subject: Should Technology Have a Place in the Classroom? [print this page] What is the best way to incorporate the rise of new technologies into the ancient art of education? Should they even be complementary in the first place? Although most teachers still ask that cell phones, Ipods, and other electronic devices be kept in students' backpacks or left at home, several new electronic innovations and techniques of using technology have begun to gain popularity in the academic community.
This month's New York Times Magazine featured new ways in which schools are using gadgets, games, and cell phones to supplement their students' curriculum. Among these is the Apple Ipad, whichmany premium publishers have used to publish their textbooks and add interactive features onto the applications. While many believe that technology can have a negative effect on a child's attention span or reading comprehension skills, Evan Schnittman, of Bloomsbury Publishing, believes the Ipad will encourage more readership among students. He claims that "students will buy one for entertainment, then realize it's the perfect reader.'"
Another example ofthe meeting of technology and education is taking shape in the form of academically-oriented cell phones. One gadget featured by the NYT article is the Nexus One Smartphone, which schools are now using to have students "test the air for carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and noise pollution." Another, the NOAH, allows its users to take photos of bugs, trees, or even historical landmarks, and the cell phone will identify the object being photographed. While showing a cell phone in class used to be grounds for punishment, now such phones are supplementing what used to be a text-only education.
Proponents to using technology in the classroom believe that students are already surrounded by electronics while outside of school, and to ignore the potential functionality of new devices is to eliminatean innovative, interactive method of sharing information.
Opponents believe that using technology in the classroom is too distracting and too unreliable. Furthermore, they believe that books carry an inherent value that will be lost if electronic readers become widespread.
Should technology have a place in the classroom? How should new technological advancements be incorporated into the academic environment?
