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Kayla Fredette
Professor Plummer
English 211C
27 November 2018
Should Technology Be Integrated Into Everyday Classrooms
A current controversial issue in the education profession and the parenting world is

“Screen Time”. Screen Time is defined as “activities done in front of a screen, such as watching

TV, working on a computer, or playing video games. Screen time is sedentary activity, meaning

you are being physically inactive while sitting down.” (Gahagan, 1). This is a controversial topic

due to the fact that, if not used correctly in the classroom and by parents too much Screen Time

could turn into a harmful thing for children. If Screen Time and technology usage is monitored

closely and only used as educational aids in a classroom then, it will have a positive impact and

should be integrated into everyday classrooms.

In an article written by Professor of Psychology Nancy Darling, it is stated that “children

under two years of age should not be permitted any screen time” (Darling, 1). To some parents it is

shocking that a child under two years of age would be exposed to any sort of screen time but, according to

Linda Z. Cooper of Johns Hopkins University “A child may be exposed to digital technology even

before he or she is exposed to books.” (Cooper, 1). These credible statistics show how, if not

used correctly, technology will soon become an inhibitor instead of something to boost

education.

In order to decide if technology has a place in a young child’s life or in an elementary

school classroom the positive and negative aspects of said technology must be weighed.

On the surface one might jump to say that technology is undoubtedly wrong to introduce

into a young child’s life. However, in the current time technology is everywhere. It can be
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argued that, if a parent were to remove all technology from a child’s life it would act as more of

a handicap too the child in the future making them what some would say “technologically

illiterate”. This handicap would then in turn become a constant setback in the child’s day-to-day

life as well as in their education. Uses of games on digital devices can have benefits, according

to Heidi Murkoff, author of What To Expect When hat To Expect When You’re Expecting

“Studies show digital games, designed for each age, can boost language use and social

interaction.” (Murkoff, 1).

While there are many good reasons stated to allow children to have a certain amount of

Screen Time, there are just as many negative. In another quote from Heidi Murkoff, the author

states that “too much screen time is always a concern for parents since it has been linked to attention

and conduct problems in children” (Murkoff, 2). This has long since been proven, when discussing

videogames and the link to teen violence, and screen time relating to obesity it is clear that there are

multiple reasons to limit screen time. Another significant factor is the idea of childhood memories. In

her article, Muroff makes the argument that if children are so focused on their technology it will

inhibit their ability to make real, lasting memories like playing with friends, spending time with

family, reading a real paper-back book, and many other activities experienced by generations that

weren’t filled with technology.

In a 2007 study done by the IT Trade Association “around 75 percent of educators think that

technology has a positive impact in the education process.” (Cox, 1) the study also referenced the

disservice of not allowing children to use technology in the classroom. Using technology in the

classroom not only makes learning more fun for students but also more interesting and engaging.

In a different study “Eighteen 2nd grade students were challenged to complete a Power Point

project about an animal. Sixteen out of the 18 students remembered more facts about the animal
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after completing the presentation.” (Cox, 2) showing that teaching using technology improves

retention in students starting as young as 6 and 7 years old.

One thing that technology has done to create a more positive, education based image is

creating apps and websites solely geared toward education. “Research sponsored by the Joan Ganz

Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop found that certain apps may improve children’s vocabulary and

math skills. There is also evidence that in children with cognitive delays iPad apps can boost language

use and social interaction.” (Murkoff, 2).

Some of these apps include “Elmo Loves 123’s”, “GoldieBox and the Movie Machine”, “The

Magic School Bus: Oceans by Scholastic”, “Stack the States”, “Dexteria Dots 2”, “The Sight Word

Adventure”, “VocabularySpellingCity”, “Thinking Blocks Multiplication”, and many more (Grise, 1).

These apps cover a wide range of different subjects and skill sets that a child needs to learn and

develop. Some of these apps are even used during the school day in schools across Virginia.

Kindergarten teacher Beth Fredette of Cedar Point Elementary School in Bristow, Virginia includes a

computer and iPad station during her class’s center time.

“Elmo Loves 123’s”, “Dexteria Dots 2”, and “Thinking Blocks Multiplication” are all games

having to do with mathematics. “Elmo Loves 123’s” is a game geared towards preschool aged

children in order to teach them number sounds. “Dexteria Dots 2” helps improve younger elementary

math skills as well as using fine motor skills for the game aspect of the app. Finally, “Thinking Blocks

Multiplication” teaches children how to use blocks in order to solve word problems. This method of

solution is used by third and fourth graders to help them visualize the problem, this method is also

supported by the Common Core standards.

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“GoldieBox and the Movie Machine” was created by the toy company “Goldie Blox” and is

an app made to encourage young girls to become innovators and engineers at a young age.

There are also online websites created for childhood education. Some of these websites have

been around long before children had their own iPads. Websites like “ABC Mouse”, “Brainscape”,

“IXL”, “Study Island”, “PBS Kids”, “ABCya”, “Starfall”, and others (The Hospitalist Team, 1).

