NEGATIVE
EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
By:
By:
COMBIS,
ANNABEL G.
BSED
2-Irr
Email add:
February
21, 2014
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
Introduction
The beginning of revolution
of technology brought us in a modern world. In educational system, the
integration of various technologies in instructions is widely integrated. This
made the learning more advance compared to the past educational system.
However, technologies affect
the learners’ performance. Gadgets that should be the partner in enhancing
knowledge became the distraction of the study habits of the learners. Because
of the misuse and abuse of technologies made the learners’ performance poor and
they started to lack interest on studying.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY IN
EDUCATION
1. Technology Overload
Like
in all things, there is a golden rule that governs technology's impact on
education -"moderation in everything"
Technology can easily be overused within the classroom, and this can cause
negative effects on the entire learning experience. Some of these effects are
already seen from student texting and internet usage (school-related and
trivial) during class. There are also increased incidences of plagiarism for
assignments and an overall lack of respect for correct language usage within
essays. This indicates the effect that technology may have had on the current
generation's thinking abilities and the overall power of the internet.
2. Changing Learning Priorities
The
main effect from technology may be that the children of the future are not
concerned with details. However, it is hard to say if this is a good thing or a
bad thing in the future especially with the universal availability of the
internet. The students of the future prioritize where the information can be
found (i.e. via Google) rather than what the information actually is. The
constant stimulation that comes from the internet has also taken away the ability
of students to generally focus in the classroom. A New York Times article
showed how constant stimulation by email, text messages, and online video games
created a profound obstacle to the focus and productivity of both young people
and adults, all of which can also be used for E-learning purposes. This
stimulation causes a short attention span, and even without the internet as a
distraction, many young people struggle as is to manage time wisely and resist
impulsive behaviour.
This brings us to the next question - is the next generation "doomed" or "lucky" because of their privileges to information. There is a general decline in higher-order thinking skills, and an overall re-wiring of teenage brains. This reveals a deeper intellectual laziness that the Web has also made possible with the rise of more video-based information resources as opposed to textual resources.
3.
Potential
Employment Effect
In
addition to the effect on student learning, E-learning will also affect the education
economy heavily. In 2011 in New York City, 6100 Teaching Positions are set to
be eliminated amid increased technology spending, which is effectively eight
percent of all teachers in the city. The correlation is fairly simple. More
online schooling will lead to less classroom teaching, and this will result in
a lower teacher employment rate that will focus on online classrooms than in
the traditional classroom environment.
4. Takes Away Learning Time
In
today's classroom, teachers are pressed to make every minute count. If the
teacher and students are not experienced with technology in the classroom,
valuable time is often wasted on technical troubles. In addition, the teacher
faces the difficulty of having a class full of students who are all at different
skill levels. In many schools, most students will have a computer and Internet
access, but schools that are located in poor areas may have a large portion of
their student body with little to no computer experience. While it is important
to educate these children in technology, it must be done at a pace that meets
every individual's needs or more learning time will be wasted.
5. Overuse
In
some classrooms technology is overused. This can lead to a variety of problems.
Many students learn best by physically and mentally interacting with what they
are studying. If most of the teaching is done using a computer, these students'
needs are not being met. Technology should be used to supplement the classroom
curriculum, but should not be used as the sole source of learning.
6. Game Mentality
One
problem that many classroom teachers face is that students often use computers
primarily for games. Because of this, many students associate computers and
technology with game playing. Though some teachers can use this to their
advantage, if this issue is not addressed, some students may get distracted and
off task quickly.
7. Elevated Exasperation
These days, children indulge
themselves in internet, games or texting. These activities have affected their
psyche negatively, consequently leading to increased frustration. Now they get
frustrated whenever they are asked to do anything while playing games or using
internet. For instance, when their parents ask them to take the trash out, they
get furious instantly. This behavior has shattered many parent-children
relationships.
8. Deteriorated Patience
Patience is a very precious
virtue and its scarcity could deteriorate a person’s Will. Determination is a
necessity that comes with patience and without it no individual can survive the
hardships of life. According to studies, tolerance in children is vanishing
quite increasingly due to the improper use of technology. For example, children
get frustrated quickly when they surf internet and the page they want to view
takes time to load.
9. Declining Writing Skills
Due to the excessive usage of
online chatting and shortcuts, the writing skills of today’s young generation
have declined quite tremendously. These days, children are relying more and
more on digital communication that they have totally forgot about improving
their writing skills. They don’t know the spelling of different words, how to
use grammar properly or how to do cursive writing.
10. Lack of Physical Interactivity
No one can deny the fact that
the advancement of technology has produced a completely unique method of
interaction and communication. Now, more and more people are interacting with
others through different platforms like apps, role-playing online games, social
networks, etc. This advancement has hampered the physical interaction skills of
many children. Due to that they don’t know how to interact with others when
they meet them in-person or what gesture they should carry.
The bottom line is that while
technology is a necessity to survive and flourish in this age of advancement,
however, parents should control their children by keeping an eye on its
excessive usage.
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