For many students today it is unimaginable that their parents and grandparents made it through school without a computer. While technology in the classroom is believed by some to be a distraction, a study by the U.S. Department of Education highlighted the positive impacts of its incorporation into learning. The Department’s study finds that the relationship between students and their teachers shifts when technology was incorporated into the classroom. This allows the student to take the lead in their education. Meanwhile, the teacher acts as a “facilitator” to ensure that students have a firm understanding of the assignment before continuing independently. Teachers also notice that student’s self-confidence and desire is positively impacted. The use of tech, something that the younger generations have grown up around, seems to lessen the anxiety of classwork. As a result, students are comfortable with their ability to complete tasks via tech and are more likely to succeed. Using their technology as a gateway to learning is also increasing their technical literacy, which, given the importance of technology in society, will be valuable in their careers. It is also reported that more difficult assignments are made easier for students due to many aspects of their technology use (e.g., Word, Excel, and other applications). This way, more time is spent on deep thought rather than mechanics.
Comfort working with tech also seems to encourage students to collaborate with others. This comes in the form of technical skills (like assisting a friend in navigating an application) and is reported by many teachers as an opening for students to critique each other’s content. For example, Google Docs applications can be shared among several members, and the members can then peer review their classmate’s work. With the seemingly unlimited access that technology provides, students are able to consult many different outlets in mere seconds for information. This way students are able to develop a deeper, more varied understanding of their search topic.The Department also finds that use of tech encourages students to implement technology’s available multimedia uses in their work (e.g., presentation applications like Prezi, PowerPoint, or Google Slides). These presentation-style tools remind students of the audience’s importance in their work, and is excellent practice with graphic design.
The study listed many positives for students’ use of technology as a learning tool. Increased confidence and motivation, various sources, peer involvement, technical and design practice—just to name a few—are what many teachers across the U.S are seeing in classrooms as technology becomes commonplace in schools. The study admits that multimedia usage on technology can sometimes distract from the conceptual side of an assignment. With technology being so prevalent in our society, the Department claims that the various technical skills gained from use of these devices will benefit students’ long-term.
By Tommi Jo Miller
