Technology Revolutionizing Education

In recent discussions of the way technology affects education and its efficacy and efficiency, a controversial issue has been whether technology helps us educate more efficiently and increases the power we have to educate, or if technology is a hindrance and distraction when it comes to education. Some argue that technology is a powerful tool that could be used to revolutionize the way we educate and change the norms of educational practices.

One example of technology protecting the individual and their academic integrity is “digital tools” like Turn It In. Turn It In is an online software used to check for plagiarism in student essays or homework. This software uses technology to cross reference the paper to not only the internet, but also across all other essays submitted into Turn It In. This is a strong example of how technology can be used in education to benefit students and improve the quality of their education. In addition, technology can help to educate in alternative ways than traditional schooling.

http://turnitin.com/

Another example of how technology is improving education is online education. If there is someone that cannot physically attend a university or have issues that prohibit them from receiving a traditional education they can still enroll in an online college. Someone who would not be able to receive an education can now get a full education because of technology. In addition, they can get any type of education they want. For example, University of Phoenix  has a program that is a popular way to earn a degree online. University of Phoenix’s Online College is known for its low cost and its high quality of education.

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In addition to education being online now, books and magazines are widely published online too. There are such things as “e-books” and “online magazines”. For example, Amazon has a whole entire online store for their e-books that they sell for customers to read on their Kindle (Amazon’s popular e-reader).  Authors adapted to the changes and technology helped them to become more successful. They could now publish books in print and online, reaching a higher number of people and hopefully generating more sales. Also, technology helped them streamline the writing process. “Digital tools” like spell check and Microsoft Word helped to bring about ease while writing. Being able to save multiple drafts and quickly edit papers changed the way people wrote and ultimately changed how we go about creating literature. Technological advances such as this then carried over to education by the creation of online text books and web-accessible programs that give students homework problems. Teachers have even begun to video tape lectures and make students watch lectures online. The influence of technology in education has made classroom materials easier accessible and the quality of these resources better.

Last quarter, in my Business 70 class we used an online textbook and online homework tool. It was published by the company McGraw-Hill, a reputable textbook publishing company. We had to purchase a book, and then use the code inside the book to register online. At that point you could pretty much throw away the book. The only useful thing was the code. That code lets the textbook company know you purchased their book and that allows you to use their online tool.

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The online tool was called McGraw-Hill Connect. McGraw-Hill Connect contained our textbook and all the worksheets and exercises we had to complete for the class. Over the course of the quarter we had mastered the online textbook and worksheet tool. It became a breeze to access our readings and do our practice problems. I would say that technology helped make the access of my educational tools more efficient and effective. This ease of access then led to me being able to access my education swiftly and easily, then leading me to more proficient studying of this subject.

Acknowledging the Naysayers:

While the examples I presented above seem to be flawless (hold the applause), there are plenty of counter arguments that are used against having an increasing presence of technology in education. Some people share the belief that an increasing presence of technology in education will make us less intelligent and extremely reliant on technology. While researching technology and education, I came across many varying viewpoints. I came across an article in our textbook, They Say / I Say, that was written by Nicholas Carr, an author and researcher. In an article he published, Is Google Making Us Stupid?, he argues that an increasing presence in technology will put us at a disadvantage. Carr states in his article that “as we come to rely on [technology] to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence” (328). What Carr is saying here is that technology is becoming a crutch for his intellectual abilities and he is losing the need to educate himself because technology is becoming a source he can look to instead of having to seek knowledge in an educational fashion. In sum, then, the issue is whether technology can be used to help educate people in a powerful and more efficient way or whether technology is a distraction and crutch that becomes a hindrance to the educational process.

According to this view, the usage of technology will make our brains rely on technology so much it decreases our own critical thinking skills and decreases our intellectual abilities. In response to this viewpoint I would state that technology is not becoming a crutch, it is becoming a tool. Technology is always advancing and growing at exponential rates. If we have such a powerful tool in our arsenal why not use it to its full potential. What I am saying is that if we are willing to let technology influence every aspect of our life, than we should not shy away from having it in our education. If we can become more open minded towards technology being integrated into education, we will see that it will make a great change in the quality of our education. I believe that most people would agree with me that technology has greatly improved their life. Technology has made significant improvements in many facets of human life. Since this is the case, we should allow technology to greatly improve our education as well.

In closing: 

I would like to state that, I believe an increase in the amount of technology used in education could increase the quality, condition, and power of education. As the fields of technology and education become more intertwined, I believe we will see an increase in the amount of our society that is educated. In addition, I believe those who have been educated have been through quality programs backed by a combination of technology and education leading to the most efficient and effective way to educate. Those who spend the time and money to get an education will be more satisfied with their education. With more technological presence in education, the education students receive will be more relevant to the real world they are entering soon after getting their education.

To conclude my blog post, I want to point out that there is no debate that our society is becoming filled with technology and that it is becoming an integral part of everyone’s life. Education must not only educate students, but it also must prepare them for the world they are about to enter. If our society is reliant and filled with technology why should our education be any different? I believe it should not be any different. Technology can be used in education to protect students, make their education more valuable and involving, and also increase the interest of students because their education will be relevant to the world they see around themselves. I believe technology should be an integral part of education and that the improvements that come with the transition of more technology in education will lead to educational quality and effectiveness that far surpass an education void of technology.

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. By Gerald Graff. Ed. Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 313-328. Print.

Image Sources:

http://turnitin.com/

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