Technology in its Best Use by Leopoldine

Technology in its Best Use by Leopoldine - January 2020 Scholarship Essay

Technology, in many ways, holds a negative connotation in certain settings and is harshly criticized as being a useless invention of the younger generations. This argument, however, can easily be put to rest in my personal experience. Although I am only nineteen years of age, I have experienced technology in a classroom setting to be extremely efficient in proper informative demonstrations as well as a useful participation tool.
As a college student, general courses are often times very populated and even overcrowded in special circumstances. This makes it difficult for students to hear the professors during lecture, to see the white or black board the the prof is using, or to participate in any way and be heard amongst the large group of students, all trying to listen in on the course material. Technology has in so many ways solved these issues, and it is quite admirable how significant those changes have made both teaching and learning more efficient.
For starters, projectors have greatly helped students in large classes view slides and information easily without squinting, which establishes fairness for all students to succeed equally and receive all information no matter what. In the same way, speakers are another form of technology that have significantly aided students in getting the most out of those big lectures. The small microphones attached to the professor’s shirt are usually not a burden to carry, and the speakers set at the corners of every classroom gives the teachers a chance to both avoid yelling and give a more intimate ambience to the lectures. Another technological component that professors often use to keep every student in check, is the clicker programs that many courses use to count participation. Having the required component of answering questions individually as an ensemble of the class has proven to be, in my personal experience, a very effective way to help students stay interested or at least on top of each subject, without drifting their focus.
These are only a few of the many technological advancements that have very positively influenced my personal college classroom experience. With these small but significant advances, I have been able to incorporate yourself into a large setting full of diverse people and opinions, and still acquire an equal amount of knowledge from the professor as every other student, as well as staying invested in the course work, lectures and participations. Although technology, like cellphones, laptops and tablets are, more often than not, a distraction in a classroom setting, projectors, clickers and speakers help eliminate the need to distract oneself with phones during a lecture.