Why Not Use Technology in the Classroom?

As a homeschooling mom, I rely heavily on technology to get the job done. The children use curriculum that is delivered over the internet that they can go through at their own pace. We use technology in homeschooling to connect to math experts who create awesome math curriculum and deliver it free of charge. We use technology to find education games that make learning fun. We even use technology to read classic books that are in the public domain.

Schools use technology too, but not to its fullest potential. Children for the most part use computers for limited remedial training and if they are lucky, they are given website memberships so they can use educational technology from home.

Considering the fact that there are no companies in existence that can survive without the use of technology, you would think that schools would be more purposeful in using it throughout the entire educational process. However, there is a strong debate that keeps schools from making the leap over to technology based classrooms.

Some of the debate points that prevent the use of technology in the classroom are as follows:

While computers allow access unlimited online exploration of educational resources, it also encourages students to become distracted with less educational games and distractions online.

Teachers can integrate technology into the lessons helping students to stay engaged in subjects like history and science. They can use virtual field trips and online dissections to make the subject matter more hands-on. However, finding the right resources can take up an inordinate amount of the instructors time, thereby increasing the teaches workload.

Special needs students will be well served by technology that teaches each child individually at his or her own pace. Technology can also help severely handicapped students to communicate and perform other tasks. The costs of such technology and programs can be so high that other students will be left without proper resources.

While donations and grants can be used to secure the monthly for technology, the perishable nature of technology would mean that this money would be needed year after year to continue buying and maintaining equipment.

Teach training can be valuable for teachers in their professional and private lives. However, this training can be time consuming and costly making many teachers not see its value.

You could think of a thousand reasons to have technology in the classroom and a thousand arguments against it, with both sides having valid reasons to use technology or not. Still one has to realize that if the cost is not paid for technology today, the price will be paid tomorrow with the lack of training and preparedness for the real world.