Technology has affected every field in today’s world and education is one of them. There is a term called educational technology which refers to the effective use of technology in the field of education. The technological tools like television, mobile phone and computer play major roles in educating the world. Let us now discuss some of the pros and cons of technology in education.
Technology in education – pros
1. Better access
Use of technological inventions has enabled more people to access education. Almost all houses now have television and computer. Internet connection allows students to access any information within seconds. This has spread education in rural areas too.
2. Independent learning
Technological tools have made students self-sufficient and led to independent learning. These days, they rarely need the guidance of teachers and parents. They get help for their assignments and projects from internet. Any doubt and the search engines have thousands of websites with the answer.
3. Better understanding
Experts believe that learning from visual tools is better retained in the memory. Every single search gives you a number of three dimensional images and videos to explain the topic. Together with the information from the text, you get a clear understanding of the concepts. With digital classrooms in place, learning has become more fun and subjects interesting and comprehensible.
4. Collaborative learning
In collaborative learning, a group of students work together on a single project or the like to achieve a common goal. They schedule meetings and share ideas online. This way, any number of students can take part in the discussion from any geographic location.
5. Distance education
Today, it is not necessary to go to a regular class to gain knowledge. Distance education programs let you sit at the comfort of your home and learn what you like. These programs use virtual classrooms to discuss the learning materials and enable student-teacher communication.
Technology in education – cons
1. Less use of textbooks
The use of technology for learning has created an aversion in students towards textbooks. They rely on internet and other tools for everything including their homework. They never take pain to read through the books to get answers, instead get everything ready-made from internet.
2. Encourages cheating
Students have mastered the easy way of finding answers online rather than framing it themselves. This creates problem when it comes to testing the knowledge they have gained. They take devices like mobile phones to exam halls and practice cheating thereby letting down the aim of taking exams.
3. Technology as an evil
There is massive information online and not everything is suitable to be read by children. They could pretend to be learning something and access all the wrong stuff. This diverts their attention from studies and they tend to invest their time in useless and evil things.
4. Cyber crimes
Internet as paved way for something called cybercrimes. Students easily fall prey to these crimes. They indirectly help people get access to sensitive data or promote child pornography. The criminals talk the children into entering the chat rooms and take advantage of them.
5. Health hazards
Students sit long hours using the technological tools creating a lot of health problems in the process like losing eyesight. When they sit in the same position for long, they develop issues with the posture and other related problems. All this has led many children to fall ill thereby missing their classes.
If used for good, technology is the greatest boon to mankind. Whenever children use technology for learning, parents and teachers should keep an eye on them so that they don’t divert from the real purpose.
