Ashley Tolliver Mr.

Helgeson AP English 2/22/2011 Deciphering The Ups And Downs Of Technology : Do The Pros Outweigh The Cons? As a modern student, one faces challenges that can either motivate them to do their very best or to give up completely, and to be successful they must choose the former. There are certain requirements that one must achieve to complete the tasks asked of us as students. Homework assignments, research papers, projects and studying are just a few examples of them. As a modern student in 2011, you are much more likely to reach for your cell phone or laptop to complete these tasks rather them almanacs and encyclopedias. Technological advances have allowed students the power of having information at the tips of their fingers. These days, instead of flipping through endless pages of books, a simple click or touch will take one to exactly where they need to be, and for students this is a great advancement not only educationally but for the lives students have outside of the classroom. Students contact their peers, share information with them, listen to their favorite music while at the same time researching for a paper, or finding answers to a worksheet for physics. To a student, technology only excites, but when looking at the bigger scheme of life's goals, one will find that it certainly has its flaws. While technology can improve a students grades and be applied in other aspects of life, it proves to be a bit of a distraction and not to mention expensive. One must research and investigate all the pros and cons before full investment. One advantage of technology is that it teaches skills that are not only applicable in the classroom, but directly and indirectly correlate with students' personal life. Technology, when 1

used efficiently, will teach skills that can be used later in a student's life in careers and personal life. Not only does it teach skills in using technology, but it teaches a student how to cooperate with their peers. In Computers in the Classroom : The Impact of Technology on Student Learning, Stratham and Torell state that, When used appropriately, computer technology in classrooms stimulates increased teacher/student interaction, and encourages cooperative learning, collaboration, problem-solving, and student inquiries (1). Not only does it increase cooperation between students but also between students and teachers, and a student-teacher relationship is very important in a learning environment. When one does not feel comfortable with the people that surround them and find that they can not flourish in a group setting, their chances of success decline dramatically. They will soon find out that achieving their aspirations is made more difficult when they do not know how to effectively deal with the people around them. Students will find that the world around them is expanding through technology and they will learn to adapt themselves to it. They will learn to integrate with society instead of relenting against it, which is a valuable skill that must be taught. Sometimes adults who relent against electronics in the classroom will try to push their own opinions upon students, which is not the right thing to do. A student must adapt to the ever-changing world around them, and this is the only way to become successful in our fast-paced society. The article Archived: National Educational Technology Plans states that The need to prepare students with the skills they need to participate fully in our increasingly technological society has become a major priority for the nation (1). In an increasingly techno world hung up on gadgets and computers, technology must be worked with and understood in order to be an active member in such a society. Although this reality may not be something one always wants to do, it has become something that is needed. 2

Not only are technological skills important for a student's future in careers but skills necessary in other aspects such as, .. information problem-solving skills, such as how to define tasks, identify information seeking strategies, locate and access information, determine information's relevance, organize and communicate the results of the information problem-solving effort and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution (Archived: National Education Technology Plans 1). Technology is needed not only to improve one's chances of success in education, but success in future endeavors and in components of outside life. Integrating technology-rich lessons in schools allow students to achieve higher academically. It can be found that when a student is taught with the use of electronics that it motivates them to learn, allowing a student to get better grades. When a student is faced with a conventional pen and paper approach to studying, learning becomes something that they have to do, and therefore mundane and tedious. It also makes individualized learning easier for a student, which is a bonus because all students are created different and face different challenges. There will always be a student in a classroom who feels behind and confused and are too timid to ask for help. Technology in the classroom provides for a less-critical environment where students are encouraged to be inquisitive. When Kulik and Kulik conducted a study of students in conventional classrooms and CBI ( ComputerBased Instruction) classes they found that the ...average student from the CBI class outperformed 62% of the students from the conventional classes (Computers in The Classroom: The Impact of Technology on Student Learning 1). When properly used, technology proves to be an excellent addition to classrooms. Anything that can make a student feel comfortable in a classroom and make one feel as if they want to learn, will ultimately have 3

to be added to the classroom to ensure the success of it's students. Not only can technology help the students in a classroom, but it has an equally satisfying effect on the teachers that are looking to integrate it. When surveyed most school leaders said that they, ...see technology mainly as a tool to improve productivity and efficiency: 74 percent say technology provides timely data for decision making; 71 percent say it improves support staff efficiency; 71 percent say it increases administrators' productivity; 70 percent say it improves communications among parents, teachers and the community; and 61 percent say it increases teacher productivity (Benefits, Challenges High Technology Needs 1). In addition to giving students a better outlet in which to learn, technology finds a way of giving teachers and faculty a better outlet in which to teach. Computers give teachers access to information that cannot be accessed in encyclopedias and textbooks. This allows for teachers to be able to give the best education to their students, while educating themselves in the process. The Internet will never become outdated or worn like such stationary mediums, and in a positive addition is mobile and convenient. Technology allows students to access the Internet, which in turn allows students to an endless range of information. This information allows for a student to learn faster and be empowered with the thinking skills to remain cutting edge (Excell 1, Seen Magazine). Having computers and the mobile web in a classroom, allows a student to look up information on any topic they may imagine and to gain first-hand information from different cultural societies. It infuses students with knowledge at the tip of their fingers and in the easiest ways imaginable, such as laptops, cell-phones, and PDA's. When students are given the best materials to learn with, and the most chances at success, there will ultimately be a rise in academic standards, and the best materials are technology based because they are something that 4

