Rebecca Williams The Impact of Non-Educational Technology on Education On any given day, children are faced with an overwhelming

amount of technology. While some technology is designed to be used for educational purposes in the classroom, students also have access to non-educational technology. From computers to cell phones to iPods to video games in all forms, the technological possibilities are endless. Though not every child will necessarily use each piece of technology, it can be assumed that children will interact with at least one form every day, if not more. This is a relatively novel phenomenon that previous generations did not have to deal with since new technology is being invented and sold each day. With this massive surge of technology use, many studies have been done recently to discover how this is impacting students. The issue with this wave of non-educational technology use is what impact it is having on education, achievement, and learning,. One key concept to understanding this issue further is what has become popularly known as the digital divide. It is a common term that will surface throughout studies and research which signifies the gap between people with access to technology and those with limited or no access to technology. Within the context of this issue, that term is an important point to consider when reflecting on the impact non-educational technology can have on students, or people in general. It is also necessary to note that this is a relatively new issue. Even one generation previous, this topic was not relevant. Technology of all kinds has developed very quickly over the last decade especially, making all sorts of gadgets available to people that previously may not have been able to afford them. The age that students are being exposed to these recreational and educational technologies is getting consistently younger. People are now being forced to wonder what affect this new wave of technology is having on students academically and behaviorally.

Several major educational research groups have done studies on this broad topic, comparing various groups such as home-computer users to non-home-computer users of children. Once sorted into groups, students take their state exams, and those results become a relevant measure of how the two groups compare academically (ODwyer, L., et al., 2005). The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment included a large articles which examined the relationship between computer use at home and school in relation to English/language arts test scores (2005). The researchers performed an in depth study designed around questions like How often do you use your home computer to play games? or Who often do you use your home computer to search the Internet for fun? Based on students answered questions like those, in addition to many others, the researchers came to a conclusion about the correlation between home computer usage and test scores. ODwyer, L., et al concluded that these analyses provide evidence that students who spend more time recreating with a computer at home perform worse than expected (based on prior achievement) on the reading and literature portion of the MCAS (2005). It is interesting to note that this is not concrete data since it was contained to only one region of Massachusetts, not a large cross section of the United States. These results could be a consequence of many factors, but home computer usage certainly does contribute. ODwyer, L., et al. also added that contributing to this relationship could be the notion that students spend more time playing with a computer and less time reading at home (2005). Following from those conclusions and explanations, another study conducted found similar results. Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement was the title of the article done by Vigdor and Ladd in 2010 which also related the use of home computers by students to their achievement in school. This article presented more than one side of the issue, explaining that there can be both positives and negatives to student

computer use at home, though they primarily focused on the negative aspects (Vigdor & Ladd, 2010). Saying that computers can also be used for a host of nonproductive activities became the primary focus of the article. Adolescents have difficulty managing their time effectively, especially when presented with a choice between less desirable activities like school work or surfing the Internet for fun (Vidgor & Ladd, 2010). The results of the study they performed showed a variety of results. For example, The acrossstudent models show that students with access to home computers tend to score about 2% of a standard deviation higher on both reading and math test scores, conditional on a range of covariates (Vidgor & Ladd, 2010). That model had a very specific subject group of children who had grown up having a computer prior to fifth grade. That could be explained by the novelty effect wearing off as students become used to having a computer with internet access in the home. Those students generally will waste less time surfing the net or being distracted from school work because they have learned how to manage their time more effectively. A different result the study found was. Students who obtain access to a home computer sometime between 5th and 8th grade tend to score between 1% and 1.3% of a standard deviation lower on their subsequent math and reading tests (Vidgor & Ladd, 2010). This could be explained with students experiencing a novelty effect and wanting to spend time playing on the computer or learning its functions for fun. Those students will consequently spend less time studying or doing school work, hence the lower test scores (Vidgor & Ladd, 2010). Yet another perspective about non-education technology arises when thinking about it from the communication and writing aspects. An article entitled Writing, Technology and Teens by Lenhart et al. in 2008 discussed this issue in detail. Teenagers spend a great deal of time writing and communicating, whether formal or informal. In fact, 93% of teens say they write

for their own pleasure (Lenhart et al., 2008). So much time is spent using the non-educational technology of a cell phone. Text messaging and instant messaging rates are at an all time high thanks to less expensive cell phones and social networking cites with easy access. A question to ask about this communication is what it is doing to students. A considerable number of educators and childrens advocates worry that James Billington, the Librarian of Congress, was right when he recently suggested that young Americans electronic communication might be damaging the basic unit of human thought the sentence (Lenhart et al., 2008). Though students are writing very often, the quality of it is becoming less important thanks to lax punctuation and grammar and acronym shortcuts (Lenhart et al., 2008). The study these researchers conducted found that 85% of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites; Yet 60% of teens do not think of these electronic texts as writing, (Lenhart et al., 2008). The way students write informally is slowly creeping its way into the classroom as students have difficulty drawing the boundary between proper English structure and their normal method of communication. This use of technology is affecting student education. While this media is getting students to write often or frequently, some parents feel that it is negatively affecting their childs proper grammatical habits. The final large perspective that will be discussed is the use of video games among children. The study done by the Association for Psychological Science in 2010 selected families with boys between ages 6 to 9 to receive a video game console. Some would get the game immediately while others had to wait four months. The parents and teachers carefully recorded the behavior of the boys, and the study showed that boys who received the video-game system

