Paola Servin

Miss Stone
English 1010 Period 1
23 December 2015
Advantages of Technology in Education

During the past decade, technology has changed society and there is no doubt about it.
Technology has changed society from the way we communicate with each other, all the way to
how it has affected education. In a world that is forever evolving and changing, technology has
impacted a lot of details in our lives. Educators from Technology and 21st Century Skills:
Dispelling Five Myths says that "teachers who use technology frequently to support learning in
their classrooms report greater benefits to students learning, engagement and skills from
technology."
As a teenager technology has been part of my life without even noticing. I feel that
technology is changing society little by little, but my greatest interest is to know how has
technology being part of our lives throughout our education. There are several factors that
technology has been affecting, but the factor of most concern related to technology is education.

I am a highschool student and I believe that students nowadays can find academic material for
their homework by easily reaching to their pockets. There are different ways to use technology.
One way is to use technology as a tool to provide learning. Technology can support and
enhance the students learning by expanding the engagement and demonstrations of different
materials.
Supporters point out that by using online sources students are able to find information
and have easy access to opportunities to learn about an infinite number of available topics.
Although technology in education has remained controversial it seems that technology now has
become essential to prepare students for the future, because now jobs require certain computer
skills. According to a new study from Capital One Financial Corporation and Burning Glass
Technologies says that Digital and computer skills have become essential for nearly 80% of
middle skill jobs. This means that jobs such as salesmen, web designers, receptionists, as well
as psychologists and managers. They are all very different jobs, which they all have different
responsibilities, but they all require certain amount of competences on the amount of level for
computer skills. Many schools are now incorporating different ways for students to help them
be prepared with useful computer skills that will help them in their future carriers.
On the article "The Digital Age Has Not Significantly Changed the Way People Read."
We can learn that there are a lot of misconceptions about the impact of digital technology and
digitized books. One example is that technology is replacing teachers. Teachers nowadays are
using technology to produce good results from their students. Another misconception is that
technology is not needed in education and that is very expensive. In fact technology is one of
the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes without significantly increase cost. The
third misconception is that books are going to disappear because of the use of so much
technology. In truth new technologies strengthen rather than undermine the written word. On the
article I mentioned before we read that "The book is not dead; in fact, each year more books are
published. Just as radio did not replace the newspaper and the Internet did not put an end to

television, digital communication has not eliminated the reading of books." Supporters says that
electronic books may actually stimulate reading. The claim that deep reading has declined is
also unwarranted; deep reading among general readers has never been common. Moreover,
people should be able to read in ways that are meaningful for them. Now digital books that
include multimedia content and other features offer readers new ways to find meaning in books.
The use of technology has been taken to another level with the creation of online
classes mostly known as cyber schools. Online courses are revolutionizing formal education,
although there is not a lot of interaction between the teacher and the student, there is still
efficient communication between them through the online course. These online courses are
taken as normal credits in many high schools and universities.
Cyber schools also allow people with mental or behavioral concerns to have the same
opportunities. Research have demonstrated that technology goes farther than just websites on
the internet. The article "Introduction to What Is the Role of Technology in Education?" States
that assistive technology is defined as any item that can be used to improve the functional
capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Electronics have easy portability and affordable
applications, the recent introduction of tablet computers and smartphones provide students with
disabilities with an abundance of new options. For example the EagleEyes Project which allows
people with severe physical disabilities to be educated to their fullest by the access of a
program on a computer. Another example is that technology has been a huge help for struggling
readers which they are able to adjust font sizes, listen to audiobooks, and experience a book
with an ease not possible before these products. A third example are students with Asperger's
Syndrome which can download an application that helps them understand the nuances of social
interactions with their peers. Also the touch screen proves ideal for students who have difficulty
manipulating a mouse and keyboard. And given the relatively young age of these products, the
possibilities for future uses appear limitless.

