Sean Nguyen 1

Sean Nguyen  

Ms. Terry 

Senior Seminar 

21 November 2018 

SHOULD TECHNOLOGY BE USED IN SCHOOLS  

Technology has been revolutionized in the 21st century; almost every job you could think 

of is related to computers somehow. That's why I believe that Computer Skills should be taught 

alongside other core subjects like math and reading. People of all ages can use computers and 

are not limited when using an infinite library of resources to learn. The internet holds all the 

answers to questions that one might need whether it’s a problem with a house appliance or 

something simple like building a small bird feeder. Although 21st century has revolutionized 

technology many people still struggle to implement computers in their daily life because they 

were never taught how to use one as a kid. This problem is within the elder community, even 

some kids that don't have anyone to teach them how to use computers. Some of these less 

fortunate kids struggle becoming adults with jobs that require computer literacy. Being 

computer literate is a crucial core value in school, work, and life in general and should be taught 

in all schools from elementary to high school.   

 
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Now that the world has become more digitized many schools are starting to fall behind 

in keeping the teaching methods and technology up to par with how the real world works. The 

journey to mastering computers should start at school were young minds go to learn. 

Integration of computers and technology in the classroom could even higher test scores and 

understanding of the material (Lytle, Ryan).   

Higher test scores, more productivity in class and all-digital media library accessible to 

all students at all times are some of the many perks that come from integrating technology. 

Implementing a more technology advanced teaching system has been proven to increase test 

scores. Stacy Roshan, an AP teacher at a private school, changed her traditional textbook 

curriculum to a more online curriculum by recording, editing and posting her lessons on Itunes. 

Lessons would be learned online at home and when the students came to school the next day 

they would go over questions and understanding of the unit. The students using her new online 

curriculum placed a 4.11 AP Calculus score, the year before’s students who used a traditional 

curriculum placed an average of 3.59 AP Calculus score. This increase in scores proved that a 

more technology-based curriculum really helps students study and have a more productive time 

in class. According to a study by CompTIA, 78% of k-12 teachers and administrators believe that 

technology has positively impacted the classroom and the productivity of students. Schools like 

Cushing Academy have even gone to lengths of adding wifi whiteboards in all classrooms and 

creating a digital library with all study and homework materials. The all-digital library gives 

Cushing Academy more money and resources to be able to greatly increase technology utilities 

in the school. (Lytle, Ryan) However not only does the integration of technology affect grades, 

productivity, and accessibility but it also increases motivation and self-esteem in students.   

 
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Throughout the years technology has become more popular in the education 

department. Technology has been proven to help students with not only getting better grades 

but even giving students a creative medium to express feeling and ideas. Technology in the 

classroom has greatly increased motivation, self-esteem, technical skills, communication, 

global awareness, multimedia design, self-direction, and accomplishing more complex tasks. 

Computers have greatly affected the work process for middle school and high school kids, 

giving them more choices for presenting their work and making the learning process more 

enjoyable. 

The teaching method with technology has completely changed the way teachers interact 

with students. There are really 2 main types of teaching methods, traditional and hands on. The 

traditional teaching method is when a teacher is the main source of attention and the students 

just take notes and listen to the information. Hands-on learning is when the teacher becomes 

more of a coordinator for the students, giving them only the basic understanding of the subject. 

The students instead play more of an explorer role. In hands-on learning students communicate 

and help each other understand the subject, they research on the topic to learn more and they 

also help each other learn how to use multimedia to present what they have learned. 

(Grandin,2014) There are some pros and cons to traditional vs hands on, but in reality, the 

modern teaching method has been leaning towards a more interactive method. Using 

technology could be a perfect medium for students to fully grasp and interact with what they are 

learning.   

 
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However, not only is hands-on learning interactive but it also affects students motivation 

and self-esteem positively. Technology can be addicting if you really get the hang of a project or 

idea that you want to accomplish. Everyone has had that one moment where you are so sucked 

into something that they don't stop until it's done. This shows in many kids, they even skip lunch 

and recess to keep working on projects that they really are engaged with. One elementary 

teacher had this to say about the impacts of technology : “​this boy . . . who had major problems 

at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by 

certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He 

stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then 

he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to 

speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and 

literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to 

teach them how to make music​. - Elementary Teacher” (International, SRI.) 

Research was done at an urban charter school with a population of 348 students. This 

study involved 95 high schoolers and explored motivation with technology. One survey question 

asked if they were motivated/unmotivated and how motivated/unmotivated they were.  

The results were pretty clear, more than half the students felt motivated when using technology. 

(Francis,2017) The reason for students being more motivated when using technology is 
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because they get to interact and do things their own way. Not only does freedom of design 

affect the behavior of students but it also opens doors for future career opportunities and 

passions.   

Problem: 

Although many students agree that technology makes a great impact academically, 

schools are not providing the necessary skills for students to succeed in the workforce. On 

September 11th, 2018 the results of a survey were released, this survey asked college and 

university students various questions about their “digital life/skills”. One question asked 

students if “Digital skills are important in my chosen career?” Of the 37,000 students, 70% 

stated computer skills would be used in future jobs. Another question asked If their courses 

prepared them for their chosen career. Only 41% agreed they were getting the digital skills 

necessary to prepare them for the workforce, the rest were neutral or in disagreement. 

