BTA3O – Technology Forum Discussion #2

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TOPIC:
Is having more  technology in schools and classrooms good for students and learning? Explain your thoughts.

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33 thoughts on “BTA3O – Technology Forum Discussion #2

  1. i think that more technology in class rooms is good for students and learning but can also be very distracting. With more technology students can easily search something up on the internet that they don’t understand, but it also can be very distracting and some student wont get stuff done because they would rather be on other fun websites and stuff.

  2. Yes i think more technology in school classrooms is good for students and learning because it is faster to use a phone or a computer to search something than reading through books

    1. Speed is sometimes important. That’s a good point. Your response is a bit short, though. What else can you say about how technology is good in schools?

  3. I think that more technology in the school does not help students learn. I believe that the technology in the school causes more problems than it does help. For instance, a lot of teachers print out their power points or notes and give them out to the students and because out that, a lot of students do not even look at the papers, or study them. A lot of the time students won’t even remember what is in the power point and/or note because they didn’t write it out.

    I prefer to write things out, because it helps me remember and it helps me learn a lot better.

    These are just my thoughts.

    1. That’s a good point. I know from feedback that unless I push it, students rarely use my website, even though I see benefits of it in class. And you’re right – if students don’t write stuff down and continue taking notes, PowerPoints, etc. become useless. I try and get people to take notes, but it’s like pulling teeth.

      I’m glad you are still able to do that, though! Good for you!

  4. I think that more technology in our classes would be a great idea. Today we have so much technology and since everybody is always around the technology why not put it in our class rooms. This would also be a a good idea since this would help kids with different learning abilities. I think many people don’t get a lot out of reading text books so if they are reading off the internet or able to have visual things in front of them it helps with learning.

    1. Dustin is a tech-connected machine. That’s cool. You’re right – we are around technology a lot, so I think it’s important that we learn how to use it effectively and responsibly in school. For example, students should know the dangers of posting things like pictures online. I also like how you touched on tech helping students with different abilities. Very good thoughts, sir!

  5. I think having technology in schools and classrooms is a good idea.
    I think it is a good idea because students well have more access to information for projects, school work, etc. It is also alot faster to search something up then to have to go look through books for the information that you need.

    1. Having more information is a good point, Emma. And you’re right – it’s faster, too. We have the library and books – and they can be good – but often it’s so much easier to use your phone! Thanks for the thoughts.

  6. I think that using technology in class has its pros and cons. The pros are that we can get information faster using the internet, the con is that the internet isn’t that reliable some of the time. Another example is having kids type out notes and essays, it is faster, neater, and there are less spelling and grammar errors. The con is that kids don’t learn to spell and use better vocabulary, just like we talked about in class today. Having kids use their cell phones in class helps kids become more interested in class, but the con is how some kids would abuse this and text in class. Having technology in class makes kids more interested and makes it easier to learn because most kids are used to using technology at home, but what about those less fortunate who don’t have a cell phone or good computer at home? These kids won’t be able to participate.

    Overall definitely having technology in class would be great because it would be teaching the way that students learn. Students enjoy technology and I think we should do our best to include it in the classrooms.

    1. I agree – there are many pros and cons – but I think that there are far more pros than cons. I like that you identified how students improve their daily lessons through technology and your examples are spot-on.
      It’s tough to balance the need for students to use technology with preventing students from abusing technology, (I write this as I look around at people who aren’t doing any computer work but are texting like crazy), so the battle continues!

  7. Personally I think that technology is a massive benefit towards helping children learn in a class room. A perfect example for this is the invention of the smart board, when I was in Merritt’s class we took notes from a projector all year or even from a chalkboard, and if we wanted to look something up it was all in our text book, but in other classes we had smart boards, which made the note taking process much easier, also our teacher could print the notes off for us instead and if we needed to research something that the entire class was stumped about, it was all there. Another benefit to technology in a classroom is that it can save on so much space and time in a school, for example imagine if the entire schools library was on an external drive, and nobody had to take out books but instead we could download them or even view them on computers in class, or on a technological piece such as an e-reader. Technology is obviously helping students learn in a class room in an easier and quicker fashion.

    1. I like that the Smartboard allows us the ability to easily print off notes when students are away – something not possible using a projector – or certainly not as easy. I never thought about space before – and that’s very true.

    2. I would love to have my text books on my Kobo! It would help keep my locker cleaner and I won’t have to carry around as many books. I could keep all of my books in my purse. It would also help Fran because she wouldn’t have to worry about kids not bringing their text books back at the end of the year.

  8. i find that having more technology in school is good for students it makes it easier for kids to research topics for projects and there are some good learning aids for children

  9. I think more technology in schools would be good. Everybody is already using technology for everything basically so why not bring more of it into the schools and classrooms. People are always on their phones anyway so why not get them to search up things online instead of reading through books.

