Technology has the power to drastically boost efficiency in the classrooms. A teacher today can calculate a student’s grade much faster than a teacher could in the past. Collaboration is as easy as sharing a Google Doc with a classmate.
Above all, technology enables us to learn much more than previous generations due to an increase in efficiency. However, with all of this great potential for education, some students have been reluctant to embrace technology in the classroom.
“What was wrong with the old SmartBoards?” and “Can’t we just do this assignment with paper and pencil?” are common sentiments heard in the past year or so. It seems like the student body is not content with the recent technological upgrades. Are we ungrateful for the new technology our school has invested in for us? I don’t think so. Perhaps we are caught in the rocky introductory years of developing technology. Eventually, schools will discover the best ways to incorporate technology.
While some teachers are enthusiastic about technology in the classroom, others seem to be on the other side of the spectrum. For the most part, teachers lack uniformity in their use of technology. While some teachers update their Canvas pages daily with class notes, presentations, and other resources, other teachers only use Canvas to post grades. Further, some teachers require students to upload their online homework on the cloud while other teachers require homework to be handed in physically.
Technology can be especially useful in English or History classes where students may type notes much faster than they could by hand.
Indeed, different classes require different amounts of technology. For example, technology can be especially useful in English or History classes where students may type notes much faster than they could by hand.
However, when it comes to a mathematics class, many believe that writing out math problems by hand on paper is the most effective way to learn.
“Technology is very helpful to a learning environment only when used in an efficient manner… in many cases, though, such as the use of OneNote, it only creates more steps to be performed.”
Connor Brala ’20
Sixth Former Connor Brala said, “Technology is very helpful to a learning environment only when used in an efficient manner… in many cases, though, such as the use of OneNote, it only creates more steps to be performed.”
It seems that most students greatly appreciate the potential for learning that technology has created. The lack of enthusiasm for technology may arise from the lack of consistency among teachers’ use of technology in the classroom.
Eventually, teachers will figure out what works and does not in terms of technology use in the classroom. Whether that be ten weeks or ten years from now, it is certain that students are greatly appreciative of the resources with which the school has given them to learn.
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