Perniciaro/Plummer 1
Chris Plummer / Lucian Perniciaro
English 1301/200
Prof. Catherine Wadbrook
December 16 2016
Learning and Technology
The action of using technology in the learning process has become an issue concerning
the actual value it has in positively influencing a childs ability to retain and understand
information. Many assert it to be way too distracting, causing a childs education to actually slow
down, while others say it improves the ability to learn. Due to both of our experience and use of
technology, especially in our own learning environment, feel like technology can be beneficial to
the learning environment. The use of computers and handheld technology improve education for
elementary school students in the United States as long as proper usage is given to these devices.
From our experience, when a child gets to use a handheld device they are often intrigued
by this idea. When used in education, this can help improve their motivation because they have
something interesting to them. The main problem is finding the proper balance between
something that increases motivation instead of finding something that only distracts the student.
A study from the Teaching and Leadership program at Saint Xavier University claims It [is]
important to plan for the use of technology in the classroom and anticipate the learning outcomes
of what students would be expected to accomplish[ed] with the implementation [of technology]
(Godziki, 100). Essentially, it is up to the teachers to work with technology to make it beneficial.
Officials whose jobs are to improve education cant just force technology into a curriculum to
make kids interested, otherwise they will just slack off and play video games. We know this from
experience. It is up to the teacher to make good effort into making a method of teaching that is
both beneficial to the student and teacher. Some evidence has shown a positive relationship
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between technology and media use and improved language and literacy skills. For example,
Kuppens (2010) study of Flemish Dutch-speaking students in grade 6 showed that long-term
exposure to subtitled English television programs, movies, and computer games had significant
positive impact on the students incidental English language acquisition. (Li, Snow, White, 2).
The use of handheld devices in education can help a child learn for the rest of the childs
life. Although the results might not be apparent in lower education, teaching a student how to use
a device that can access any information he or she might want will set up the childs future for
when he or she demands a greater education. The student has been taught how to get any
information they want through the use of the internet. Even when the student does not demand
higher education, learning how to use technology will be greatly beneficial in high school.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to improving technology in schools.
Teachers have to get used to a new teaching style, and schools will have to spend more money on
technology. For schools that are already at a high education level it is a very good idea to
implement technology. In fact, a student survey from a study from Saint Xavier University
claims that technology-supported learning environment improved student motivation and
engagement by 9% in an already very well performing school. However, this may not be the
case for schools who are not performing very well. A study from the American Institutes for
Research studying The Impact of the enhancing Missouris Instructional Networked Teaching
Strategies (eMINTS) Program on Student Achievement finds the opposite result in high poverty,
low performing schools. We assume this is due to low performing teachers who do not properly
incorporate technology into their curriculum, and the teachers are just expecting the technology
to magically make students interested. There were no significant changes in student grades,
however there was a whopping 25% decrease in student engagement compared to the control
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group when the eMINTS program was introduced. (Meyers, Molefe, and Brandt, 5). We strongly
believe this is because the lack of teachers using technology properly. This can also be
contributed to the fact that this is a high-poverty location, and the students do not have the same
technology recourses at home compared to students in low poverty areas.
How much effort is required to bring technology into schools? Is it really worth all the
effort for such a marginal, if not, detrimental result? It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to
develop and integrate different frameworks and policies to encourage the use of technology in
teacher training and K12 settings.(Baker, 1). Its obvious that implementing new technology
costs many millions of dollars. Schools obviously buy all the expensive equipment, but that does
not take into cost the yearly costs of infrastructure, maintenance, software, and making sure all
the technology is working as intended. It will also waste time on officials who have court
hearings on whether new technology grants should be created. Funding the U.S. Department of
Education solely dedicated to improving academics through integration with technology costed
3.4 billion dollars in 2009 (Baker, 3). These are just the planners for improving education, and
this does not even come close to the amount the total if the local property tax is factored in.
This begs the question; why would we implement technology for such a minor
improvement if it costs so much? We believe that this is a new era for our world, so it will take
some major upfront costs. Once major infrastructure is already set up, costs will begin to fall and
more students will be able to have access to technology at home as it becomes cheaper. In fact,
chromebooks, which are very good for educational use, cost as little as 150 dollars today. Give it
a few years and we predict that by 2020 these laptops will go down to 50 dollars.
There are many reasons to improve, or to not improve technology. We believe that if
there is a surplus of money and the teachers in the schools are great, improving technology is the
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next step towards improving education for all. However, if the school is high in poverty there are
many other things administrators can focus on improving, like teachers and/or curriculum to
improve engagement and scores.
Works Cited
Godzicki, Linda, Nicole Godzicki, Mary Krofel, and Rachel Michaels. "ERIC - Increasing
Motivation and Engagement in Elementary and Middle School Students through
Technology-Supported Learning Environments, Online Submission, 2013-May."
Increasing Motivation and Engagement in Elementary and Middle School Students
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through Technology-Supported Learning Environments, Online Submission, 2013-May.
ERIC, May 2013. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Meyers, Coby, Ayrin Molefe, and Chris Brandt. "The Impact of the Enhancing Missouris
Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS) Program on Student
Achievement, 21st -Century Skills, and Academic Engagement Second-Year Results."
Abstract Title Page Title: The Impact of the Enhancing Missouris Instructional
Networked Teaching Strategies (n.d.): n. pag. SREE. Web.
Bakir, Nesrin. "Technology and Teacher Education: A Brief Glimpse of the Research
and Practice That Have Shaped the Field." Technology and Teacher Education: A
Brief Glimpse of the Research and Practice That Have Shaped the Field. Association
for Educational Communications & Technology 2016, 22 Jan. 2016. Web. 3 Nov.
2016.
Li, Jia, Catherina Snow, and Claire White. "ERIC - Urban Adolescent Students and
Technology: Access, Use and Interest in Learning Language and Literacy,
Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2015." Urban Adolescent Students
and Technology: Access, Use and Interest in Learning Language and Literacy. ERIC,
2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.
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Kuppens, A. H. "ERIC - Incidental Foreign Language Acquisition from Media
Exposure, Learning, Media and Technology, 2010-Mar." Incidental Foreign
Language Acquisition from Media Exposure. ERIC, Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Dec. 2016.