Pros and Cons of Technology Use in the Classroom

Technology has come a long way, especially in education. Technology is constantly make changes and improvements every single day. Today, technology has made many gains, but with those gains, comes some losses. Some of the gains that schools have made with the use of technology today is the increase of engagement for all students. Students seem to be more engaged with the use of tech in the classrooms. Teachers have access to all different modes of presenting and teaching, thanks to technology. Technology also brings excitement to people of all ages. There are so many different types of technology that can be used to bring excitement to people in both schools and home. As we all know, technology is the future for everyone. Just about every daily living activity uses some sort of technology, and it is only growing each day. Our world has become very reliant on technology, and most people cannot live without it. Technology helps us build skills from the infancy through end of life. Althought technology provides us with a lot of gains, there are also some losses that coincide with it at home and at school. The number one cons of technology in today's world is the lost opportunity of physical socialization. By this, I mean the old school, face to face conversation. As an educator, I can notice a difference in a student who does not have screen time at home versus a student who does. A student who does not have access to technology at home is able to socialize more than with a student who has access to it at home. This is just speaking from my own experiences. Let's talk distractions. Technology distracts a lot of its users. I myself get distracted far too easily while using technologies. Students most certainly get the most distracted. There are so many different directions you can go with technology that at times will bring you down a rabbit hole. The first section of the Triple E Evaluation Rubric, I gave myself 5 out of 6 possible points. As a special educator, technology comes as a blessing and a curse. For the most part, while using technology, my students are engaged in their learning, as long as the work is at their instructional level. My students do tend to get distracted at times while utlizing the technology that is in front of them. It is hard to keep them on task while working with technology. Enhancement of the learning goals is an area in which I could improve. I feel that the learning target is not always communicated or shown while using technology. The learning target is always on a board in my classroom. The technology use in my classroom does allow for scaffolding and differentiation. I have students who will utilize apps such as text to speech or Read and Write Google. This is a great way to differentiate instruction both in the whole class setting and small gorup setting. Technology provides an opportunity to extend the learning goals. In my classroom, students are somewhat able to connect their learning to a real life event using technology. They are also somewhat able to build everyday life skills. There are ways in which I could improve in those two areas of the rubric. The nice piece of technology in my classroom is that my students are able to learn and work outside of the typical school day. Most of the technology offerings I have are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This provides parents with an opportunity to work and teach their children as well outsde of the school day.