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Technology in the Classroom 1

Is There a Problem with Technology in the Classroom?


Kali V. Anderson
Cm 212
Alverno College

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The world is going to change. Lyndon B. Johnson once said, Yesterday is not ours to
recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose, (Johnson, 2014, p. 1). There is nothing to stop it,
and the only thing to do is to prepare for it. Within the classrooms across the United States,
there are schools who are stuck in the past and not preparing students for their own future, a
future unknown to all, a future that is immersed with technology. Technology is evolving faster
and faster every year, and still there are schools that do not have enough computers for an
average class size to use. To prepare the worlds future leaders, classrooms need to be filled
with technology because it is not only something students want to use, but it also is already
built in to the common core standards, and it gives every student an equal opportunity to learn.
The year is 2014, and already it is a highly technological world. Imagine one day without
a cell phone, computer, I-pod, I-pad, and television. This is not easy to do, but kids are expected
to unplug every day at school. People today are dependent on their technology and it intrigues,
helps, and is already immersed within the lives of future generations. Look around. Papers get
typed on computers, messages get written on cell phones, communication is done through
social media. Like it or not, children of America love technology and use it all the time. In the
article, Students Views on Technology and Learning: Students speak up to the President,
students from across the United States wrote small paragraphs explaining why they need
technology in the classroom. One young 7th grade girl from Lawrence, Kansas wrote the
President a letter saying, Dear Mr. President: Technology is very important to us these days.
Technology helps us with our homework, it helps us to keep in touch with friends, to know
more about sports and hobbies. Technology is very important to us and I think everybody
should have access to computer and technology in general to learn more and become a more

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intelligent and better person in life, school, sports and everything in between. Thanks for
listening! (Students Views on Technology for Learning, 2005, p.7). In 2005, children were able
to recognize the importance of technology and used it to make it beneficial to their learning.
About ten years later more technology has developed and it is more beneficial to not only our
everyday lives but to education as well. Instead of making children unplug teachers should be
able to gain their attention through common technology and make learning more relatable to
their everyday lives. Just comparing reading a physical book to an e-book, a book read through
technology such as an I-pad, children gravitate towards, and learn better through e-books. In an
article entitled Reading Engagement: A Comparison between E-Books and Traditional Print
Books in an Elementary Classroom, written by Troy Jones and Carol Brown, a study on 22 third
graders shown that they learn and retain knowledge better when they are engaged and
intrigued with technology such as e-books. According to Troy Jones and Carol Brown,
Indicators of reading engagement included motivation for independent reading and
comprehension as measured by standardized tests on the print book and both e-books...
Students did, however, indicate a preference for e-books when given the option of a wide
selection of titles and the freedom to choose their own e-book. Students further indicated a
preference for the amenities associated with e-book, (Jones & Brown, 2011, p. 1). Just like the
little girl from Lawrence Kansas said, everyone should have access to a computer and
technology to learn more.
In order to learn more, Common Core standards are essential in every state because
they require technology to be immersed into classrooms. Common core standards, establish
clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do from

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kindergarten through 12th grade, (What Parents Should Know, 2014). Within these common
core standards are a set of standards entitled the ISTE, International Society for Technology in
Education, standards. The ISTE standards main focus is on technology in the hands of teachers
and students. The ISTE statement on Common Core is that, technology, used effectively, can
help all students meet and exceed the rigorous learning goals embedded in the Common Core
State Standards by providing access to tools and resources that personalize instruction and
creating rich, engaging and relevant learning environments, (ISTE, 2014). Technology is needed
in order to perform well within the common core standards. The problem lies with in the states
and their own personal choice on the Common Core standards. These standards should not be
looked at as rules for teachers to follow, but as what Americas students should be learning,
and achieving. Not every state has to accept the standards, but in order to help Americas
students in their future, common core standards and ISTE standards are vital and needed in
every state across the United States.
No two humans are exactly alike, everyone learns differently. Technology is needed in
classrooms to give equal opportunity for every learner to grow and succeed in their education.
Students vary on many levels from socioeconomic status to a specific learning disorders.
Howard Gardner, a well-known psychologist established the idea of multiple intelligence.
Gardners idea of multiple intelligences, listed seven intelligences which work together:
linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and
intrapersonal; he later added an eighth, naturalist intelligence and says there may be a few
more. The theory became highly popular with K-12 educators around the world seeking ways
to reach students who did not respond to traditional approaches, (Strauss, 2013, para. 2).

