Thoughts on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Technology in the Classroom by Dillon

Thoughts on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Technology in the Classroom by Dillon - January 2020 Scholarship Essay

In my educational experience, technology has been both a blessing in some ways, and a hindrance in others. These experiences have happened over the course of my time in high school and in my college work as well. In my high school years, taking diverse online classes for high school credit was a major factor in how much I enjoyed learning. There were many subjects that I wanted to study but due to lack of selection at my high school, Idaho Arts Charter School, I wouldn’t have been able to study those subjects if it weren’t for the help of online schooling. In this way, technology has enhanced my education by providing me with opportunities to interact with material that I simply would not have had access to otherwise. In an online forensic science class, I was able to solve a crime in a virtual simulator that helped me understand the scientific processes of DNA extraction, ballistics analysis, fingerprinting, and many other forensic practices. Another benefit of the use of technology in my high school classrooms was through access to laptops in every classroom. Because internet access was so readily available, my classmates and I were able to collaborate on papers and projects both in and out of the classroom. Possibly one of the most profound impacts technology had on my high school education was through an opportunity to perform in a unique way with very talented musicians in a band called ELRO (Electric Rock Orchestra). This band consisted of violinists, violists, and cellists, accented with a rhythm section comprised of a lead guitarist, a bass guitarist, a drummer, and a pianist, all ten of whose instruments were electric. My role in the band was to arrange, set up, and troubleshoot the electronic equipment. Being in this band gave me the chance to develop leadership skills among my peers and learn how to be efficient with my time. There were some performances in which I was only given five minutes to set up all of the monitors, amps, speakers, and instruments for the band. These experiences taught how to use time wisely, down to the seconds, a lesson which I have carried with me into my adult life. Because of technological advances in the musical field, I have been forever changed by my time in the Electric Rock Orchestra. During my time in college, my life has also been improved by technology. One of the most important benefits of technology in my college career has been the opportunity to take classes online through my current institution, the College of Western Idaho. Doing so has enabled me to complete my degree sooner than I had anticipated and also work full-time to support my little family of three. I have been able to complete assignments remotely from work on my lunch breaks, write papers on road trips, and even take some tests from the comfort of my own home. I hope that this option continues to be available for me throughout the rest of my college career because it has made life so much easier and so much fuller for me.
While the drawbacks of some technologies are few in my experience, I feel it appropriate to mention them nonetheless. There have been times in my classes, both in high school and in college, where the rhythm of the class is going well, the material is being effectively communicated, and there doesn’t seem to be a single hindrance to the learning. I have found that it is in that moment of security that the system crashes, the video doesn’t play, or the file isn’t found. We have all experienced this and we all know how detrimental it can be to a lesson. All of a sudden, the students are distracted and the whole groove of the learning is thrown off. This costs time to the teacher to regain the attention of the students and get everyone back on track. Another educational impediment that is inherent in the use of technology is manifest in online coursework. There have been many occasions where the work that I do has not been received by the teacher. This happens either by a miscommunication as to where or when an assignment is due or the system simply glitches and the assignment does not show up on the teacher’s end of the platform. In either case, my grade has been affected and if by chance the error is caught, then both the teacher and I have to do more work to get the desired result.
In the end, I would say that my experience with technology has been mostly positive. I feel that my education has been both intensified and diversified by the integration of technology in my classes. I recognize that errors occur and that problems arise, and that these things will always happen. I suggest that teachers and students alike maximize the potential for good that technology has in a classroom and forgive the problems, assuming that we are all trying our best with what we have.