The Benefits of Technology in the Classroom by Anna

The Benefits of Technology in the Classroom by Anna - January 2020 Scholarship Essay

This school year my school has made many strides to use more technology to promote learning and to give accessibility to the students. From giving students Chromebooks that are able to be taken home, to adding SMARTboards into classrooms that previously only had black/white boards and projectors, to utilizing programs such as Schoology, technology has recently had a very positive impact on my school. Technology has allowed students to be able to get work and research done at home where computers and internet were previously not available for some students, it has allowed for more time spent learning in the classroom, and it has allowed for better organization and communication to help with student success.
A large percentage of students in my school district did not have internet and computer access at their homes, and so it was very difficult for students to complete research and work on assignments where having a computer is basically necessary, such as essays. This year my school got a grant to provide chromebooks to every student and internet hotspots for those who do not have wifi. With this new technology, every student is now able to complete their assignments easier and complete research and learn, and they are utilized in the classroom as well, like when we do a group review game, or we can all work on a group project together at the same time because we all have computers now. We can also have our teachers give us feedback as we are working on something because they too can be added to our documents.
Two of my schools music classrooms had SMARTboards put in and it has been a tremendous addition. We get to spend much more time learning rather than having to wait for things to be written on a whiteboard. We have all of our warm ups ready to go on the screen and we can even listen to recordings now because previously we only had quiet computer speakers that would make crackling sounds when used but now we have brand new speakers with the board. We can also project the part of music we are working on that day so everyone can see the score and we can zoom in and analyze it as well. It has been beyond helpful to us and we get so much more done because of it.
With the additions of the new technology for students and teachers, my school has begun utilizing classroom communication programs such as Schoology. Schoology has been a massive force in connection within the school. Teachers are able to upload PDFs of our assignments incase we lose ours, they can post updates, reminders, and notifications about upcoming events in our class, and they can even post links to resources for us to use to study, and in my music class my teacher can upload a PDF of our music so we dont have to print so many copies. On top of those examples, the administration is able to send information to everyone in the school through schoology for things such as dances, event information, information about scholarships and much more. It has been a major help in allowing for communication between students and teachers/staff and has really helped me personally with my success as a student.
Within the past year at my school there has been a drastic shift in utilizing technology to benefit students, and it has had many positive impacts. Students are able to get work done easier at home and have resources available to them. Students are able to spend more time learning in the classroom with things readily prepared and available already on the SMARTboard, and more organization and communication between teachers/staff and students has happened with these new additions of technology. Technology has made so many lives easier within my school district and without it many people would be struggling to succeed and I am very thankful that we have been able to get the technology that we have.