Advancement of Technology & Its Effect on Education - Essay Sample

Introduction

Technological advancement has affected every part of human life, including the education sector. One of the most significant implications of technology in the education system is the use of electronic devices by students. These electronic gadgets range from simple watches, calculators to sophisticated pieces of equipment such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and computers. Calculators have been an essential part of mathematical computation in that they help a student work with so much ease. However, there is a limitation to the use of calculators in schools based on age and the mastering of the arithmetic concepts. Therefore, students can only use a calculator when they are at the right age and have mastered the right concepts governing mathematical executions.

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I firmly believe that discouraging the use of electronic devices by students in schools, especially the most sophisticated instruments and students in their early development, is the best way to go. First, my experience with these electronic gadgets is that they are the worst distracters in education. Many students find it hard to concentrate on classwork when they are engaged in their phones. Some students might find exciting debates online and disconnect from routine classwork and focus on these debates. As a result, they end up missing crucial points in a class discussion session. Additionally, something as simple as a ringing phone in the middle of a session is enough to destabilize the calm environment in class. According to an article by Baker, Lusk, & Neuhauser (2012), and I quote, "...an experimental design shows that a ringing phone in class impairs students' performances." End of quote. A phone ringing in class will not only affect the owner's concentration but also that of peers in class.

In my experience, moral decay issues amongst students are as a result of the use of electronic gadgets in schools. Students use smartphones and laptops to connect with people who have ethical problems. I have encountered several challenges in the social media platforms where you have to put up with people of very mean characters. For example, people in social media nowadays do not care about sharing sensitive videos and pictures all in the name of freedom of expression. According to a report by Saculla of (2010), and I quote, "continuous use of social media and other technological tools in schools leads to the development of poor moral judgment amongst learners." End of quote. Students continuously the immoral thoughts and ideas spread through social media to be the right thing to do. I think as a person, the more we interact with issues in life makes them familiar to us to the point that we fail to see the immoral side of it anymore. That is the greatest danger of exposing students to the world through the use of gadgets in schools.

Cyberbullying, According to an article by Asanan, Hussain, & Laidey of (2017), and I quote, "...the advancement of technology, bullying takes a new form which is cyberbullying." End of quote. Allowing the use of electronic gadgets in schools creates a conducive environment for the numerous categories of cyberbullying, such as flaming, social media harassment and cyberstalking, the use of social media as a tool for impersonation, as well as the use of these tools to propagate cyber threats. With this in mind, learning institutions should highly discourage the use of electronic devices in schools. I believe that by so doing, cases of suicides and suicidal attempts experienced in schools will reduce tremendously.

Finally, discouraging the use of electronic devices in school should be based on the fact that learning institutions are in the frontline in waging war against pornography. I have encountered situations whereby electronic devices intended for use as research material have over 90% of pornographic and online dating searches. In their article, Owens, Behun, Manning, & Reid (2012), states that, and I quote, "...technology has significantly changed the way adolescents encounter and consume sexually explicit material." End of quote. Thus, by allowing students to use electronic devices in schools, we open loops where they get confined in a personal space with either the phone, laptop, or computer and enjoy the pornographic contents.

References

Asanan, Z. Z. T., Hussain, I. A., & Laidey, N. M. (2017). A study on cyberbullying: its forms, awareness, and moral reasoning among youth. International Journal of Media and Communication, 1(1), 1-5. DOI: 10.11648/j.ijics.20170205.11

Baker, W. M., Lusk, E. J., & Neuhauser, K. L. (2012). On the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom: Evidence from a survey of faculty and students. Journal of Education for Business, 87(5), 275-289. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karyn_Neuhauser/publication/241739366_On_the_Use_of_Cell_Phones_and_Other_Electronic_Devices_in_the_Classroom_Evidence_From_a_Survey_of_Faculty_and_Students/links/5582d21408ae1b14a0a28ac5.pdf

Owens, E. W., Behun, R. J., Manning, J. C., & Reid, R. C. (2012). The impact of Internet pornography on adolescents: A review of the research. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 19(1-2), 99-122. DOI: 10.1080/10720162.2012.660431

Saculla, M. M. (2010). Addressing relationships among moral judgment development, narcissism, and electronic media and communication devices. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1193&context=theses