Everyday lives have been affected by computers big-time. You can find them in your pocket, backpack, and now even in your kitchen or bathroom. The most effective place they are being used a lot more and becoming much more common, is in the classroom. Everything used to be pencil and paper, now it’s almost only online. They can be used as a great study tool, give different methods of teaching, and so many other positive ways they can be used.
Some people prefer paper over computers, and do not like how quickly a computer can get aggravating, but more times than not, online is going to easier and faster than by hand. Studying online is a great tool to help students because there are endless ways to use the internet. Such as YouTube, there’s most likely a video on what you’re trying to figure out, or what you’re struggling with. Getting someone else’s opinion, could work wonders on how you learn, it could be as simple as hearing the material being worded differently to make it easier to understand. For example, seeing a math problem worked out through a video, a different method than what a professor uses. Another option for visual learners instead of auditory learners, is the million different websites or powerpoints or whatever it may be, that you can look up to get research on and read about. Students need computers for researching material. Libraries can be very time-consuming, an inconvenience for some, and not every student has easy access to them. Now you can have books, audiobooks, and much more from home. By having a laptop or computer at home, it will open up your schedule to doing other things besides trying to rush to the library before it closes or staying late after class to study. For instance, a full-time job is possible with a flexible study schedule, also opening more time for hobbies. The Internet is the most convenient and efficient way to search for information. Asking for assistance from teachers and classmates through email is very effective and available at the push of the send button.
Everyone has had a case of “my dog ate my homework” or just simply lost it or were too lazy to do the assignment. Turning things in online is by far the most popular way to do assignments now-a-days. It is easier on teachers and in most cases to keep up with things and eliminates losing papers or having a million papers to keep up with. Students no longer have to worry about keeping up with assignments in their backpacks. An average college/high school student’s backpack full of textbooks, binders and everything needed for class can weigh a ton. Carrying a laptop gets rid of all of that and makes organization so much easier through files or a flash drive instant feedback is given. Teachers can make corrections on papers without the hassle of ruining a piece of paper by writing all over it. Instead they can type in the margins without making the paper look like it was written in red pen. Note taking can be stressful and the pace can be overwhelming to try and keep up especially at the college level. Usually this results in students jotting down a lot in terrible handwriting, to where they can’t even read. Most professors will have the notes online, so students can go back later and get a better understanding of what they tried to scribble down in class. Another way computers help teachers is recording grades, calculating grade averages and keeping track of students by calling role and tracking it online. Teachers use computers to make presentations for the class
To every advantage there is a disadvantage, however, it looks like the advantages of technology outweigh the disadvantages of computers being used in the classroom. Some people feel as that computers are distracting to students trying to study. They feel instead of researching with computers, they are actually spending more time playing games or chatting with a friend or watching videos online. These problems can be fixed by setting restrictions on computers, such as blocking internet access to some websites and allow access to only educational websites. Other people who grew up before technology was used so much or at all feel like computers are killing the classroom feeling and making things too easy on kids to learn, but that’s the point of computers or technology as a whole to make our daily lives, education, and research better.
Next, technology has opened different opportunities for communication and collaboration. Normally, classrooms have been isolated, and collaboration has been limited to students in the same classroom or school/campus. Now, technology allows forms of communication and collaboration impossible in the past. Students can communicate the things they are learning with people in different states who are learning the same type of thing. Students can work as a team on group assignments using technology-based tools. The classroom is not a barrier anymore as technology enables new ways of learning, communicating, and working together on group projects.
In conclusion, computers advance the way we study, they make education easier and faster. Individuals can easily find information with just a touch of a button. Students can be released to different sources which show us different ways to understand a certain topic, equation or idea. Computers have helped the education world in general in a lot of different ways.
Works Cited
- Wood, Justin. “The Advantages of Using Computers for Students.” Synonym, 4 Apr. 2017, classroom.synonym.com/advantages-using-computers-students-7248098.html.
- S, Kwesi. “The Influence of Computers in Education.” Ashland Tech, 2015, ashlandtech.org/2015/10/23/the-influence-of-computers-in-education/
- “Technology Is Transforming What Happens When a Child Goes to School.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 22 July 2017,
- “How Has Technology Changed Education?” Purdue University Online, 25 Apr. 2017, online.purdue.edu/ldt/learning-design-technology/resources/how-has-technology-changed-education.
