While walking into english class on a normal Monday morning, you see everyone in the room with technology in their hands. These students weren’t just texting, tweeting, or snapping either, they were using them to learn. Students were using them to study, write papers, even learning new information. This may not be what we think of when we think of learn ing, but it looks like that is where we are headed. Technology is becoming more and more prominent in schools worldwide, and being used as a tool, rather than a toy.
When it comes to learning, books and chalk boards used to be all we knew. Lately, things have been changing. With the new advancements in technology, we can do so much more with learning. There are three basic ways people tend to learn best. Textbook learning, hands on learning, and now, technological based learning. There is no telling which method is the best, because people learn in all different kinds of ways. Northeast has recently switched to Chromebook usage for all students. The transition has gone smoothly, for the most part. Internet issues and student apathy has caused some issues, but other than that, teachers believe the transition has gone very well, and that conditions will become better with time.
Students and teachers are the main people who are dealing with these new changes, so how they feel about their shifting environment automatically matters. In a student survey, 33 out of 58 said it was true that they felt more comfortable learning with print books. The same amount of students said they felt more comfortable learning with technology. The majority of students said they felt best with hands on learning, with a total of 48 out of 58 saying so. Hands on learning focuses more with activities the students do to learn, such as peer interaction, projects, and games to assist the students to learn the desired information. Ms. Reda claims, “I have seen a lot of problems with apathy. A lot of students don’t want to try. They get frustrated by not knowing how to do stuff, and give up.” These problems may be able to be solved if there was a Chromebook demo day, where students were taught how to properly use the features. Teachers also say it was a needed transition. Textbooks were getting too heavy, expensive, and bulky, and they are content with the transition and confident both students and teachers will learn to utilize the Chromebooks properly.
The future of learning seems to be leaning in the direction in technological advancements, but this does not mean we have to say goodbye to our textbooks, or hands on learning. In fact, teachers claim they feel balance is always needed, to keep students engaged in the topic. These methods can even be combined, such as reading in an online textbook on your Chromebook, or playing interactive educational games on the Chromebook. Technological learning offers a new tool for learning, but that does not mean it is going to take over the world. It is not going to save everyone either, but it may make things much easier. The future cannot be completed predicted, so we will just have to wait and see where the future of learning is headed. “There are several kinds of learners. I don’t think one way is better than the other. I think there needs to be a balance, absolutely.” -Ms Dorn