Technology, Academics, and Competition In Schools by Rebeca

Technology, Academics, and Competition In Schools by Rebeca - August 2018 Scholarship Essay

“We can easily find the answer online.” With technology being the main part of people’s lives, teachers and educators must look beyond the “distraction” part of the new era. Many older students recall having to go to the library to do research projects and homework, but now kids can easily do their homework in the comfort of their homes. The next issue in education is to adapt to the changes in modern society and the schooling that students should be receiving. As education is correlated with the advancement of society, kids must get the chance to take technology as part of their curriculum in schools.
By many school districts adapting to the technological requirements of students, schools are receiving the support needed by using smart boards, laptops, and ELMOs in their classrooms. The same goes for some teachers assigning homework and classwork using online platforms, such as Google classroom, to educate their students. With schools using these programs, the excuse of the dog eating their homework or the teacher misplacing their students’ works are not a problem for them anymore. Even though it makes a deeper problem with no more “free” days that kids would normally have when the electricity goes out or snow days. As a district in South Carolina, students are encouraged to finish their work even with the weather making it difficult to reach the schools. Besides the weather making it harder for students to become educated, kids that live in schools that are too far distance wise or schools that are not the best for the students’ educational needs. Some students in low-income districts may receive the assistance needed when having limited options in their regular classes and may reach a better grasp of the subject when having these online sources. During my grade school experience, my school wasn’t able to afford ELMOs or smart boards until I reached the fourth grade. We would use the old overheads that were very dusty and unreliable and the traditional chalkboards/whiteboards, but once the school was being considerate with the students’ needs they were able to supply each classroom with smart boards, ELMOs, and constructed a computer lab in the new school year. With the new changes, students were taught how to type and become educated about technology in a low-income area. Even though nowadays teachers assign work through the Internet, there are a few students incapable to finish their work and some schools still trying to avoid the use of technology in their classrooms.
Besides students being a bit reckless with technology, schools are still trying to “preserve” and protect their students from the Internet world. With people acknowledging that there is such a thing as cyberbullying and social media threats, students are limited in their academic careers and their potential in the real world. Even though some schools do understand that phones can be used for educating the youth, there are still a few steps must be reached when it comes to education versus pleasures. With schools simply banning any phone use on school property, students should be able to use them to actually distress themselves.
Through a parents’ standards of education versus their kids, the education system seems to become a bit tougher when competing for higher test scores and academic achievements. The students are placed more of a double standard when it comes to being at their grade level, yet it makes it questionable about the Common Core and standardized testing in the school system being equal to everyone. By testing score being the main factor of a teacher’s teaching career, they are forced to teach the Common Core standards to students that are unable to receive assistance from their parents or even in their own schools. There is such a thing as tutoring programs, but there comes to the question of it being restricted to low-income families and the amount of help given to each student. By teachers being blamed for a student’s behavior or incapable to pass the standardized testing, the outcome is seen as a barrier to the future generation.
With technology being the best bet when it comes to a student’s education, the schools must learn how to modify their teaching methods to fit the standards reached by Common Core and their students’ mental health. With technology being a main part of the modern society, students must be given the chance to use tech in the classroom and the teachers being more accepting towards these devices.