Technology is growing faster and faster as the years
go by. USBs. Laptops. Smart boards. iPads. The list goes on. We also have
learning management systems such as Moodle, Blackboard and Dropbox! The
Internet allows us to access resources from all around the world. Therefore, often
people believe that technology will help with the teaching and learning
process. However, I believe this is true to a certain extent.
VS
PROS
Technology can be very beneficial as students now have
access to more and more resources. Students can now contact teachers about
queries through emails 24/7. Technology also provides variety therefore; it can
motivate students to learn. Moreover, technology also provides convenience. For
example: there now online libraries so students don’t travel to library with
intension of borrowing a book, only to realize the book is not available.
CON
At times, I believe the traditional pen and paper is
the best solution. For example, from experience, my grade was given laptops in
high school. Although it made it more convenient to access the Internet and
Word document in a classroom, I realized my writing speed depleted as I was
constantly typing up homework and assignments. This became a negative effect
because when we sit the High School Certificate, no technology is permitted in
the room and we only have pen, paper and the clock to compete with.
Some students say “Students say
technology actually makes some of their professors less effective than they
would be if they stuck to a lecture at the chalkboard” (Young, J. R. 2004). Sometimes, teachers can take advantage of
technology and slack of with teaching. Technology can be used to an advantage,
only if used properly. For example: in PowerPoint Presentations, some
professors just type of up their notes and read from it in front of the class.
However, a better way of using technology may include, adding pictures and
graphs that assist each point as well as videos. This way, the students are
learning with the eyes and ears, which is proven to be quite efficient.
Furthermore, another issue with technology is, it does
not always run smoothly. Booting up a laptop may be very time consuming
especially when done during class, not prior to class. Also, Professors who
aren’t comfortable with using technology may fumble around with cables and
cause learning environment to be less efficient. We have all experience those lectures where
half the time we are doing nothing because the technological problems. (Young, J. R. 2004).
In my opinion, a classroom requires a combination of
technological and traditional methods of teaching. Also, teachers should only
use technology if they are comfortable with it, hence if they are more
comfortable with using chalkboards then smart boards, chances are their
teaching will run more smoothly. In essence, technology can be beneficial if
used properly.
Reference
Young, J. R. (2004). When good
technology means bad teaching: Giving professors gadgets without training can
do more harm than good in the classroom, students say. The Chronicle of
Higher Education, 51(12), A31-A37.
No comments:
Post a Comment