History and Education

 

Scrolling through Twitter’s #edtechchat, I came across this article which triggers the concerns that revolve around technology in schools.

Check out the article here:

 

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-29-5-risks-posed-by-the-increasing-misuse-of-technology-in-schools?utm_content=bufferf6505&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=EdSurgeBuffer

 

While I was reading the article the five risks of technology in the classroom spurred my reaction to how I believe technology affects education and how it should be understood, rather than simply being a negative attribute to education.

The article poses 5 reasons to why technology poses risks in the classroom, they include:

1. The Threat to Student Privacy
2. The Proliferation of ‘Personalized Learning
3. The Extensive Use of Technology for Assessment.
4. The Cyber Charter School
5. Money in Edtech

Although each risk has its valid points, I would like to take a moment to argue how these risks can be prevented without necessarily removing technology from the classroom or believing that technology is simply no good. That being said, the author does pose interesting arguments and I agree with some of the points expressed.

The Threat to Student Privacy  

Student privacy is extremely important and educators understand this. That being said, student information should, in fact, be very secure within the equipment given to them and it should also be limited. For instance, schools that provide students with laptops or tablets to take home should have limitations and they should be encrypted to protect both school information and student information. By implementing safety features and preventing access to fraudulent or risky sites, the issues of student privacy will be taken care of.

The Proliferation of ‘Personalized Learning

Personalized learning or Competency-based learning is an ever growing way to teach students in the classroom. The method does involve more technology-driven practices but that does not make technology the culprit to how students are learning. This basis of learning is simply going with the flow of how students are learning and assisting them in the path, the fear that students will be almost robotlike is absurd. Teachers are in the journey with the students throughout it all, technology cannot be seen as the main cause of education, it is simply a helper tool.

Quick video for CBL:

The Extensive Use of Technology for Assessment

The use of Technology for assessments has been growing rather rapidly lately. This could be because of the speed of the results or the ability to see the knowledge of a large number of students. That being said the use of standardized tests and technology-based grading does have its benefits. Through these tests, educational organizations can see the status of students and view their understanding of subjects. On the other hand, I agree with the author of the article on technologies used in grading essays. It does not make much sense to grade a variety of words through a computer system, maybe it would be best to leave technology grading to multiple choice answers to fill in the blanks.

The Cyber Charter School

The author of this article does pose an interesting argument about the issues and risks of online charter schools. That being said, the current problems with established online charter schools should not give way to removing this type of education. This type of education fits the schedules and abilities of many students and the deliverance of important subject matter can still be provided in online forms, making the schools just as efficient as normal schools. Although I agree there should be more emphasis on these types of school and more thought put into the students who are placed into them, also their progress in the online school should be monitored on higher levels. Furthermore,  modifications or accommodations should be made to make individual students’ education the best that it can be, the same way it is done in a brick and mortar school.

Money in Edtech

The author speaks about the risk of overspending and falling into the cycle of overbuying electronic items just to let them become obsolete in a just a few years, an issue not typically seen with basic instructional equipment with no expiration date. The author makes a valid point of a downfall with high use of technology in the classroom. Although this is an issue that should be taken up from district to district, some schools understand the issues revolving around obsolete equipment and they purchase equipment accordingly, as to have the most life to each item. I’d advise all school district to do heavy research on a variety of educational tools for their classroom and understanding how the spending will affect both the financial needs of the school and the educational benefits of the students.

Final Thoughts 

Education is ever changing and ever growing field, although there may be downfalls to certain tactics used in the classroom, those negatives may be overpowered by the positives. As educators we must be keen to see the problems and find ways to solve them, although my ideas are one way to solve the issues, there are many other ways as well. Working together is key to create the greatest educational environment for eager learners.

 

Thank you,

 

Joshua Torres

Aspiring Teacher

 

 

Please follow my educational journey on Twitter!!! And follow my future blog post!!

@mrjoshtorres

 

Thank you.