These websites are also used on an everyday basis by both teachers and students.

In a Minnieland Academy in Gainesville, Virginia every Friday during “quiet time” the class

of four to five year olds gather around the teacher computer and watch a video on the animal, place,

plant, or person of the day on PBS Kids. Every other day of the week this class is allowed to take turns

playing the educational games also provided by PBS Kids website.

The app “IXL” is used widely across Prince William County in Northern, Virginia. This app is

used mainly for mathematic practice and homework assignments. It also has the option for Social

Studies, Language Arts, Spanish, and Science. “IXL” has the option for children as young as

preschool but it is mostly used by late elementary to early middle schoolers. The website “Study

Island” is very similar.

“ABC Mouse” and “ABCya” are both websites which cover predominately reading and

writing. The differences between the few are price with “ABC Mouse” costing $79 per year and

“ABCya” being free. “ABC Mouse” also only covers Preschool and Kindergarten while “ABCya”

covers Kindergarten through Fifth grade.

Overall there are many good, positive reasons to bring more technology into a school

classroom on a regular bases. Not only do these resources give children a more fun and
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interesting way to learn but, they also can provide more information in a way that helps these

children retain the knowledge and understand what they retained.

Although there are an abundance of good things about including technology in the

classroom, it is not always positive. Too much Screen Time for children either in or outside of

the classroom is never a good thing. It can lead to bad eyesight in the future and low motor skills.

There is also an issue of whether or not everyone has the same means to afford the electronic and

technological equipment needed if technology were to be required in schools. The other issue

that arises is that while technology can teach a lot, it is at nowhere near the same level as

learning from a teacher standing and teaching physically in front of a child.

According to TheEdvocate.org “A Tableau survey of over 27,000 students found

that around 12 percent of students in the Madison Metropolis School District do not have access

to the Internet.”(Lynch, 1). This touches not only on the issue of being able to afford electronics

but also on even being able to have access to them. Students not having access to the Internet

creates a major issue for technology being used in school.

The idea of affording these products not only applies to students but also to the school

districts themselves. If the school district cannot afford enough electronics for their students or

afford to send teachers to be trained in how to teach using the devices, then the district is not

going to get their money’s worth.

The last extremely large problem with technology in the classroom is cheating. Cheating

in a classroom is an issue that all educators face whether they have electronics in the classroom

or not but, with the added temptations and functions on these devices it makes preventing and

catching it more difficult. Some of the ways students cheat using technology include, but are not
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limited to “Storing notes on a cell phone, purchasing prewritten papers online, or ordering them

customized, plagiarizing, students texting each other answers, taking a picture of a test or exam,

and using voice and video recorders to record answers.” (Lynch, 3).

All in all, the idea of integrating technology into educational situations sounds good to

most but, there are also many factors to contemplate. Giving children access to online apps and

websites is a great way to reinforce what they have learned in school but, if not used correctly

could stunt their personal growth. On the contrary though, not introducing technology to young

children could stunt their “technological growth” which would in turn put them behind in the

“real world” skills that they need to master. Using technology and electronics is a choice which

can only be made by the expert educators that are being asked to use such things as they were the

one’s trained to teach the world’s children, unlike technology.

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Works Cited

Cooper, Linda Z. "Developmentally Appropriate Digital Environments for Young

Children." Library Trends, vol. 54 no. 2, 2005, pp. 286-302. Project

MUSE, doi:10.1353/lib.2006.0014

Cox, Janelle. “Benefits of Technology in the Classroom.” TeachHUB,

www.teachhub.com/benefits-technology-classroom.

Darling, Nancy. “Is It Okay to Let Your Toddler Play with the IPad?” Psychology Today, Sussex

Publishers, 19 Oct. 2011, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-

kids/201110/is-it-okay-let-your-toddler-play-the-ipad.

Gahagan, S, and VC Strasburger. “Screen Time and Children: MedlinePlus Medical

Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Apr. 2017,

medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm.

Grise, Chrisanne. “The Best Educational Apps for Kids.” Parents, Parents,

www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/best-educational-apps-for-kids/.

Lynch, Matthew. “The Dark Side of Educational Technology.” The Edvocate, 16 Aug. 2018,

www.theedadvocate.org/dark-side-educational-technology/.

Murkoff, Heidi. “Pros and Cons.” What to Expect, What to Expect When Expecting, 20 Sept.

2016, www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/ask-heidi/kids-and-ipads-the-pros-and-cons.
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Paul, Peter V. “The Digital Generation: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” American Annals of

the Deaf, vol. 157, no. 5, 2013, pp. 407–411. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/26234855.

“The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Age Zero to Eight 2017 | Common Sense

Media.” Common Sense Media: Ratings, Reviews, and Advice, Common Sense Media, 19

Oct. 2017, www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-

by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2017.

The Hospitalist Team. “11 Best Educational Web Sites for Kids.” ChildrensMD, 13 Jan. 2014,

childrensmd.org/browse-by-age-group/11-best-educational-web-sites-kids/.