After all, if students are already using their smartphones and computers, why not have them do some schoolwork to be productive?
The results of this ideology are strikingly positive. Specifically, this kind of education is called blended learning, and it helps teachers reach a variety of students who learn in different ways.
Some students may learn from traditional lecture, others may need hands-on time, and others may need to complete interactive activities.
Regardless, tech in the classroom helps teachers differentiate their instruction for the best possible results when it comes to information retention and assessment success.
So why isn’t everyone on board with students using technology to learn?
Electronics — especially smartphones — are distracting in the classroom. If you teach on the same gadgets that students use to distract themselves, how can you be sure that students are learning?
In fact, having “tech off time” in a classroom is an excellent classroom management strategy if your students spend a little too much time looking at screens.
To make matters worse, too much screen time can damage a developing brain. This means using screen-based technology in the classroom may be dangerous to the physical development of students, especially if they’re young!
Technology plays a big enough role in people’s lives — especially children and teens. The classroom can give them a break from it all.
Deciding Question: Is technology valuable enough to use it to help students learn? Or should the classroom be a relief from the constantly-connected online world?
Point 3. Students Need to Communicate — But They Don’t Need Gadgets to Do It
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Communication is crucial to students’ development, especially in terms of career readiness.
It empowers expression, collaboration, and a whole range of other soft skills that students will need throughout their lives.
Today, an incredible amount of communication takes place through text messaging, email, and social media.
In that respect, students learn the ins and outs of communication by living their everyday lives.
But without the supervision of a teacher, they may not be learning the right ins and outs.
After all, it’s much easier to be crass, forward, and even insulting when you’re not communicating with someone face-to-face. And even with the blinding pace of technology, etiquette and professionalism are essential in communication — especially communication lessons.
In a nutshell, this is why advocates of classroom tech say it’s important to communication. Learning how to kindly talk back and forth online is highly relevant to students’ everyday lives.
At the same time, opponents of classroom tech say students should embrace the fact that they’re so close to one another in school. It’s the ideal setting for in-person discourse, especially for students who don’t get much face-to-face time with others after school.
With all of that, it’s possible for students to learn gracious, polite communication with electronics.
But should they really use electronics to communicate when they can turn to someone and speak instead?
Deciding Question: How valuable is speech-based communication?
Explanation:
