Digital Media in the Classroom
05/08/07 08:07 PM Filed in: Current
topics in education
How useful are laptops in education? A study
released by the US Department of Education last
month is claiming that they may not be as
beneficial as once thought. I’ve heard all the
complaints about students not using the computers
for educational purposes and instead surfing the
web, instant messaging, and accessing inappropriate
material. But there is also a huge push for put
laptops in the hand of every student in every
school. This may sound nice and exciting but there
are many problems.
As an education major at BSU I am constantly
exposed to the use of computers in the classroom
along with the benefits and do’s and don’ts of
using technology. I personally believe that
computers are a great tool to use in the classroom
to enhance student learning but they have to be
used properly. You can’t just put a laptop in a
student’s hands and expect their achievement to
skyrocket. Many times, the teachers don’t even know
how to use the computer.
Computers are penetrating into every part of our lives. In 1943, Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Watson made this statement long before innovative digital technologies revolutionized the way that we communicate, interact, and live. In 2007, we consider it a nuisance if a news website does not have an RSS feed! As I look back at how much computers have changed the way I lived in just the last ten years I am amazed. There is so much information available through digital technologies that today’s students have access to more opportunities than we did while in school.
We haven’t fully realized the power of computers in learning. Just as with every new program there are going to be kinks and flaws to work out. While the cost of implementing laptop programs into schools for a one to one initiative is still very high, it is the few schools that are the first to implement these initiatives that are going to find the problems and take steps to solve them. I’m not entirely convinced that laptops are necessary at this point. I think that a one to one desktop computer initiative might be a better alternative considering the significantly lower investment involved. Computers are definitely a good thing in education but maybe it is still a little too early to be implementing one to one laptop initiatives at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Source:
Hu, Winnie (2007, May 4). Seeing no progress, some schools drop laptops. The New York Times, Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/education/04laptop.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.
Computers are penetrating into every part of our lives. In 1943, Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Watson made this statement long before innovative digital technologies revolutionized the way that we communicate, interact, and live. In 2007, we consider it a nuisance if a news website does not have an RSS feed! As I look back at how much computers have changed the way I lived in just the last ten years I am amazed. There is so much information available through digital technologies that today’s students have access to more opportunities than we did while in school.
We haven’t fully realized the power of computers in learning. Just as with every new program there are going to be kinks and flaws to work out. While the cost of implementing laptop programs into schools for a one to one initiative is still very high, it is the few schools that are the first to implement these initiatives that are going to find the problems and take steps to solve them. I’m not entirely convinced that laptops are necessary at this point. I think that a one to one desktop computer initiative might be a better alternative considering the significantly lower investment involved. Computers are definitely a good thing in education but maybe it is still a little too early to be implementing one to one laptop initiatives at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Source:
Hu, Winnie (2007, May 4). Seeing no progress, some schools drop laptops. The New York Times, Retrieved May 5, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/education/04laptop.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.
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