Beth Duellman

EDUW 695 Ethics and Issues in Education

Debate - December 2015

Do computers negatively affect student growth?

Pros: Yes, computers negatively affect student

growth?
Taken from Noll, 2011

There have been no advances (measured by

Cons: No, computers do not negatively affect student

growth.
Taken from Noll, 2011

Technology can do certain tasks cheaper and

higher academic achievement of urban,

more efficiently thus allowing the teacher to

suburban, or rural students) over the past

use expertise more

Potential to boost productivity, hold down

costs, and develop innovative products

Teacher freed up for other needs when

decade that can be confidently attributed to

broader access to computers.

Loss of firsthand experience, learning through

the concrete and developing feelings

Computer information is abstract and needs to
connect to a childs concrete experience for it

to be meaningful
Creates abstract values
Promotes certain qualities while sidelining

others
Young people sacrifices internal growth for

external power
Face to face communication is crucial in

technology takes over some tasks (examples:

automatically grading student responses,

essay grading software)

Makes student data instantly available
Cut the time teachers spend on rote tasks
Allows for inclusion of disabled students
because they can use technology to assist
with the tasks

Taken from Robledo, 2015

Young people learn best when its relevant to

development of language and is lacking when

them, when theres social connection tied to

we move too quickly to computers

Passive acceptance of images rather than

generating their own images

Technology requires resources that could be

it (mobile connection)
Engage students in the classroom setting
Students become more active as leaders and

used in other areas of a school system

Treats learning as the acquisition of

peer tutors
Empowers students in the learning process
Provides interactive learning, connectivity,

and innovation (depends on perspective)

Connect to the larger world around them not

information rather than inner concerns of

wisdom, truth, character, imagination,

creativity, and meaning

Loss of connectedness to the community
Loss of an inner voice

possible without technology (SAMR model)

Taken from Henry, 2004

Taken from Robledo, 2015

Distracts students from schoolwork

use the wealth of information at their

Taken from Henry, 2004

Misinformation retrieval (students accepting

what they find online no matter what)

Plagiarism
Reliability of websites and lack of
authoritative websites

Taken from Hsieh, Lin, & Hou, (2015)

Females may be less confident about learning

through use of technology thus creating a
gender gap

Teachers must prepare students for how to

fingertips from the web

Teach students to develop a healthy
skepticism about what they read

Taken from Hsieh, Lin, & Hou, (2015)

Game-based learning attracts students

attention and encourages their engagement

Every year our world becomes more and more digital. Students are using technology
long before they enter elementary school. It would make sense, then, that technology would be
incorporated into the classroom. Technology is growing throughout all areas in education.
Although there are some concerns, overall, student growth is positively affected by computers
and technology because it is more engaging, it requires creativity, and it connects students to the
larger world in a way not conceivable without it.
As I begin a lesson using technology, my students are curious and excited. They stay
focused longer and put in more effort. Often times I hear it was the best lesson ever and that is
thanks to technology. As stated in the article by Robledo (2015), Young people learn best when
its relevant to them, when theres social connection tied to it, and when they actually have a
personal interest (p. 1). Technology connects students to each of these ideas and in turn, keeps
them more engaged in the activities in class. The research by Hsieh, Y.-H., Lin, Y.-C., & Hou,
H.-T. (2015) found that game-based learning can consistently increase students engagement
(p. 346). Without technology, students are missing the spark of excitement that paper and pencil
just cannot provide.
There are two ways technology can be incorporated into the classroom. One way is when
teachers use it for drill and skill and to replace activities that can be done with paper and pencil.
This less desirable way to integrate technology is less likely to have an impact on students.
Another way to integrate technology is for students to use creativity to design projects. This way
of incorporating technology gives students ownership in their learning and allows them to be
creative. Student-led research and study encourages students to be engaged in learning.
Technology allows the students the freedom to be creative through apps like Educreations and
iMovie and empowers them to learn more.

Technology redefines boundaries and allows students to do things once unimaginable.

Students can post on a blog sharing their ideas to a worldwide audience, they can skype with
students around the world, and they can quickly create projects on apps to share their ideas and
show understanding. A world of information is at their fingertips which requires new skills to
evaluate that information (Robledo, 2015). All of these things bring an excitement back to the
classroom that has been missing in our current standardized test-driven climate.
Some teachers fear technology is distracting students from learning and keeping them
from actually experiencing things first hand (Robledo, 2015). They believe the money and
resources spent on technology could be better used in other areas (Noll, 2011). If teachers truly
shifted the way they teach with technology to include modification and redefinition, then they
would see the benefits are far greater than the negative possibilities. Students are changing their
attitudes about school because they are empowered to learn with technology. The education
system would be foolish not to educate students about and with technology because it is a part of
our life that is here to stay. All of my experiences with technology in an elementary classroom
were beneficial and my students and their families see the value every day. Technology is the
catalyst for student growth with todays youth and I am thankful to have that tool to use with my
students.

References
Do computers negatively affect student growth? (2011). In J. Noll (Ed.), Taking sides: Clashing
views on educational issues (Sixteenth ed., pp. 316-332). New York, New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Hsieh, Y.-H., Lin, Y.-C., & Hou, H.-T. (2015). Exploring elementary-school students
engagement patterns in a game-based learning environment. Educational Technology &
Society, 18 (2), 336348.
Robledo, S. J. "Mobile devices for learning: What you need to know (available in Spanish)."
Edutopia. Google, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
Henry, J. (2004, March 1). The tangled web - Holding the MP3 generation accountable. Library
Media Connection, 51-53.