Technology and Education
Since the appearance of computers, the impact of technology has been felt on an ever expanding range of areas; the evolution of all kinds of technological artifacts keeps accelerating. Even though the rapid creation of new products makes some people uncomfortable, most look forward to the new products on the market. As part of this evolution and its spreading throughout all sectors of society, it is also normal that technology has reached the educational system with the objective of speeding up educational progress. Consequently, it has revolutionized the ways of learning and, currently, technology can show up in many forms to improve the learning process.
The use of computers is one of the most important learning tools at schools. There are lots of digital programs with the objective of improving knowledge, such as those that children use to learn math and grammar. I remember that when I was in elementary school I used some of those softwares to learn the history of my country, and thanks to that, the history class became suddenly interesting. Using computers, students are also encouraged to write more and, actually, they can even write more words per minute. Another reason is that typing is easier than hand writing. All my classmates agree with me that the best way to write any school paper is through a computer; it is because the computer helps us to correct the grammar and edit writing easily. Computers allow students to access any kind of information through the use of the Internet, a powerful tool to do research. As a part of the educational process, the use of computers enhances learning in students.
Email is strongly used in schools. It has become an important communication tool between students and teachers. For example, if a teacher wants to give his students data about the issues in the next quiz, one of the best ways to do it is by emailing them. My English teacher always says that if there were any day where one person in the class were unable to attend class, then that person must email her in advance. Nowadays, schools send student all kinds of information through Email. When I applied to college a few months ago, the information about my acceptance at BMCC was sent by Email. Since that day, most of the time, the communication between the school and me has been by Email, such as date of appointments to discuss about financial aid, the best academic programs for me, and the like.
The use of media is a powerful tool for the teachers. Today, any class can have media incorporated, such as videos, pictures, and sounds. A class where a teacher includes some media elements is more interesting to the students. Obtaining examples through media elements, students can improve their understanding about any issue. In my experience, a class in which a teacher used media to make a better flow of ideas, most of the times humanities courses, had become more understandable. For example, in high school, when I was studying the roots of modern music, watching documentaries and listening to music was the most suitable way used by my teachers to develop the courses and, consequently, I have a strong knowledge about that subject.
Cell phones and e-books are gaining popularity among current students. Cell phones can be, in a certain way, a factor that helps the learning process. Currently, smart phones’ functioning has characteristics that resemble computers. Owing to this feature, students can access the Internet, and all its potential, whenever they want to from their phones. As a student of English as a second language, I use often my phone as a dictionary and translator. Even though one of the most widespread uses of phones is texting and that “texting writing” obscures the beauty of any language, the phones, used adequately and smartly, favor education. E-reading is a current phenomenon which has rapidly invaded the educational system. In recent years, e-books, digital textbooks, have been supplanting traditional books. Many current students, such as my friends and I, do not even want to know anything about a traditional book and feel weird reading one. For example, my sister has grown up in the middle of this “technology revolution”, so she prefers e-reading rather than traditional one. Today, she is studying marine biology at college, and all of her text books are digital. The possibility of having many books inside a little artifact and reading them at any time is making students change their reading habits. Since e-reading is easier than traditional reading and e-books are less expensive, many schools are migrating to the digital era of literature and, consequently, their libraries are becoming digital too.
Definitely, technology has had a positive impact on the educational system. It can accelerate, enrich and deepen basic skills in students. Activities using technology have the potential to allow all students to succeed. Inside schools, technology can become a bridge between academics and emerging practices in professional fields. In conclusion, whether it is because of the significant velocity of this technological development or its widespread presence in every sector of society, and into education particularly, technology’s impact is getting stronger each year. We are sailing in a world where technology has become an essential factor in our lives and nobody can imagine the current world without its active participation.
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