Most teachers may have heard something from their administration that sounds like this: “Technology! Technology! Incorporate technology into your classroom and with your students!” Technology in the classroom can often be described as computers, smartphones such as an iPhone, smart boards, tablets, or other devices. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) did a survey and found that students with more exposure to computers do better, on average, than those with little exposure to computers but the OECD warns against drawing conclusions based on that survey (Kesling, 2015). While the OECD says that student performance improves with technology use in moderation, they found that overexposure to computers and the Internet causes educational outcomes to decline (Kesling, 2015). They survey also found that while students who spent any time on the computer led to poorer performance on both written and digital tests and that students who used computers excessively were more likely to feel isolated or alone (Kesling, 2015).
Banning cell phones on school grounds is a relatively new concept as mentioned in Doward (2015), that as of 2001, no school banned cell phones, but that number had risen to 50% of schools had banned them by 2007 and 98% of schools did not allow cell phones as of 2012. The effect of banning cell phones from schools adds up to the equivalent of an extra week’s schooling over a pupil’s academic year, according to research from Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics (Doward, 2015). The ban had a greater positive impact on students with special education needs and those eligible for free school meals, while having no discernible effect on high achievers (Doward, 2015).
As a teacher, I have noticed the growth of technology in my school as we have classroom iPad carts that can be used by a whole class so they don’t need to go to a computer lab and the amount of students who have cell phones has grown vastly. Now, it’s unusually to find a student who doesn’t have a cell phone. With these articles, I agree that technology can be a hindrance on students’ academic growth. As Doward (2015) mentioned, special education needs and free lunch students had the biggest impact as these students, in my experience, are often the first students to withdrawal or lose interest in class or with an assignment and the first thing some of these students want to do is reach for their phones, usually to play games. I also agree with the research stated in Kesling (2015) that students who use computers excessively often felt isolated or alone, as I have witnessed this at my school as well. From what I have noticed, these students often are socially awkward, not very physically active, and lose interest in most things around them except when dealing with computers. These students often have a difficult time finding and keeping friends, or if they have friends the friends are usually other students who use the computer excessively, and these students are sometimes treated as social outcasts by their peers.
References:
Doward, J. (2015, May 16). Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results.Retrieved July 09, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/16/schools-mobile-phones-academic-results
Kesling, B. (2015, September 15). Technology in Classrooms Doesn’t Always Boost Education Results, OECD Says. Retrieved July 09, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/technology-in-classrooms-doesnt-always-boost-education-results-oecd-says-1442343420