Free Essay about the Negative Technological Effects on Education and Students

Technology has improved the way of life and education. People have incorporated technology in education to enhance efficiency and make learning enjoyable. It has therefore been useful in learning but only to a certain extent. It has overwhelmed the academic system and by extension the students with disadvantages. Children have adopted technology through social media and internet use at a young age as a result of exposure to modern devices and gadgets. Technology has a negative bearing on the education sector and on students' creativity in the classroom and beyond the walls of the class.

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Technology has influenced the way studies are carried out in school. Schools have imposed online portals through which teachers and students interact without physically meeting. The instructors send notes and assignments through emails. This limits interaction and consultation which suppresses the social bonding on both parties which is very important in student and teacher assessment. "The new way of learning has infiltrated the lives of the children and should, therefore, be monitored and defined in the education system to avoid it from replacing schools" (Jabari Mahiri, 2011). The students use the internet as a reference guide instead of consulting their teachers. "Indeed, while not foreseeing the complete replacement of the teacher, a number of major current debates about education and technology imply a substantial reduction in the numbers of teachers required to continue the process of education" (Selwyn, 2011). Students, therefore, endeavor to consult online guides instead of utilizing the vast knowledge possessed by their teachers.

Technology has also influenced the students negatively. Students use the internet to get information and materials for references. This suppresses their ability to think and be creative. People often prefer engaging in using social media or watching video games, spending time in an insignificant manner instead of thinking and evaluating their next move. "However, downtime is necessary for the human brain; wonder is what results in human advancement, and boredom results in creativity" (Clement and Miles, 2018). Students have damaged their creativity by over-relying on the internet. They will hardly get bored since there is a whole range of interesting video games, social media sites, and television. The use of copy and pasting to deal with school work instead of critically analyzing and thinking to tackle problems has led to plagiarism. These activities have deteriorated responsibility, originality, and ethics in school, specifically in school work. Furthermore, students have reported lower class achievement in studies as a result of heavy cognitive load as a result of improper learning strategies. "Psychologists believe that learning should not be individually centered but rather influenced by social and cultural environment surrounding an individual's learning and cognitive development" (Selwyn, 2011). This indicates that education is a social process and teachers play a major role in it.

Technology has its benefits in the education system. "Technology is a major catalyst for increasing learning" (lsernhagen, 1999, 30). It has enhanced efficiency in learning as it facilitates fast communication between the instructor and the students. Students use calculators every day and is very useful at time management and motivation. "Technology should be necessary in all math classrooms to be able to improve student interest and student achievement in the subject" (Flanagan, 2008). Use of calculators during math classes has improved speed and motivation. The school materials and referencing guides are more easily accessed and available to the students. The instructors do not have to go meet students to communicate. Information passage is easier with the use of email and school portals. "This suggests that the technological advance is not suppressing the traditional method of study but rather modifies it to be effective" (Selwyn, 2011). The advancement helps in reducing time consumption which is a key element in completion of a syllabus and schedule. "Many of these technologies are not used to replace traditional teaching methods, but instead used as simple methodologies to enhance student learning" (Riley, Beard and Strain, 47). Students can access research more efficiently than in the past and learn methods of outlining a research. This, however, does not necessarily aid in fixing the demerits which are strongly dominant in the education sector. The internet is a detrimental object in the wrong hands. The government, school management, teachers and parents should discourage children exposure to technological devices such as phones and laptops to curb lack of creativity and sexual exposure.

The discussion above demonstrates the problem of technology in schools. This is an indication of the big evil of exposing children to technological advancements and the devices. The issues ranging from displacement of teachers, irresponsibility by students, lack of creativity and the cognitive load should be enough reasons to regulate technology usage in schools. This demonstrates that technology has a negative bearing on the education sector and on students' creativity in the classroom and beyond the walls of the class.

Works Cited

Beard, Riley, and Strain, Jennifer. Assistive Technology at Use in the Teacher

Education Programs at Jacksonville State University. TechTrends, 2001.

This article has the three authors from Jacksonville State University. They discuss how the schools use the technological advancements. These methodologies supplement teaching and are not there to replace the traditional methodologies.

Flanagan, Jennifer. Technology: The Positive and Negative Effects on Student Achievement. New York, The College at Brockport, 2008.

Jennifer Flanagan was a master's student of The State University of New York College at Brockport. Jennifer Flanagan submitted this thesis to the Department of Education and Human Development of The University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Education. It contains research done to establish the positive and negative effects of technology on students' achievement.

Isernhagen, Jody. Technology: A Major Catalyst for Increasing Learning. The Journal, 27, 30-34. 1999.

Jody Isernhagen is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska. He wrote this journal to discuss the importance of technology in enhancing and increasing learning.

Mahiri, Jabari. Digital Tools in Urban Schools: Mediating a Remix of Learning. San Francisco, University of Michigan Press, 2011.

Jabari Mahiri is an Associate Professor of Education and Chair of the Language, Literacy, Society, and Culture at The University of California, Berkeley. The book addresses the scope of learning and technology and the impact of technology on education and how best to incorporate technology in the education system.

Selwyn, Neil. Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates. New York, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2011.

Neil Selwyn is a Faculty of Education Professor, Monash University. This book addresses the people, processes, and structures involved in implementation of technology in schools. It discusses the key issues and debates arising from the use of technology in schools.

Clement, Joe, and Miles, Matt. Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse is Making our Kids Dumber. Chicago Review Press Incorporated, Chicago, 2017.

These are two teachers. They set out to research and express the truth about how technology is affecting children and schools negatively.