Pros and Cons of Technology in the Classroom

As a school that is going to get one-to-one technology for our kids soon, this article was an interesting one for me, as I know the influx of even more technology will definitely bring its share of challenges.  Given the fact that cell phones are a pretty big problem at our school already for many teachers given the fact that most students have them and many of them choose to abuse the texting/social media piece (not to mention all of the incredible apps that allow kids to cheat), I was not only looking for a little positivity out of the article, but possibly a little validation as to potential pitfalls we can look forward to experiencing. 

In the article, they list two obvious pros: instant answers and wider access to information (video, music, articles, pictures).  The other two they mention are somewhat interesting to me, though: Peace of mind for parents knowing where there students are and having them accessible at any time, and social learning (social media).  These last two are interesting to me because they are basically the reason kids struggle to have their cellphones: They are heavily emotionally invested in social media, which means one tweet or relationship status update can set them off.  Also, mom/dad/guardian is constantly texting them throughout the day, distracting them from their studies (I can't tell you how many times I tell a kid to put his/her phone away and their response is "but it's my mom!").  However, being a new parent myself, I can see how knowing where my kid was at all times and knowing I could get hold of him if I needed would be a good thing, and that the social media aspect may help bring some of the quieter, more introverted kids out of their shells and allow them to begin expressing themselves in person as well as online, although I still think it's a rather slippery slope.

The cons section had a few obvious ones, such as inappropriate materials, cyberbullying, and the disconnect of "face-to-face" interaction, but also mentioned something I hadn't really considered: Some people think too much time in front of a video screen or monitor can have harmful effects on a person's health.  However, as we move more and more closer into the digital age that these kids are living in, I think it's important that we understand the cons and try to find ways to limit or avoid them completely, somehow.  I think most schools either have or will have strict filters to prevent the inappropriate materials (although it's difficult; even google image gets inappropriate pretty quickly, even with the strictest of safe searches), and cyberbullying is definitely a problem that isn't going anywhere any time soon, which I know from experience is the main reason kids get into physical alteractions.  However, just like with everything else in our world, no matter what we do in our classrooms, even if we simply had pencil, paper and chalkboards, there will always be some sort of problem.  I think that, as long we we continue to evolve with the times and come up with new and creative ways to manage the technology that is coming (whether people are ready or not), then it will prove to be a very useful tool in education.  Not only that, but it's not like we can avoid it, so we might as well try to be as proactive as possible now so we can be prepared when it all hits the fan in a few years!

Here is the link to the article