Technology in Education...There are Still Some "Holdouts"

As I continue through my Master's Course, I am constantly finding new and innovative ways to streamline instruction, practice, and assessment using technology. For instance, this week, I learned about the term wreading, which is the clear interaction between reading and writing that strengthens each skill. While I learned about this term as is applies to blogging, wreading can be applied to any number of technological applications. Technology, when planned for and implemented in a strong way, can truly impact our students' learning in a positive way. When students respond to what they read in a written format, they are strengthening both skills.

Not everyone agrees with my feelings about technology. In her opinion piece entitled "Technology in classroom harms education" (https://www.redandblack.com/opinion/opinion-technology-in-classrooms-harms-education/article_78752b08-cc05-11e8-9d2e-07c36429c29f.html) Raveena Chaudhari (2018) argues that students using technology during classes creates a disconnect with the material. She points out that studies have shown that students taking notes through technological means do not retain information as much as students handwriting notes. While the studies show that this is a deficit for technology implementation in education, I feel that it is incorrect to  claim that technology does more harm to education than good. When utilized in a planned, concise way, technology has many benefits in an instructional classroom.

I am not alone in my thinking. In their recent article entitled "In higher ed, tech's now a 'must-have,' not a 'nice-to-have'," the educational company Pearson (2010) argues that technology is becoming more and more vital in a classroom setting. Pearson points to results from multiple studies that indicate it is important that education does not ignore the role that technology plays in our students' everyday lives. While Pearson is a company that has motives for making these statements, their assertions are backed with research and data. I agree with their claims; if we ignore technology in our classrooms, we are ignoring a vast number of ways to enrich, intensify, and support our students as they learn.