The integration of new technologies in the classroom is not a new phenomenon. From the introduction of television and radio to the digital age when computers were put in every school, the education industry has needed to evolve with the transformation of the rest of the world. With the global Covid-19 pandemic, digital transformation in education accelerated out of necessity rather than desire, and there is no going back. The question is: is this a good thing?
Children are now improving their digital literacy at a very young age which prepares them for the digital world they will enter as they get older. Using technology for educational purposes can be exciting for children and make them engage with the content more, as well as understand it in a way they may not have in a traditional setting. This familiarity with technology also encourages students to learn about topics they are personally interested in outside of school and develop skills at a young age that will propel them into a successful career.
On the other hand, children are now required to begin learning how to use a computer at school in Kindergarten, and will continuously need to access the internet practically every day throughout the rest of their academic career. This is creating a familiarity with devices both at school and home that is causing children and pre-teens to become addicted to the internet. Children are becoming less attentive and less social at school which is already leading to noticeable behavioral issues and an increase in mental illness.
Asking a Primary Source
I decided to talk to my parents about some first-hand accounts of the effects of technology in education. My mom is an elementary school counselor in Gwinnett county and my dad is a middle school counselor in Gwinnett county as well. According to my mom, every student has their own Chromebook that they are assigned and able to use in class as well as take home to work on assignments. Gone are the days of walking as a class to the computer lab and learning how to use a Word Doc. Nearly all assignments, tests, quizzes, and writing are done online. My dad mentioned that a benefit of digitizing education is that now, students can read instructions, lesson outlines, and watch preparation videos at home, so teachers can use more class time for engaging activities like games, activities, and small group discussions. Teachers are able to provide more resources to students to deepen their understanding of concepts and appeal to the learning styles of each individual student. My parents also mentioned that the ability to attend school online has created an opportunity for students who were previously struggling in a regular school environment to continue the education they deserve in an environment suitable for them. In my mom’s elementary school alone, there were at least 50 kids who did not return to fully in-person classes after the pandemic who now participate in a hybrid school schedule. This shows that the digital transformation to online learning in education has proven to be preferable to some children than traditional learning.
While there are exceptional positives to the use of new technologies in education if used correctly, my parents also had great points as to how the constant use of technology at school and home is affecting kids in noticeable, negative ways. When students first came back to school in person after the pandemic, my mom remembers noticing that many students, especially the younger ones in kindergarten through second grade, did not know how to act around other people and were extremely uncomfortable in a public setting. While this observation was probably greatly due to the extreme isolation forced on people from Covid, both of my parents continue to see similar effects to this day. Kids are becoming increasingly unable to build natural, face-to-face relationships with their teachers and peers due to their comfort with communicating online. In middle school, my dad has noticed that the behavior of the students has gotten progressively worse over the last decade because kids are much less attentive and unable to focus on one thing for an extended period of time. It is proven that internet addiction has a negative effect on people in general, especially children and pre-teens. According to The Children’s Bureau, 20% of children aged 13-18 will experience mental illness before adulthood, 11% being mood disorders, 10% being behavior and conduct disorders, and 8% being anxiety disorders. While not all mental illness stems from technology use, the consistent and premature exposure to it that children experience nowadays has been linked to an increase in mental health issues.
The Bottom Line
One thing we do know is that computers in the classroom are not going away and neither is online schooling. This digital transformation of technology in the classroom has made communication between teachers and students so much easier as well as inspired a new wave of creativity for educators. It has catered to the needs of students with learning styles or impairments that make coming to school difficult. Kids are incredibly tech-savvy and have the ability to expand their personal knowledge and skills. And a bonus is that we are saving some trees by limiting the amount of paper used. I think it is important that children learn computer skills and are taught digital literacy since they need to be skilled in those areas as they grow up and technology advances. When used for the right purposes, this transformation is appreciable. However, requiring children to use the internet at school and at home on a daily basis is encouraging a generational addiction to the digital world that is becoming increasingly noticeable, yet the long-term effects are frankly unknown.
Hi Mary-Taylor! This is such an interesting blog post! I agree with the points you made in this topic. I strongly believe that technology in the classroom has made it easier for both students and teachers to communicate. For example, I know when Covid hit, everything went online, and in-person classes were canceled. However, with the help of technology, communicating between professors and students using technology felt like an “in-person” experience. In addition to this, I do agree that online schooling using technology helps kids that have trouble learning in an in-person class-based environment.