Cyber schools also allow access to education to people that need flexible schedules.
People take advantage of online programs when they have conflicting work schedules and that
also enables them to meet with family demands. Experts recommend to use and to take
advantage of technology to achieve any educational goals.
There have been many researches about the advantages and disadvantages about
Cyber schools. One advantage is that online can be done at any time of the day. Psychologists
have found that is better to study in short burst of time to be able to recall information at a longer
term. Online courses allow to study throughout the day. Although these cyber schools are
considered being of easy access most people think that technology should not be considered as
a replacement for traditional forms of learning.
One disadvantage is that researchers have found that people need the interaction one
on one with classmates and teachers to acquire communications skills, which is the number one
requirement in any career field. It seems that little by little the internet and technology has been
destroying meaningful interactions between people. People instead of spending quality time with
their family and friends they now prefer to spend their time texting and updating their status on
social media. Nowadays there is a lack of social interaction.
A disadvantage of the internet is that all students have to be careful when searching
through a website since some sites do not have reliable sources or the information might not be
accurate. Most students rely on the information that appears on the first website without going
farther on the research.

While technology provides accessibility to learn and to use your time productively there
is an even greater disadvantage of the internet which is net addiction, otherwise known as
Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Internet is being use almost daily for education purposes,
such as homework and research papers as well as a way to turn in homework through
attachments of files, this eventually creates an excessively use of internet. It becomes unhealthy

when the internet absorbs most of your time, which this can cause you to ignore friends and
family time as well as the important details of life.
Technology can also affect behavior. The article "Technology Changing How Students
Learn" by Matt Richtel says that scholars have study the role of media in society, but those
studies haven't been done at a long-term. The studies are not able to show the change on a
student's attention span because of the use of digital technology. Matt Richtel said that "there is
mounting indirect evidence that constant use of technology can affect behavior, particularly in
developing brains, because of heavy stimulation and rapid shifts in attention." Teachers believe
that constant use of digital interaction could hinder the ability of attention of a student to work on
challenging tasks. Technology is causing a deep shift in how students are learning. Teachers
nowadays are worried because now they have to adjust their lessons to accommodate shorter
attention spans.
Technology has affected the grammar of students mostly between the ages of 12 and
17, which correlates to the age that teenagers start owning a phone. The article "OMG: Social
Media May Wreck Your Kid's Writing." by Campbell Ruth says that most people see technology
as an advantage, but now says students become used to leaving out punctuation and using
abbreviations because of they have become familiar to write on social media or texting. Devices
now provide spell-check and grammar software that automatically changes the word if it has a
grammar error. Also researchers found out that keyboarding itself does not have an effect on
grammar, but people now prefer not to use physical handwriting because they rely so much on
their devices due to those softwares. There are problems when it comes to switching to a formal
English on their school assignments. Most behavioral psychologist and researchers of
technology disagree that introducing technology to education has cause students to change or
to effect their grammar because students are already been immersed in technology at home.
Punctuation and abbreviations are not the only problem on students' grammar. An
article by Andrew Simmons called "Social Media Helps Students Write Better." says that

many people argue that the slang encouraged by social media has a bad effect on
student
writing. According to a survey of 700 students ages 12 to 17 done by Pew Internet &
American
Life Project says that 85% of those students reported to use a form of electronic
communication.
High school students are being unaware that they are using abbreviation and slang
words on
their formal essays.
While supporters of slang words say that this trend is an evolution of language, a
professor from the University of Pennsylvania named Chad Dion Lassiter considers this
evolution as "a dumbing down of culture" I believe that slang words should not be
tolerated and
that teachers have to prevent this problem. Slang words are not to be use on a school,
work or
any professional setting. I can't imagine if a high school student turns in a college
application
with a lot of slang words and abbreviations and they expect to be accepted to that
college.
We all have have been affected by technology in many different ways. We have to
understand that even if we grew up already immersed to technology we have to learn what are
the pro and cons of it. The truth is that sometimes we have to take a good advantage of
technology, and we have to specifically know about the actual risks that technology has. We
have to learn how to use technology as a useful tool and not as a destructive and powerful
weapon. We should not let technology over rule our lives. There should always be a balance on
our education and the amount of technology we use for it.

Technology has been useful through our education. The key to success is to find
balance on it. Technology is there at the reach if your pocket use it with propose. Find a way to
take away the most out of it.

Works Cited
According to Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling Five
Myth, "

Campbell, Ruth. "OMG: Social Media May Wreck Your Kid's Writing." Southeast
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