(Newman,2018)  

(Newman,2018) 
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These results are sad to see because you would expect college to prepare you for the 

real world but instead, most of them teach skills that will barely be using in the workforce or will 

never be used at all. Colleges and Universities could fix this by implementing more real-world 

examples and problems in subjects and materials using technology. Students also should be 

taught at least the basics for programs that are used specifically in the career they choose.   

There are many people that claim that technology in schools negatively impacts 

students. Of course, with any good thing there's going to a be a bad thing, but with technology in 

school I believe there are more positives than negatives. Technology is not something that will 

replace teachers, instead it's a tool to help teachers prepare kids for the 21st century. You can't 

just throw computers at students and expect them to become smarter.  

The first claim is that technology is creating antisocial addicts. Articles all over the 

internet claim that technology negatively impacts the social skills of kids and teenagers. There 

was a study done by UCLA that found sixth-graders who went five days without exposure to 

technology were significantly better at reading human emotions than kids who had regular 

access to phones, televisions, and computers. In the experiment, the kids were shown 50 faces 

and needed to determine the emotions of the faces. (Uhls,2014)Although the study seems very 

convincing there are many holes in which the study did not cover. My counter-argument is that 

they compared kids that went to a regular school to kids that went to a nature camp. Regular 

schools don't go the length needed to integrate social skills, it is obvious that the kids in the 

nature camp are going to have more experience with facial expressions and emotions when 

they are doing all sorts of social activities. These are the activities done at Pali Institute:  

 
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The activities for the control group ( non-media restricted) were just basic math reading history 

etc. I believe this study only proves that schools need to integrate more social activities. It's not 

the technology, it's the school's fault for having non-interactive classes. If anything technology 

could help kids communicate more and help each other like they helped each other in the nature 

camp.   

 
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Another claim is that students look for quick answers and technology helps them do 

exactly that without the need for digging for more information or resources. “Quick access to 

information can lead to a lack of critical thinking about sources and quality of information, as 

well as an inability to mine for data.” (Porter, 2013) I don't see the problem with students being 

able to access information quickly easily and FREE. The whole point of evolution is to make life 

easier, not harder. In regards to “inability to mine for data” the same can be said for books. You 

could read the introduction to a book and sort of understand what it's about. If someone is really 

interested and engaged with a subject then they would continue to read the book. In technology 

not only is it faster to get your hands on information but you can compare different sources 

almost immediately.   

Technology causes lost learning time. “ If the teacher and students are not experienced 

with technology in the classroom, valuable time is often wasted on technical troubles.” (Klaus, 

2018) This claim is somewhat true. I have been in plenty of morning classes were the teacher 

was having some sort of computer problem and we lost some learning time but the problem 

could have been easily fixed if the teacher was more computer literate. My counterclaim is that 

schools should TEACH how to use computers and how to troubleshoot simple problems. Why 

can't teachers learn too? “In addition, the teacher faces the difficulty of having a class full of 

students who are all at different skill levels.” (Klaus, 2018) This statement could also be said for 

other core skills like math and reading. If teachers and students are going to use technology 

alongside other subjects then students should also have solid computer classes that teach 

them all the basics of computers and troubleshooting.  

 
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As you can see computers and technology, in general, are not replacements for teachers 

but they are a great tool used to prepare kids and teens for the future. Technology is the future 

in not only education standards but how we live life. Although there are some problems with 

current implementations with technology that cause students to be distracted it all can be fixed 

with better teaching methods. Without tech in school students will have a very hard time in the 

workforce were computers are being used at every corner.  

 
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Work Cited: 

Newman, Tabetha, et al. “Digital Experience Insights Survey 2018: Findings from 

Students in UK Further and Higher Education.” ​Jisc.ac.uk​, 11 Sept. 2018, 

repository.jisc.ac.uk/6967/1/Digital_experience_insights_survey_2018.pdf. 

Francis, James, "The Effects Of Technology On Student Motivation And Engagement In 

Classroom-Based Learning" (2017). All Theses And Dissertations. 121. 

http://dune.une.edu/theses/121 

Grandin, Temple. “The Importance of Hands-On Learning.” T

​ he Huffington Post​, 

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Jan. 2014, 

www.huffingtonpost.com/temple-grandin/the-importance-of-handson_b_4086423.html​. 

Lytle, Ryan. “Study: Emerging Technology Has Positive Impact in Classroom.” ​U.S. News 

& World Report​, U.S. News & World Report, 

www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2011/07/14/study-emerging-technology-ha

s-positive-impact-in-classroom​. 

Porter, Alfonzo. “The Problem with Technology in Schools.” T

​ he Washington Post​, WP 

Company, 28 Jan. 2013, 

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/the-problem-with-technology-in-schools/2013

/01/28/cf13dc6c-6963-11e2-ada3-d86a4806d5ee_blog.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.c53fba

e37936​. 

 
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Uhls, Yalda. e
​ t al.​ “Five Days at Outdoor Education Camp without Screens Improves 

Preteen Skills with Nonverbal Emotion Cues.” S

​ cience Direct​, Elsevier/UCLA, 15 Aug. 2014, 

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563214003227#ab005​. 

Klaus, Julia. “Negative Effects of Using Technology in Today's Classroom.” S

​ ynonym​, 25 

June 2018, 

www.classroom.synonym.com/negative-effects-using-technology-todays-classroom-4130.html​.