The Influence of Technology in the Classroom by Macie

The Influence of Technology in the Classroom by Macie - January 2020 Scholarship Essay

As a high school senior who has taken several college classes, I have observed many changes in the average classroom due to new technology. As a student, I absolutely love using technology to complete and submit assignments, study, take quizzes and tests, communicate with my classmates and teachers, and learn in general. However, I can also understand why some teachers and professors would hate, or even ban the use of technology in the learning environment: because it creates countless distractions.
I have used Quizlet, Blackboard, Google Drive, Youtube, etc. to help further my knowledge and education. Being able to access the entire internet for free anytime and anywhere, we have all the information in the world at our fingertips. This can come in handy and be very useful in education. For example, when I took AP United States History a few years ago, there were several instances in which I used Youtube as a resource to study. I was able to find review videos that discussed the exact information we had learned in class that explained the content in a way I hadn't heard before, which helped me understand it better. However, that was outside of class. I have also witnessed students completely zoning out and ignoring the entire lecture given by a teacher simply because they were playing a video game on their phone. The time and opportunity to learn was completely wasted. They were not being productive or furthering their education at all because they would rather be entertained.
Therefore, after having seen the good and bad sides of using technology in the school system, I would recommend that teachers continue to allow it, just with restrictions. Overall, I believe the good outweighs the bad and that there are more benefits than negative effects. In conclusion, I would suggest that teachers should allow the use of technology inside the classroom for educational purposes ONLY. This means that it can be used for taking notes, studying, tests, communication, etc., but NOT for entertainment, as it can be a huge distraction to the student being entertained and everyone around them.