Academic Discussion and Writing Has the integration of technology in education enhanced the learning experience of students?

Question

Do you believe that the integration of technology in education has overall enhanced the learning experience for students? Why? Why not?

 

 

☆Let’s think

1         Have you ever used any of the following in your studies? How much do you think you learned with it?

YouTube video  vocabulary building app  language learning software  online school  Skype

 

2         Is technology good for any of the following? Why?

information search  widening views  memorization  experiments  learning languages

critical thinking   learning practical skills like dancing or drawing pictures 

 

3         Do you think students nowadays are learning much more effectively with the help of technology?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

Yes

1.        Educational materials and sites help students understand subjects more effectively than before.

2.        Information search and comparison of multiple materials have become more efficient than before.

 

No

1.        Fewer students have the ability to read complicated materials than before because most students do not read books anymore due to social media.

2.        Many students learn less than before because they copy and paste information.

 

 

☆Sample Responses

A

I think information Technology has enhanced our learning experience mainly because it has made information search and comparison of multiple materials efficient than before. It now allows us to get necessary information for studies anytime and anywhere. This has made it unnecessary to go to the library or bookstores to find related materials. Google search provides numerous sources, including newspapers and magazines, instantly. Even when a certain book is necessary, ordering from online bookstores allows us to download a copy in a few seconds or have it sent within a day or two. As Taylor says, the distraction of social media can offset the time earned by this efficiency, but the fact that information technology has made it physically efficient to collect good materials won’t change. In the end, learning depends on the individual’s concentration and IT definitely facilitates it. (140 words)

 

B

With reservation, I’m also concerned about the fragmentation of attention. Integration of information technology and education exposed the workstation to infinite and constant flows of distractors like notices or news feed, which can keep students away from work till they lose track of their researches and thoughts. Insights and inspiration require certain amount of time for the brain to work on the subject undisturbed by the unrelated factors, but work on the screen never allows it. Especially, time for reading on the tablet gets fragmented and this directly affects the quality of reading. It is like a disturbed sleep. Even if the total length of the activity is the same, the highest point of the brain activity cannot often be reached in disturbed reading. However, Gen Z are tech-savvy and multitaskers. They might not be so distracted by the incessant assault of notices and alerts as to lose sight of the tasks they are working on. They might even be taking advantage of the state of mind that is constantly open to the online world, sorting out and processing information they get, and get the task done utilizing the sense of reality they get from the process. Therefore, I conclude that attention span can be short without intentionally constant intensive reading while free working of mind can be maintained even when it is hooked up to the Internet. (229 words)

 

 

Your Sample Response

Introduction (Outline)

Supporting Details

Conclusion (Wrap-up)

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

                                               DRAFT