Lay 1

Sarah Lay
English 106
Brittany Biesiada
March 25, 2015

Replacing Teachers with Technology

Technology has become a major part of everyday life. People use it to check on
social media and to look up videos on YouTube. Technology is also used in most businesses.
Hospitals use many different types of technology, for instance they use Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) machines, computers, and an X-ray generator. Schools also use different types of
technology, for instance they use computers, iPads, and different educational websites, such as
Quizlet, YouTube, and Diigo. Teachers shouldnt be replaced by technology, but teachers should
be able to successfully incorporate technology into the classroom; even though there are some
disadvantages to technology, there are also advantages it to being in the classroom.
Technology doesnt teach. Teachers teach (Goodwyn). A major issue in the education
world is whether to get rid of teachers entirely and just have everything online. People have been
talking about it for years, but it still hasnt happened. This is for a good reason; teachers are the
key to the students education. Sure colleges and even some high schools have online courses,
but if you ask the students they never learn as much as the students who took the course with a
real teacher (Bergstrand and Savage 294). Students tend to do better in a normal classroom,
because they have peer interaction while the people taking online courses dont get that. Not
having peer interaction might not seem like that big of issue to some people, but to others its a
major issue. Having peers helps you learn a lot more about what is being taught, especially from
the questions they asked; which you might not have even thought of (Kirtman 110).

Lay 2

The teachers understanding of the technology being used in the classroom is one reason
why some classes dont use it. According to Becker, technology is clearly becoming a valuable
and well-functioning instructional tool, but only if teachers are comfortable and skilled in using
it (29). A significant challenge that educators face is not knowing how to wield them
(instructional tools) effectively with students (Armstrong 41). Armstrong (41) and Clark, Sr. and
Zagarell (136-137) all agree that teachers need to have training to learn how to use the
technology being asked to use. However, they have different ideas on how this should get done.
Armstrong thinks that the district should be the one to provide the faculty with the training,
because they are the ones who are asking them to use it (41). On the other hand, Clark, Sr. and
Zagarell say that the teachers are prompted to seek technological training on their own time and
at their own expense (136). Many teachers dont have the money to pay for the training that is
needed though, so they collaborate with teachers that are savvier in the use of technology
(Jones). Teachers need to become familiar with the technology so they can successfully
incorporate it into their classroom and lesson plans. Without effective training they will continue
to use the same methods of teaching that they have always used, which is chalkboards, pencils,
and paper (Clark Sr. and Zagarell 138).
Teachers need to be able to successfully use technology in the classroom, because there
are many advantages to having it. With the help of the technology in the classroom students can
spread their research from the outdated textbooks that they use (Hower). Technology can also be
useful in the teachers role. There are many apps that a teacher can use in the classroom and in
any lesson that they can create. Socrative, for example is an app that lets the teacher poll the
teacher, see what they already know, or see what the students learned from the lesson that was
just taught (Hower). Allowing elementary students to have their own personal device in the

Lay 3

classroom can also be useful for the student. With their own personal device (or device given to
them by the school) students can download apps to help them learn their vocabulary words or to
help them improve their math by using a math app (Hower). The interactive whiteboard is
another useful piece of technology in the classroom. The interactive whiteboard is able to enrich
student learning experience and it has high interactivity, which helps get everybody involved by
using it (Yang, Wang, and Kao 313).
While technology has advantages in the classroom, there are also disadvantages to having
it in the classroom. If students are allowed to bring their own device in to school, then teachers
have to worry about what they are searching (Whitford). Another disadvantage you face if the
school lets you bring your own device in is if they have a newer, more advance piece of
technology which you dont know how to use (Whitford). If they bring in a piece of technology
that you dont know how to use, and they have a question you might not be able to answer
(Whiford). The last disadvantage there is having online books instead of having hard copies of
them. Hard copies of the book is a lot better because you arent looking at a screen for the entire
class period and it is easier to take notes from the hard copy because you can mark important
pages. A major disadvantage to having technology in the classroom is that students will spend
almost the entire school day looking at the screen. After they spend all day at school looking at
computer screens or iPad screens they go home and look at them some more, whether it is doing
homework, checking social media, or just to play a video game. Looking at the screens for too
long can cause you eye fatigue and insomnia (Nagata).
Technology is a major part of everyday life. Technology is important in almost all
businesses, even in schools. Many different technological tools can and should be used in
classrooms by both the teachers and the students. For this to happen though, teachers need to

Lay 4

learn how to use the technology, so they can use it in their lessons and so they can teach their
students how to use it. The teachers need to learn how to use it because technology has many
advantages for both the teachers and the students. Technology should be incorporated into the
classroom, but it shouldnt replace teachers. Teachers are the key to the success of the students
education. They need to have a teacher in the classroom to get the opportunity to ask questions if
they need to.

Lay 5

Works Cited
Armstrong, Alice. Technology in the Classroom: Its Not a Matter of If, but when and
how. Education Digest 79.5 (2014): 39-46. EBSCOhost. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Becker, Henry Jay. Findings from the Teaching, Learning, and Computing Survey: Is Larry
Cuban Right? School Technology Leadership Conference of the Council of Chief State
School Officers (2000): 1-29.DOAJ Directory of Open Access Jounrals. Web. 6 Mar.
2015.
Bergstrand, Kelly and Scott V. Savage. The Chalkboard versus the Avatar: Comparing the
Effectiveness of Online and In-class Courses. Teaching Sociology 41.3 (2013): 294-306.
SAGE. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
Clark Sr., Gregory, and Jesse Zagarell. Technology in the Classroom: Teachers and
Technology: A Technological Divide. Childhood Education 88.2 (2012): 136-139.
Taylor & Francis Journals. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.
Goodwyn, Bill. Technology Doesnt Teach, Teachers Teach. Huffington Post 06 September
2012. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
Hower, Aileen and Tom Whitford. To BYOD or not to BYOD? Two teachers examine the pros
and cons of welcoming student-owned technology into the classroom. Reading Today
32.4 (2015): 16-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
Jones, Andrew. A Review of the Research Literature on Barriers to the Uptake of ICT by
Teachers. British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) (2004):
2-24 Web. 07 Mar. 2015

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Kirtman, Lisa. Online Versus In-Class Courses: An Examination of Differences in Learning

Outcomes. Issues in Teacher Education. 18.2 (2009): 103-116.EBSCOhost. Web. 6 Mar.
2015.
Nagata, Kazuaki. Specs fight eye damage from gadget screens. Japan Times (2012).
EBSCOhost. Web. 6 Mar. 2015
Yang, Kai-Ti, Tzu-Hua Wang, and Ying-Chen Kao. How an interactive whiteboard impacts a
traditional classroom. Education as Change 16.2 (2012): 313-322. EBSCOhost. Web. 6
Mar. 2015.