today's young students embrace and are familiar with. Technology is something that most of today's students are familiar with, and therefore they usually know how to use it correctly and to it's full potential. However, this means that they also know how to abuse it. Social networking sites, cell phones, instant messaging, on line gaming, and cheating are the most well-known technology con's in the classroom. They provide distractions and temptations to the students who use them. Social networking sites such as Facebook are a common way that students may share information and communicate with their peers and are rapidly growing in use by many age groups of students. Statistics of Facebook reports that, Users in the age group of 18 to 24 are the fastest growing users with 7 out of every 10th child in this age group possessing a regularly used account (1). When students use sites like Facebook or Twitter, they subtract time and effort from their own educations, making social distractions one of technology's worst downsides. Another drawback to the easy access technology gives is it's easy access to cheating and plagiarism. Although cheating has been around since the idea of school was established, access to every piece of information on line certainly makes it much easier for a student to do so. Students may share answers, or even look up answers on line, and it's easier to do so because its not as blatantly obvious as passing sheets of paper around a classroom. Students could be able Google the answers to every question they are asked and many teachers wouldn't be any the wiser. This makes it harder for teachers to teach, and certainly for students to learn. If one constantly just looks up information without ever taking time to read and explore the subject for themselves, they cannot possibly retain any valuable information. A student will have spent their educational career cheating and skimming through information only to find that they really know nothing. Certain values and lessons must be taught to a student in order to ensure that students take their own education 5

seriously. It must be treated correctly, as it is the most important aspect of a successful life. One obvious disadvantage of the integration of technology are the costs, both financially and figuratively. The integration of new and up-to-date technology does come with a cost, meaning that it's availability to all students can be limited. Many school districts can not afford the same technological equipment, which means that equal opportunities will not be afforded to every student across the nation, as it should be. This is not only a disadvantage, but an obvious unfairness to students who need deserve the same opportunities, but will not receive them because all the financial support is being poured into the education of students in wealthier districts and cities. In an ideal world, educational opportunities should be handed to every student because every student deserves a fair chance at academic achievement, but unfortunately this unfairness is an inevitability in a society like today's. Students cannot succeed in classrooms with outdated textbooks and software, where they are submitted to sharing one computer with three or four other classrooms. In addition to an already expensive installation fee to get schools started, technology must be constantly replaced to adapt to changing formats and teachers must be trained to use it correctly. According to Moore's Law, ...computer technology changes and improves at an exponential pace, which can make many of the computers that exist in schools dinosaurs by business and private sector standards ( Alexiou-Ray, Wilson, Wright, Peirano 1). Technology is an ever-changing force, and forms of it may be considered obsolete in a matter of months or weeks. To equip students with the best will undoubtedly get expensive especially when the cost of upkeep is so high. Not only does the equipment cost money, there is warranty, repairs, and replacement. Over the years these costs can put a strain on a schools budget, cutting the costs for places where concern and care are also needed. Teachers must first be taught how to use different technologies themselves before they can teach their students. Training, like 6

everything else will come at a price, because educators must now give their time and effort into learning how to work a new gadget. Overall, it will be found that when implemented correctly, technology's disadvantages outweigh it's cons. Although it is sometimes a distraction in the classroom, that will undoubtedly be costly, the cost is worth it because technology in classroom-based environments allow pupils to fully aspect all aspects of their lives and to actualize their academic dreams. Students are more excited to learn and are more susceptible to the idea of studying when they are given a medium that they are used to, and most of today's students are familiar with the use of the Internet or electronic based learning tools. Instead of being seen as something that is taking over society, one must view the integration of technology as a new way of approaching it. One must never try to relent against something that is only being introduced as a gateway of their own benefit. Young or old, it must be learned that there is no use in fighting against the future. As humans we fear change because it is the unknown, but as intellectuals we must embrace the unknown because knowledge, after all, is power.

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"Archived: National Educational Technology Plans." U.S. Department of Education. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/reports/elearning.html>.

Barseghian, Tina. "Is It Distraction or Lack of Interest? | MindShift." MindShift | How We Will Learn. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://mindshift.kqed.org/2010/11/is-it-distraction-or-lackof-interest/>.

"Benefits, Challenges High Technology Needs." CoSN Home Page. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.cosn.org/Resources/CoSNGrunwaldSurvey/PositiveAttitudesMitigateBudgetThreat s/BenefitsChallengesHighTechnologyNeeds/tabid/4488/Default.aspx>.

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Excell, Tamra. "Preparing Students For The Future." Educator Resources: Teaching Tips, Tools & Articles. Web. 03 Mar. 2011.

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Stratham, Dawn S., and Clark L. Torell. "Computers in the Classroom: The Impact of Technology on Student Learning." Temple University. Laboratory For Student Success. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.temple.edu/lss/htmlpublications/spotlights/200/spot206.htm>.

Thomas, Dr. Karen J. ""Integrating Technology into the Classroom"" Middle Tennessee State University. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. <http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed00/thoms.html>.

Veen, Chad Vander. "Technology and the Three R's." Government Technology Vol. 19, Issue 6. June 2006: 14+. SIRS Researcher. Web. 03 Mar 2011.