If I was the professor of EDM 310, I would have my students write a blog post about the negative effects of using technology in the classroom. I would have my students write about this topic because it is something that all teachers, no matter what the subject or age group, need to be aware of. With the frequent use of technology in the classroom, it is easy to acknowledge the benefits that technology provides for students. On the same note, it is also easy to forget that there are negative effects of using technology in the classroom as well.
According to Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom, technology can be a disuse of service to students if it is misused. Technology can take away learning time. If students, and teachers for that matter, have not had previous exposure to certain programs or technologies, valuable time in the classroom is spent learning these skills. Technology use may be appropriate in certain higher income schools where students are more likely to have previous exposure, opposed to schools in impoverished areas. While it is valuable time spent teaching children and teachers how to use technology, it is not adequate use of time when time is limited. Overuse of technology in the classroom is another negative consequence of using technology in the classroom. Sometimes, teachers, as well as students, get caught up in the use of technology and it is easily forgotten that technology is a supplement to the curriculum, not the source. A final negative consequence of using technology in the classroom is that students have a game mentality when using the computer. This is especially true for elementary school students. This fact can easily distract students from their assignments when using the computer or iPad.
According to an article from Opposing Views, expenses and diversion of resources are two other negative effects of using technology in the classroom. Equipping classroom with computers, iPads, ebooks, or any other devices are costly. Not only is the initial price of buying devices expensive, maintenance work and software is costly as well. "Bring your own device" has helped with this cost, but it is still a concern for individual families who have to purchase software specific to what their school requires. Diversion of resources ties into the topic of technology being costly. When schools budget for new technology, they take money out of other programs. These programs include music and arts. If teachers are aware of these negative effects of technology in the classroom, teachers can avoid certain consequences. Teachers can spend extra time outside of school hours learning new programs. Teachers can keep children focused and disciplined to lessen distractions. Also, school systems can budget for technology and make integrating devices into the classroom a gradual process.
What a great topic to talk about in today's world! I know we kind of touched this area of technology in another blog, but to fully focus on this and learn ways to help prevent the negative effects of technology is useful to us future educators. I completely agree with the "Opposing Views" article, the school systems need to be fully invested in the new way of learning if this how they see fit to bring devices into the classroom. They need to make sure they budget money each year to maintain the devices after purchasing them. Great blog, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteI really like the topic of this blog. I think you are right that it is important to look at both the positive and the negative aspects of technology in the classroom. The points that you brought up about the negative effects that technology can have are very important. I had not thought about technology in this way before, so it was eye-opening to read your post.
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