Hey MaryTaylor, this was an interesting post to read. When COVID hit my sisters were very stressed about their kids getting the right education they needed. I know that as a parent they had the same worries about whether their kids were going to get the peer-to-peer interaction they needed to feel comfortable in public. Making kids have technology at school that they have to bring home daily to use may get them into a bad habit, but I also think how the technology is being used has a bigger impact. Social media apps where there is constant scrolling with serotonin release in my opinion what is causing the behavior issues more than just the technology itself.
Oh, the days of walking to the computer lab! Those were the best days, and I wish that all kids could have our same learning experience growing up. Maybe I just want that because I’m biased? We must remember that forms of education have constantly evolved (ours weren’t like our parents at all), but questioning if the new way is definitely important. Both education in the classroom and learning social skills are such a vital period of childhood. It can shape a child’s life for the better, but hopefully not worse…
Hey Mary Taylor, such a good post considering the school environment we are in currently. I know during covid there was a large learning disparity for kids and students who don’t have easy access to technology or even own a laptop. I believe that it does take away the learning experience for kids as I remember when I was in elementary school, we would route tables to learn different styles of math and it was fun experience. Now in days children just learn from online school programs to do math and reading tasks. Although I kinda of disagree with the heavy reliance of digital innovation in education, I believe it has done some good and made things much easier for students to learn and catch up on materials.
Hi Mary-Taylor, I think you did really well here weighing both sides of this debate. Having both of your parents on the front lines gives you a deeper understanding of how the education system is being affected by technology, and it’s crazy to me how every student has their own Chromebook at such a young age. My mom is a media center tech specialist at a middle school in Cobb county, and most of what I hear from her experiences with students is concerning. After all, what do you expect when you give kids 24/7 access to the internet? They are also surprisingly tech-savvy these days and that seems like a great thing. Nice post!
Hi Mary-Taylor, I thought this post did a great job of breaking down the pros and cons of digital transformation in education. Reading this made me reminisce on the old days in elementary school going to the computer lab. I personally think the vast amount of access and ways to learn outweighs the negative aspects of being addicted to the internet. It does make me think about how important sports and clubs are as a kid to develop those communication and social skills that are lacking with classwork becoming digital.
Hi Mary-Taylor!! This was an interesting read- especially since I was discussing this topic today with a friend. We mentioned how our younger siblings or cousins are all “I-pad kids”, and how they can barely do anything social without the use of a phone or tablet. On one hand, it is great that kids are learning such high-tech skills and capabilities, but as you parents said, their lack of communication and other pertinent social skills is frightening. It has me wondering how the next generation will behave with one another.
Hey Mary-Taylor! Great post and love the primary source being your parents. I think the biggest takeaway is that children attention spans are being hurt drastically. I don’t know about everyone else but I see it all the time on Tiktok. We’ve got movies or a tv show playing with subway surfers playing on one corner and someone cutting up kinetic sand in the other corner. We can’t focus on one thing for the longest time. Now imagine the difficulty of a teacher having the attention of students for more than an hour. Kids are incredibly tech-savvy now and honestly thankful for that. My little sister can be one stuck with helping my mom figure out the iPhone.
Hey Mary-Taylor, I really enjoyed reading your post! I agree with the use of technology in the classroom, has made it much easier for students and teachers to communicate. With the rise of AI in the classroom I see both positive and negative attributes this could be bring to the world of education. Using AI in the classroom could help many students understand a concept better than maybe a teacher could explain to them. For example, with the use of chat GPT you can ask it to explain any concept. Not only is it able to give examples and details, but by telling Chat GPT to explain the same concept to you as if you were in elementary school it is able to do so. However, the implications of cheating arise, and could be used negatively in the classroom. I’m excited to see how this transforms when I have kids one day going through the school system. I enjoyed reading!
HI MT!! This is a great post! It does well to explain how technology in the classroom has made communication so much easier. What stood out to me the most was how you explained that internet addiction has been proven to negatively affect people in general, especially children and pre-teens. These children can experience mental illness before adulthood and have different disorders too. I wouldn’t think that the internet would have such a profound effect on young kids, but since the internet is still such a new thing, we need more time to see all the effects it has on children, and even adults.
What a great post. I’m particularly thrilled that you talked to your parents about their experience. I think tech is a double-edged sword in the classroom – helping in some uses and hurting in others. It’s up to us educators to try to figure out which is which! I actually bet COVID will hurt tech in education more than help, because many schools were forced to use it in unhelpful ways.