Technology & Education: The Ever Increasing Role of Technology

Source

They were once considered to be the favourite past-time of anorak-loving individuals, locked away in a darkened room, sheltering away from the outside world. However, computers and gadgets now seem to have found their way into the mainstream and are now even considered to be something of an essential and even a desirable gift or indulgence for oneself.

While it cannot be denied that they have retained some of their geeky-qualities, gadgets are now more popular than ever-before and it is not uncommon to see a teenager floating along on a hover-board. Even when I was topping up my tan on the beach last summer, I was surrounded by several young men flying their quadcopters; they certainly drew a few funny looks but on the whole it cannot be denied there was a certain level of intrigue, and dare I say it, jealousy from those watching.

However, they are not just the forte of single men in their forties, they have also been steadily integrating their way into schools as well and are now considered to be an essential educational tool; we are often forget that today’s younger generations is very much made up of digital natives who are unable to remember a world without tablets, smartphone and laptops. For those of us who were born in the 1980s, we had the pleasure of indulging in guiding a wireless ‘turtle’ around the room by pushing a few buttons.

There are currently several different schools of thought regarding the current increase in technology in the educational sphere. Some believe that it is the beginning of an educational revolution, while on the other hand, others have expressed concern with regards to how this will effect concentration levels and their ability to engage in independent thinking.

Numerous individuals have previously expressed their belief that the internet will slowly erode peoples’ ability to remember facts and it is no longer necessary for schoolchildren to be drilled with facts due to the fact that the internet is ever-present. However, there have been studies that challenge this belief and research from cognitive science has suggested that the importance of learning facts remains.

I would like to suggest that the advancement of technology has actually made learning all the more easy and it has also been revealed from cognitive psychology that we do indeed remember what we think about. I must admit that I have experienced something like this myself while in lectures at university; I admit that sometimes I can be a little lacking in organisational skills and therefore I often end up multitasking in lectures, I have on these occasions noticed that I do not remember as much of the lecture as I should do, indicating that a lack of effort on behalf of the individual can hinder educational learning.

One thing that is proving more and more obvious is that it is essential to consider that while technology has certainly assisted in making learning easier, it is still very much up to the individual to have the required desire to learn. While we can certainly make learning more efficient, sadly we cannot engineer a programme which will take away the human-effort that is required.