immediately spent more time playing video games and less time engaged in after-school academic activities than boys who received the video-game system at the end of the experiment (Association for Psychological Science, 2010). Also, boys who received the video-game system at the beginning of the study had significantly lower reading and writing scores four months later compared with the boys receiving the video-game system later on (Association for Psychological Science, 2010). These alarming results show the true impact video games can have on young children especially. It could be important to evaluate whether or not these results would hold true with an experiment of children who already owned video games. It does make sense that students with a new toy want to play with it more than doing other things, especially if it is something they have desired for a long period of time. This issue is ever evolving and will continue to stay with society as technology grows even further. Overall, researchers and studies show that non-educational technology has a negative impact on the education and achievement of students. This is an issue that has no real solution that can be implemented in a classroom. Since non-educational technology generally occurs outside of the classroom, teachers cannot put an end to this issue alone. One way to combat the negative impact of this technology is to show parents and students this information to show them what is happening when students spend less time on school work and more time with their cell phone, computer, or iPod. More effective parental monitoring is an important idea to get across, since the parents are in charge of the well-being of their children at home (Vigdor & Ladd, 2010). Also, it is essential to remember that everything is better in moderation. Students should be allowed to recreationally use technology, but in limited amounts after putting in time on their school work. There is a definite impact of the out-of-school use of technology on students.

I found myself seeing this issue very similarly to what most of the researchers concluded. It is my opinion that most types of non-educational technology, while interesting and useful to students, are having a negative influence on the academic success of students. In the past, all of these types of technology were not available, so this was a non-issue. Today, however, children are faced with new types of technology every year, month or week. I realize from personal experience how distracting cell phones, iPods, or just playing around on the computer can be. If students do not learn at a younger age how distracting and harmful this can be, I believe they will not know how to limit their usage of recreational technology. In conclusion, the evidence, data, and research do show that the use of out-of-school technology has a negative impact on students educational goals and achievement.

References: Association for Psychological Science (2010). Game on? Video-game ownership may interfere with young boys' academic functioning. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 4, 2010, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100310162835.htm Lenhart, A. et. al. (2008). Writing, Technology, and Teens. Pew Internet and American Life Project. http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Writing-Technology-and-Teens/01Summary-of-Findings.aspx ODwyer, L. M., Russell, M., Bebell, D., & Tucker-Seeley, K. R. (2005). Examing the relationship between home and school computer use and students English/language arts test scores. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 3(3). http://escholarship.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=jtla Vigdor, J., and Ladd (2010) Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement, http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/1001433-digital-divide.pdf

Artifact: Technology Paper Technology STANDARD 4 - Social, Ethical, and Human Issues

Rebecca Williams

The competent teacher will apply concepts and skills in making decisions concerning the social, ethical, and human issues related to computing and technology. The competent teacher will understand the changes in information technologies, their effects on workplace and society, their potential to address life-long learning and workplace needs, and the consequences of misuse.

I think that this standard is essential for all teachers to uphold. Any teacher needs to be able to apply the concepts behind making decisions about social, ethical, and human issues related to computing and technology. I think that means that, as professionals, we need to be aware of the technology we or our students may encounter and be ready to address any issues that follow them. Undoubtedly, students will come across either ethical or social dilemmas that they will need guidance with. I believe that part of my job as a teacher will be to teach students on how to safely, both emotionally and physically, use technology. As we all know, technology is constantly evolving and being improved. I think it is important for teachers to follow the changes in technology, especially forms of educational technology that may have use in the classroom, and be able to adapt to the changes. We must stay alert about the effects of new or different technology and their effects on both the school we work in and society as a whole. This idea directly reflects back to my technology paper artifact on what impact non-educational technology has on student education and achievement. As recreational technology steadily becomes more available to students, it is important to be ready for the effects that will show in the classroom. Misuse is especially crucial to non-education technology as students spend more

time on that and less time on school work, reading/writing for pleasure, or physical activity. I believe it will be part of my job to teach students about the negative impact of too much technology.

The artifact I chose for this standard is an essay showing that there can be a negative impact on student achievement from the use of out-of-school technology. From standard 4B., I understand that these ethical, social, and human issues are critical in terms of recreational technology use. In my future classroom, I plan to demonstrate for students, through the use of evidence like I used in my artifact, how an inappropriate use of non-educational technology can have a negative impact on their learning and achievement. I can show students the importance of learning how to limit their use of recreational technology so they can become less affected by this issue. As a class, we could practice making a daily technology schedule. Students could plan out their day by the hour, allowing time for school, meals, homework, activities, and even an appropriate amount of time for recreational technology. I will be sure to show the important trends affecting the evolution of technology and its probable future roles in society by creating a research project for students to learn about the evolution of technology over the years.

By better understanding the use of non-educational technology and the ethics that accompany it, I feel better prepared to teach and learn in a diverse society. I am now more conscious of the implication, both positive and negative, that accompany this issue. Every student in a classroom is different, similar to the different types of technology available to students and teachers today. Through these types of diversity, I anticipate that my future classroom experiences will teach me new ideas on how to further these understandings.