Technology in the Classroom: Friend or Foe

Essay by ctannahillCollege, UndergraduateA-, May 2008

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Our society has come to depend on technology for many aspects of our lives. It is only natural that it would become a factor in education. The question we need to ask ourselves is how much is too much and to how to implement it in classrooms effectively. In this essay, I will explore the different viewpoints and the evidence for each. I will also look at different solutions and share my own recommendations as to what I think is the best solution.

Factors that affect this issue are the varied opinions and uncertainties of how to solve the problem. There are mixed feelings about technology that range from one extreme to another. Some feel that technology should be the primary tool in the classrooms. Then there are the ones in the middle who are in favor of technology in classrooms, but want limits set. At the other end there is the group who feel it should be excluded from classrooms.

Compounding these feelings are questions and uncertainties that need to be addressed, such as does a child who learns using technology acquire necessary skills and what limits if any should be set? One side feels that children need technical knowledge to keep students current with advances and prepare them for the future, and that the entire structure of the traditional classroom needs to be reconsidered (Winters 1998). There are those in the government that feel similar and have created a detailed plan on how to continue promoting technology in classrooms (Department of Education 2004). Many would feel, who are we to argue with the federal government? Then there are some advocates of technology that feel schools are on the way to becoming totally online (Barker 2002). If this occurred, would children have meaningful relationships with machines rather than their...