world, a world of technology and machinery. Who here doesn’t use Facebook, Instagram or Youtube? I bet that none of us don’t. In fact, we live in a generation who speaks the language of Youtube and twitter, and with the development of technology over time, people are finding ways to employ these technological devices in all fields in life, including education. But the question is “do these technologies really contribute to better learning performances? ”. In fact, e-books and tablets have many positive effects that contribute to promoting education of students, but also have some negative impacts on it.
The use of e-books and tablets would help enhance the learning of the students and encourage them to work more in class, by grabbing their attention
A. I have a friend who used to hate the French subject and French classes in school. Once the school adopted the use of these technological devices, he started getting much better grades and focusing much more in class: his average in French went from 11 to 15 /20.
B. In a survey conducted in Al-Bayader school in Lebanon, with a sample of 23 parents of students:
- 72. 7% noted that the technology increased their kids’ motivation to learn.
- 59% of the parents see that the tablets are useful because they provide a bigger possibility of directly finding resources, reduce the problem of carrying heavy books, and facilitate an instant communication between the students and their parents.
Some e-books have a text-to-speech option:
A. TTS (Text-To-Speech) has multiple functions that can enhance the learning experience: It has been proven to help students that suffer from
- dyslexia
- visual problems
- reading challenges
- improves listening skills
- aids in foreign language learning.
B. Imagine a 13-year-old boy, who doesn’t like to read at all, has to a read a 10-page assignment, in a very restricted amount of time. Listening to it instead, using the Text-to-Speech option on his e-book would make it so much easier on him and encourage him to do his assignment.
Tablets facilitate direct communication among the teachers, the students, and their parents
A. The handwritten notes can be lost easily, whether intentionally or accidentally, whereas digital notes on tablets are saved instantaneously.
B. Teachers can directly communicate with the students’ parents (in case they need to inform them about anything concerning their kids to improve their academic standing), but also with the students (to inform them about a specific homework or exam, for example).
Tablets could distract students in class
A. They would be tempted to download games or surf the web and visit social websites not related to the school subjects during class time; thereby not focusing on their studies.
B. The “social media drama” would follow them to the classroom and lead to social and psychological problems. Students would then start dealing with these issues, instead of focusing on their homework.
E-books and tablets are not suitable to everyone and cause health problems
A. Some people prefer to read on paper, some can’t memorize or study anything unless it’s on a hard copy.
B. Sitting in front of a screen for hours can lead to many health problems, such as visual problems, gaining weight, muscle strain, increased levels of cholesterol and back pains.
Conclusion: So technological devices have shown to have some negative impacts on the students and their education, such as distracting them, when they have the urge to surf the web and play games, but also some severe health problems. However, these digital devices can also be very useful in supporting education, as they encourage the tech-committed students to concentrate more and boost their interest in their work. So to all those of you who hate reading on paper, writing notes and having heavy books I say: forget about your heavy backpacks and enjoy the digital era we live in!
