Technology in the Classroom by Randa
Randa's entry into Varsity Tutor's January 2020 scholarship contest
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Technology in the Classroom by Randa - January 2020 Scholarship Essay
For the last few decades technology has played a big role in the world’s communication among corporations interactions and industrial trades. It has been widely known as the cyberspace between continents, there is also cybershopping where people can do their shopping in the comfort of their homes. Organizations have been recruiting applicants abroad using technology, medical surgeries have been performed using technology, and social media has dominated the communication system used for practical purposes. It is hard to explicitly describe how effective and positively influencing worldwide through all the different industries in the world and not count the amazing role in how education has become within reach to everyone, old and young. Technology has invaded the schools, it started back in the 1980s. Schools have adopted this device to facilitate the learning process that students use and to facilitate the research for the different resources that teachers frequently perform. Computers in the classrooms have created a network that connects teachers with their students. It also connects teachers with the administration, and the administration connects with the whole district. I am intrigued to elaborate how technology has positively impacted education especially in the classrooms: preschoolers, elementary, high schoolers and beyond.
In this day and age, preschoolers have access to user names and passwords. Children at age three and four are coming to school with a good understanding on how a computer works. I enjoy watching how quickly they move around and work efficiently on these devices. Besides that, they have access to some educational games that they can easily play and learn from on their parent’s phones. They can learn letters and numbers, they can learn colors and shapes, they can learn characters known to them as heroes and lastly they learn songs with their own lyrics. All these devices prepare them into the next step into their journey with education.
The next group in line are the elementary students who use technology in the classrooms for lecturing, research, resource, homework, and test prep. The use of computers for schoolwork is now mandatory, it is individualized (each student has his own device identified through his or her user name and password. Furthermore, students at this age group have access to numerous computer labs for use at school. The same group of age take typing classes in elementary school, but never learn cursive handwriting. There are labs for their english classes, computer labs for their Math and Sciences, for reports and analysis. Computers are being used by all students on school campuses, but many prefer to use their own laptops for classwork or homework assignments. Some students even use their smartphones or iPads in the classroom if their teachers allow them to do so. Students who are already familiar and comfortable using their own devices will spend more time using the devices to learn and study— rather than learning how to use the device itself.
The third group of students are those who are being prepared for colleges. This shows the imperative usage of computers to those who aim to target schools that meets their goals. High schoolers now-a-days are still studying the same subjects that their parents and grandparents covered years ago, but computers and the Internet have undeniably changed the way schools and classrooms operate. Most high schoolers and college students have no idea what it's like to search for library books with a card catalog. It has a big part in preparing them for the Standardized Tests.
Finally, it is important to conclude that all the classroom work takes place on the computers using one common system among the different schools in the same district. This technology facilitates the work among the staff and their relationships with their students. Moreover, the different online practice tests also are a great contribution to achievers for the different ways students can further comprehend the problems and learn the different ways they can solve them. Technology has become an integral aspect of life in the workplace, at home, and even in our schools. Schools starting preschool and Kindergarten up to the high schoolers and beyond have made education much easier. Students today can access information around the globe with a single touch on the key board. It is definitely a necessary part of the social and educational development in our contemporary society, which is heavily integrated with technology.