Technology helping or hindering education?

The role technology plays in a college-level classroom.

By Sarah Penn

GLASSBORO – Technology is rapidly changing and being integrated into college students learning, but it’s possible that it isn’t always helping, and instead, preventing them from effectively learning in the classroom.

Student’s today carry multiple portals of technology that can do an immense amount of things.  Cell phones, laptops, e-readers, the list goes on and on.  These forms of technology can complete almost anything.  Applications provide users with easier ways to go about their daily lives and keeps them more connected than ever before.   

Social media sites are right at a person’s fingertips, keeping him or her connected to the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  The iPhone provides apps that help with finances, including banking apps and an AT&T app, in which a person can pay their bill or change their plan. 

During the Public Relations Planning course at Rowan University, clients piled in the room to meet the students who would provide them with a plan for their business by the end of the semester.  One of the clients walked in, briskly walked towards the front of the room then suddenly stopped and pointed out something odd to his partner. 

 “Hm, classrooms look different today, I used to use a notebook to take my notes!” said Peter Eschbach, Communications Director at New Jersey American Water.

Eschbach noticed laptops flooding the room, replacing notebooks for the students’ note taking.  However, students aren’t only using these devices for school-related work.  Sitting in the back of the room and glancing over computer screens reveals that the students find “better” ways to occupy themselves during class. 

Most screens displayed social media sites.  A few others played games and the rest were rushing to finish work due that class period.  This observation revealed that the multiple forms of technology aren’t always being used as educational tools, but instead a distraction to the students.  Not only were they using laptops, but also responding to text messages on their cell phones.

Many adults who weren’t graced with so many forms of technology believe it hinders the students learning by distracting them from their actual work.  Professor David Hackney, an adjunct professor at the university does not allow any form of technology, even laptops, in his classroom. 

“If I could be certain that students would use laptops strictly for class, I would have no problem,” said Hackney.  “However, after seeing students on Facebook, shopping for shoes, and generally wasting time during class, I decided to ban them.  Before I did this I even had a student post on Twitter that the class was boring. She forgot her tweets showed up on my feed.  Not bright.”

 Other professors believe that the ease of technology makes students lazy.  After surveying professors at Rowan, many revealed that they believe autocorrect, such as spell-check, don’t help students.  They rely on that to fix the errors in their writing, rather than learn the grammar and fix it themselves.

An article from Machines Like Us detailing research by Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA professor of psychology states that as technology becomes more prominent in our lives, our critical thinking and analytical skills are weakening. 

Rowan student, Sean Moroney, admitted that he uses technology to “make the time pass” during class.  He noted that the way he learns best doesn’t get accomplished in class so he feels he doesn’t benefit from fully paying attention.

“I bring my iPad to class to either play games or work on things for other classes.  I learn much better by reviewing the notes and reading the book on my own; sometimes teachers go too quick, so even if I did fully pay attention it wouldn’t make a difference,” said Moroney.

When asked if he believed he truly knew what was going on in class although he was playing games, he said yes.  He listened while playing in order to be able to participate when the time came.

However, other students believe they can’t multi-task as Moroney says he can.  Kyle Woodward, a Rowan alumnus, said he always had to pay attention during classes. 

“If I didn’t pay attention and try to go back, most of the time I’d have questions about certain things,” said Woodward.  “I found myself confused about things at test time.  I realized it’s easier just to pay attention for that hour, there’s plenty of other times to be playing games.”

A document by The Education Arcade, “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them” introduces ideas for teachers to add the right amount of new technology to the classroom.   It states that similar to the introduction of technologies from the past, like the television, teachers need to learn how to incorporate the right amount of these new technologies to the classroom.  Television was new at one point and not everything on TV would benefit in the classroom. 

“The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them” discusses how social media can help connect students to anyone on the globe in an increasing age of globalization. 

Another article from Educause Quarterly provides instructors with ten questions to ask themselves about the technology at hand.  If the teacher can answer them in a way where it would be appropriate to include technology in the classroom for better learning, then it belongs there.

A thesis paper by a graduate student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Teaching writes, “as individuals, lecturers or learners, we bring with us different epistemological approaches that stem from our past unique learning experiences and educational value systems…therefore, we could have different yardsticks, or perspectives, on what is considered to be effective to these perspectives.”

Wall Street Journal columnist, Walt Mossberg, stated, “it depends on the teacher and student” whether the iPad or any form of technology will have a positive or negative effect in the classroom.”

Instructors need to find a medium in the classroom.  Students and instructors should compromise on the amount of technology that they can integrate into their learning.