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Traditional approaches means that everyone is taught the same, but with this the outcome for
each student is different. While one child may think more logical and exceed in math, they may
struggle in reading and writing and need more time to read, or extra help in understanding any
given book. This is a common problem amongst students because everyone has a strength and
a weakness. This makes each learner unique and the traditional approaches does not highlight
and enhance their learning. With technology students can move at their own pace and become
aware of where they are and where they want to be. Lets continue the idea of a child reading a
book. If the book is read as an e-book, it allows students to read at their own pace. Also, it
allows the student extra help in pronunciations of words, extra details, and even helps in
organizing general thoughts of the book. With using an e-book, or any educational technology,
there are things for the children who struggle and for children who are advanced, it enhances
and embraces where the students are and help gives a more equal opportunity for every
learner to grow and succeed in their education.
Many believe that technology in the classrooms means that students will be looking at
a bright screen and become addicted to a false world technology contains. According to the
ikeepsafe website, kids ages 8 to 18 spending on average 44.5 hours per week in front of
screens, parent are increasingly concerned that screen time is robbing them of real world
experiences. Nearly 23% of youth report that they feel addicted to video games (31% of
males, 13% of females.) These are the results of a new study of 1,178 U.S. children and teens
(ages 8 to 18) conducted by Harris Interactive (2007) that documents a national prevalence rate
of pathological video game use, (Too Much Time Online: Parents' Concern: Too Much Time
Online, 2014). Mainly Parents rely on school as a way for their children to unplug for a good

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portion of the day, and if schools start involving more technology the kids, unplug time is
decreased. What parents do not always realize is that times have changed and pencil and paper
do not gain a childs attention. If the schools had no technology, the modern students will not
want to attend school, will not stay focused, and will not be engaged in the information being
taught. In order to sustain attention with modern children technology is essential. This idea is
like saying go to the city library and hand write a paper on the science topic of matter only
using the books at the library, no phones, no computers, only pen and paper. Not only is this
going to take a long amount of time, but the motivation is going to be low on writing this essay.
Now lets take the situation and be able to use technology. The information can be presented
by using multiple different websites and programs that allows that student to share the
information that they have learned. They can incorporate pictures and three dimensional
models with in their presentation. This is exciting to the kids, and makes them want to learn.
Yes, there should be limits on the amount of technology used with any childs given day, but
boiling it down, if children are more excited about school work, they are more likely to learn the
information, and want to learn, and ultimately they will succeed in their life.
Just like in every school situation, a financial budget exist leading to the next most
common opposing view of technology, the cost is too high. Looking at the price of one semidecent laptop is right around $300 and then add the internet protection, and the programs
needed. Technology truly does add up fast and cost a lot. According to Timothy Smithee, and
Demand Media, the authors of Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom,
Equipping a classroom with computers or supplying the entire student body with laptops is a
significant cost for any school. In addition to the initial purchase costs, there are costs for

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maintaining networks, maintaining the computers and routinely upgrading the hardware and
software, (Smithee, 2014, para. 2). However, a childs education and schooling should not have
a set amount of money allotted. Each child should not come with a price tag attached. We
perceive education as a high necessity in life, yet claim education in todays society cost too
much because the way children learn, and become educated is too expensive. Technology
needs to be within classrooms and there should not be a financial limit to Americas Future
leader.
The world is always going to change and the leaders of tomorrow need to be prepared
for their future, not the past. Technology is just one way to know that Americas children will be
successful in their life. Technology is something children want to use and want to learn about.
In their future it will be vital to know how to use different technology. The common core
standards already have technology involved, which clearly identifies that technology should not
be ignored in a classroom. Besides from common core, technology allows an equal opportunity
for each child to learn, no matter what type of learner they are. Many do believe that children
are becoming addicted to technology, but if children are more excited about school work just
because of using technology, they are not addicted to technology, but to learning. Also, many
are concerned with the price tag that follows technology, but step back and say that money is
being invested into Americas future leaders. It is not fair to say no to technology when it can
impact a students future and current life. Step back and look at the world and the direction it is
going. Everyday new technology is developed and one day, the children that were just born will
need to know how to use it. Embracing technology, and showing children the positives about

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technology will only benefit the lives of people all over the world. Technology is here to stay, so
lets use it to our advantage and prepare, teach, and invest in our future leaders.

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References
ISTE. (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from ISTE Position Statement on the Common Core
State Standards: http://www.iste.org/standards/common-core
Johnson, L. B. (2014). Brainy Quote: Yesterday quotes . Retrieved from Brainyquote.com:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/yesterday.html
Jones, T., & Brown, C. (2011, July). Reading Engagement: A Comparison between E-Books and
Traditional Print Books in an Elementary Classroom. Retrieved from Eric:
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED522678
Smithee, T. (2014). Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom. Retrieved
November 12, 2014, from Opposing Views: http://science.opposingviews.com/negativeeffects-using-technology-todays-classroom-1549.html
Strauss, V. (2013, October 16). Howard Gardner: Multiple intelligences are not learning styles.
Retrieved November 12, 2014, from The Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howardgardner-multiple-intelligences-are-not-learning-styles/
Students Views on Technology for Learning: Students Speak up to the President. (2005). 7.
Irvine, California: Net Day. Retrieved November 12, 2014, from
http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SpeakUpPresident.pdf
Too Much Time Online: Parents' Concern: Too Much Time Online. (2014). Retrieved November
12, 2014, from iKeepsafe: http://www.ikeepsafe.org/be-a-pro/balance/too-much-timeonline/

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What Parents Should Know. (2014). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from Common Core State
Standards Inititive: Preparing America's Students for COllege and Career:
http://www.corestandards.org/what-parents-should-know/

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