    1. Good point, Sean. We definitely use technology for almost everything – so why not in schools? And I agree – rather than try to ban things like phones maybe we could try using them to help us learn. Good points!

  10. yes i think that it is a good idea to have more technology in the class rooms cause its opens up opportunities for the younger generation to get them more familiar with the new technology thats coming up for generations to come .

    1. That’s a really good point. It made me think of how in school, you have to learn and prepare for work after you graduate. If employers expect you to know how to use technology then it becomes our job as teachers to show you this stuff.

  11. Yes, I do think that technology in schools is good because it help us learn. I feel that life is starting to be on the internet. this is because we feel that the internet is one of the best resources. another reason why it is good is because that is most of what we know now a days.

  12. No, I don’t think it’s good for students to have more technology in schools or classrooms because its not a good for our learning skills. We need to learn by visualizing with the teachers. Also I think technology Isn’t very good for brains.

    1. I like that you are showing the other side of technology in your reply. I think I learn better if I write things down the old-fashioned way. I do like technology and I think it opens up many new doors but in a way, I also think that it might turn our brains to mush. Good way of putting it.

  13. I think it is but then again I don’t think it is. I think it is because you can learn a lot of cool things from technology. I don’t think it is because a lot of people would just use technology to just on facebook and twitter.

    1. I think things like Facebook and Twitter have their place in school, though. Like I said to others in this thread I think our job in school is to teach you how to use things appropriately and responsibly, because those will be expectations when you get a job. Banning them does nothing for anybody!

  14. As technology advances, many contributions become a part of daily life. Computers, smartphones, and devices now consume humanity. With the rapid growth of technological aspects of life, such devices are added into domicile, recreational, commercial, and more importantly, institutional locations. Along with the exponentially increasing technological advances, intelligence is also rapidly growing. As the generations come and go, human intelligence is growing and furthering. Because we (the students) are of the most recent generation, the level of smart increases with the level of technology; more so than ever before. For the first time in history, computers are a crucial part in schools. Things like iPads, laptops, and Smart Boards are being integrated into daily student life. The touch question is-is this decision good or bad?

    Personally, I believe that it is a beneficial component of learning. Because of the learning capacity placed in the minds of students, most of us must take notes in order to most efficiently study for a final exam or test. Computers will better help this, though. Because of binders and pens, students have been able to record their lessons in a binder chocked full of paper. Writing in class, using specific muscles and a pen prevents much motion and fast writing. This said, because of the innovative keyboard, typing fast is possible. Although some may be slow, many have much speed when typing, contrary to the typical, traditional way of writing. On top of this fact, it is much easier to keep track of and transfer files. This way, if a student is away they do not have to go to great lengths in order to copy the note, they must simply complete a transfer that merely takes seconds to conduct. On top of this, technology makes it easy to research. Because of the organized internet, Google and other search engines are comprised of much more information than any library in existence. Finally, it gives a great chance for teacher and student to interact. A few years ago teachers were only able to speak through classrooms and learning (after school also). With computers and laptops, it is possible to communicate through email, twitter, and media alike.

    On the opposite side of the spectrum, it is also a bad thing to have such technology. With advancing objects and features, there are also many bad aspects about it. For one example, the internet is a very open place for many different subjects; good and bad. While there is room for much intelligence and work, there is also such space for things such as violence and pornography. Many would agree that these things should not expose children and students, especially under age 18. On top of this, it is easy to steal others’ work. Because of the easy nature of plagiarism, the internet allows for easy access to copy answers and refrain from learning.

    Because of these many facts that I have taken into consideration, I believe that the side I would choose is the positive one. Because of the many aspects that aid with technology and learning, it is a very good thing to use technology in institutions. If not, students of this generation or the next might fall behind and be lost in the advance!I believe that in the future we will all advance together. But that is a matter not up to me, for I do not wish to be a part of elementary and secondary school again. It’s a good thing that University is so open; I am able to decide on the technology I choose for my future learning environment.

    1. Wow. That is pretty impressive responding, Ryan. I definitely agree with all of the pros you’ve identified in defence of technology in the classroom. I agree: it is all about building student success and abilities, which is the ideal way technology is used in schools, (rather than as a time-filler, a replacement of something traditional, or simply as “fun”). In my case, I like the ability to use technology as a means to build curiosity. Activities like the computer tear-down, or even HTML programming allows students to go off on their own and figure stuff out.
      You’re also right in the fact that the Internet can be a sketchy and dangerous place. However, I think that as a school, it is important to prepare students for how to navigate those potential dark alleys so that when you’re out of here, you have some e-direction.
      This is a great example of a response that goes above-and-beyond the expectations and criteria outlined up above. Thanks for making me think!

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