With the constant advancements of technology, and the wide availability of it, the use of laptops, computers, and cellphones have significantly increased in frequency within classrooms. But how is this affecting students? Many teachers feel as though it is their duty to ban the use of technology in their classrooms. Students, however, often believe that this is infringing upon their rights to learn. One specific professor, John Warner, reflects on his cellphone/laptop policy, coming to the realization that he contradicts himself. Warner wants to give his students freedom and “responsibility for his or her own behavior,” but then takes away that freedom by banning technology use (Warner, 2014). Warner seemed to feel as though his policy on freedom held more value than that of his policy on technology use. Warner is one of many professors that have altered their technology policies over the years, but some teachers continue to hold a firm stance on no technology use in their classrooms. The question now is, are the teachers actually doing their students a favor?
Studies have shown that laptop use in classrooms can negatively affect performance on educational assessments for both the student using the computer and those surrounding them (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014). Although students often feel as though they take better notes on a computer, the findings show that their notes are worse than if they were to write on paper, and they learn less due to the notes being typed verbatim. When hand writing, students will summarize and find key points from what a professor is saying, therefore improving learning. Another key factor that may influence poorer performance among students who use laptops is multitasking. There is no doubt that multitasking lowers performance, but the question is are students multitasking while using a laptop in class? Studies have found that students who use laptops in class are more likely to multitask, therefore lowering their performance (Wurst et al., 2008). In addition to this, multitasking lowers an individual’s IQ and seems to result in brain damage that may be more than temporary (Bradberry, 2014). While it cannot be guaranteed that every student who uses a laptop in class is multitasking, the risks seem far too severe to ignore.
When all is said and done, it seems as though the use of technology does not belong in classrooms. Parents and children will continue to argue and complain, insinuating that teachers are trying to make learning harder for the student at hand, but the research cannot be denied. While there may be instances where the use of technology can be helpful or resourceful, a ban on technology in classrooms may be what we need in order to solve this growing problem. How can a student learn if they are surrounded by products that will harm their performance?
Leave a Reply