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  • Essay / Harmful effects of technology on student learning

    One evening, as I sat in my room reading articles about technology and its effects on education, a single idea piqued my interest in the subject: how students of my generation were perceived to be affected negatively in the academic sphere by the advent of the iPhone, iPad and constant television streaming. This idea got me thinking about my own life and the use of technology inside and outside the walls of my high school. It's hard for me to imagine a life without my devices, but the concerns of teachers across the United States are almost impossible to ignore. In today's society, technology plays an important role in the lives of the current generation of high school students and will be even more ingrained in the lives of younger generations. The use of technology in schools will not slow down in the future, it will only grow faster each year. Technology in education has caused students to lose focus in the classroom and become less able to solve analytical problems when it comes to critical thinking questions. Obviously, the use of technological devices in the education niche hinders the learning ability of students in the classroom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Initially, the use of technology in educational settings makes it difficult for students to concentrate on academic tasks. Obviously, students don't always view school as fun. Historically, students who were not interested in a topic or lesson often had no way to escape the teacher's attention; However, in today's culture, students may turn to a small treasure chest of games on their cell phones when they are bored in class. As technological advancements have evolved, cell phones have made it easier and easier for students to distract themselves from their learning. New York Times writer Matt Richtel, in his article for the Times, “Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say,” published in the New York Times on November 1, 2012, addresses the topic of technology in education and claims that students have downplayed their ability to focus on schoolwork since the tech boom. He supports this claim by examining a large-scale survey conducted by the Pew Internet Project, an arm of the Pew Research group, and then analyzing another large-scale survey conducted by Vicky Rideout of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization of San Francisco. which advises parents on media use during childhood, and finally it uses interviews with teachers who spend time daily observing students in their classes. Richtel's goal is to show how students in today's generation have dramatically changed in their approaches to learning and how the impact of technology has made it more difficult for students to stay focused on their responsibilities at school to help educators and parents rethink the importance of learning. of technology that their students should be allowed to use. In the article, Richtel states that "there is a widespread belief among teachers that students' constant use of digital technology hinders their attention span," and this quote is perfectly suited to the culture of our Company. In Richtel's quote, he explains how teachers, those who spend almost eight hours perday with students, have seen a noticeable decline in their students' ability to focus on specific tasks in academia. If teachers, given the amount of time they spend with their students, have all had a similar experience regarding their students' attention spans, it is difficult to dismiss this evidence against the students. Evidently, teachers have noticed a clear degeneration in students' ability to concentrate since the introduction of technological devices into their possession. Similarly, in the New York Times article "Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction" (2010), author Matt Richtel, a staff writer at the New York Times, argues that the attention span of contemporary college students has declined, which suggests that technology is to blame for this decline. He supports this claim by doing the following: First, he begins the article with the story of seventeen-year-old Vishal, a once bright and attentive student whose grades have plummeted since he discovered technology In seventh grade, he then used research done by a Duke University professor and the Kaiser Family Foundation to complete his dissertation. Finally, it includes more stories from students and how they feel their use of technology has impacted their college life. In this article, Richtel states that "several recent studies show that young people tend to use personal computers for entertainment, not learning, and that this can harm academic performance, particularly in low-income families." This quote is significant because Richtel explains how studies done in the recent past have supported the thesis that personal computers are used by students for purposes other than educational ones. For example, homeschoolers may use their computer for social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or video streaming sites like YouTube instead of using the computer to play learning-oriented games , read e-books or do homework. Additionally, students are also likely to spend more time on these non-educational sites than on sites that might help them study for quizzes and tests or expand their knowledge on topics in which they are not strong and therefore hinder their academic performance. It is well established that it is extremely easy for students to lose focus on academic subjects when they are distracted by technology. Additionally, technology in education has also been shown to reduce students' ability to think critically when faced with complex problems. Matt Richtel also addresses the topic of reduced problem-solving skills in his article “Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say.” In this article, Richtel states: "Lisa Baldwin, 48, a high school teacher in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, [who] said students' ability to concentrate and meet academic challenges was suffering an "exponential decline." . He goes on to say, “She said the decline was greatest among students whose parents allowed unlimited access to television, phones, iPads and video games. » Clearly, teachers have noticed the decline in students' critical thinking skills in recent years. Whether in math, science, English, or any other subject, students will always face challenges and not necessarily be sure of how to solve the anticipated problem. As technology advances, students will be more able to use the Internet to,.