Essay Sample on Technology and the Education Sector

Technology is essential in every sector as people use it to solve different problems. It usually involves the use of systems, tools, and knowledge techniques to solve problems that have been impossible to solve in the past. Although human beings can physically solve problems even without the help of technology, they have become over-reliant on technological devices. Nowadays, the society we live in is technologically civilized such that people recognize each other in terms of technological devices they possess. Although technology has generally made learning easier and more enjoyable, it has led to poor performance in schools, and therefore, it should be regulated

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There is nowhere else that technology has been as impactful as in the education sector. It has brought both positive and negative impacts on the students. Although technology helps teachers to search for the most recent information and concepts, when used by the students, it has more negative effects. Students have become over-reliant on technological devices in school. As a result, their competencies in writing, reading, and even performing simple arithmetic has deteriorated in the recent past (Gegbe & Koroma, 2014). It has also led to the dehumanization of education, which has distorted the student-teacher relationship, reduced social interaction among the students. That's due to social isolation in the virtual world as well as deepening social inequalities as a result of students who can afford technically advanced devices and those who cannot. A study was done by Khadija (2019) on the school performance of students with 15 years of age has shown that school-based technology leads to higher performance of the students when placed in the hands of teachers. However, this is not the case when the student is given the freedom of using technology as they misuse it.

Teachers should regulate students on the over-use of classroom technology. Although studies have shown that classroom technology has improved the academic achievement of students as well as enhancing their motivation to accomplish their assignments, students have become over-reliant on it (Khadija A. (2019). As a result, their writing, reading, and solving simple arithmetic skills have been affected. For instance, the presence of a calculator in a classroom has prevented students from using their brains to think and solve simple arithmetics. Also, the internet has detailed students' ability to think and be creative as they google everything they do not know about from the internet. Student handwriting and reading skills have also been affected by typing on a keyboard and information technology, which leads to shallow processing of information by the students (Khadija A. (2019). As a result, teachers need to control the use of classroom technology as it has been proved to have negative impacts on students. Teachers can restrict students from using classroom technology such as calculators, google classroom, among many others, by giving specific instructions that would deter the students from using any classroom technology. The teacher can encourage this by awarding marks based on the student's creativity and following instructions. If the teachers can regulate the use of classroom technology, the students would enhance their reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. This would help to reduce the poor performance of students in schools due to a lack of creativity and other basic skills.

Parents should regulate the use of smartphones by students while at home. One main contributing factor to poor performance that has been brought by technology is the excessive use of smartphones by students while at home (Vigdor, Ladd & Martinez, 2014). When at home, students spend a lot of time on social platforms like on Facebook and Twitter than they do on their studies. As a result, they have little or no time to do their homework and assignments or even revisit some concepts that were taught in class. It is not the responsibility of teachers to look at what the students are doing with their smartphones at home (Vigdor et al., 2014). It is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children do not spend all their time on cell phones. The parents can ensure this by restricting access to cell phones and the internet at home. Parents can be providing cell phones to students to update themselves on current issues depending on how responsible the child is. Spending too much time on cell phones by students reduces the time they have for their studies, and this leads to the low achievement of the student back in school. By being restricted from using cell phones by their parents, the students will have more time for their studies, and this would lead to improved performance (Vigdor et al., 2014).

Studies indicate that students aged between 13 to 17 years are severely affected by the use of technology (Khadija, 2019; Vigdor et al., 2014). At this age, students use technology to connect with their friends and other people after school and may see little importance for their studies. Therefore, these students who are mainly in high school qualify for the above solutions of reducing their reliance on technology as well as the overuse of cell phones back at home as they do not know the right thing for them.

In conclusion, regulating internet use among this group may not be simple as it would require the dedication of teachers and parents to ensure that it works. Parents and teachers may also weaken their relationship with their children, as many students may think that they are being denied their rights. However, if the students adhere to the proposed solutions, they would improve not only their academic performance, but also other skills such as writing, reading, and creativity.

References

Gegbe, B., & Koroma, J. M. (2014). Students and teachers' perception of the causes of poor academic performance in general and further mathematics in Sierra Leone: A case study of Bo District Southern Province'. International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 2(5), 240-253.

Khadija, A. (2019). Four Ways Technology Has Negatively Changed Education. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336969538_Four_Ways_Technology_Has_Negatively_Changed_Education.

Vigdor, J. L., Ladd, H. F., & Martinez, E. (2014). Scaling the digital divide: Home computer technology and student achievement. Economic Inquiry, 52(3), 1103-1119.