Just like a coin, I believe everything is having head and tail connected to each other. Nowadays, technology influences education very significantly. Being in this technology, we need to adapt changes quicker and that’s the reason today, we are here to talk about the main pros and cons of using technology in the classroom.

The Main Pros and Cons of Using Technology for Studying

If to compare the process of learning now and years ago, we can see many things have changed. Much earlier, students didn’t have all those devices such as computers, tablets, and mobiles, as well as the internet and Wi-Fi connection. They couldn’t find information about their research project till they go to the library and start digging in tons of books. They needed to write their academic texts on paper and rewrite them for several times until they found and corrected all errors.

Nowadays, students enjoy a lot of new features that make their lives simpler. They can search any information on the Internet and type their papers on a laptop. Even if a student cannot fulfill the assignment for any reason, this is not a big problem, because it’s possible to order it online from the various sources. But are these changes really good? Do they bring only positive things without any negative impact on students? In this article, we have gathered good and bad sides of implementing technology into the education process.

Pros of Technology in Studying

Let’s see what advantages technology brings to the process of studying:

• Various models of studying. Modern technologies give people a lot of opportunities to study in various modes. For example, the option of distance learning appeared just after the technology was provided into the studying process. Many students can save their time and money with it; instead of going far away to the college, they can learn all the needed subjects while sitting on a couch at home
• Significant help to teachers. Much earlier, teachers had to fill a lot of papers and keep them well-organized. This time-wasting process was totally replaced by electronic databases and automatic reports. Most of the processes can be done just automatically, so teachers have more time to pay attention to students and the educational process instead of counting grades, making reports, and filling many other documents
• The easier way to learn. Nowadays, classrooms use a lot of devices such as computers, projectors, and laptops. It’s possible for teachers to introduce visual information using various videos, presentations, etc. Students are more interested in studying because it’s more interesting to watch a video or files of a presentation instead of reading a book. Old methods of studying seem boring to modern students. They spend a lot of time with various devices, so they feel fine to use them for learning too.
• Replacing and saving tons of paper. There is no need to fill so much paperwork anymore because all information can be saved on the computer easily. Both students and teachers don’t need to use tons of paper for writing. Teachers keep all data in the database, while students make their projects on the laptop and then print them out for checking. There is almost no need for paper textbooks because students can use electronic books. This is a wonderful way to save a lot of paper and money
• Learning is not boring anymore. New technology brings new methods of learning, and instead of reading boring paper books, students can gather in the campus cinema hall and watch an interesting scientific movie to learn something new. This helps to involve more students into studying. They don’t think learning is boring anymore, they don’t mark those people who are interested in studying as “nerds”

Even, you can take so many tips related to improving academic performance, improving grades and getting better exam results.

Cons of Technology in Studying

And here are several things how technology affects students in a negative way:

• Teachers are not so important. You probably know that in some schools, they have experiments with teaching students by robots. Of course, such projects seem interesting to students, but many teachers are against them. They think nothing can replace a real person, even the smarter robot. Besides, teachers don’t want to lose their jobs just because the technology evolves so fast. Of course, nobody can say if we will need teachers in 20, 40, or 50 years later.
• Technology brings a big distraction. When students sit and read paper books, there are not many things they can get distracted by. But when they are using laptops or mobiles in the classroom for studying, needless to say, they will be distracted by chatting with friends or searching for popular video games on the Internet. This is a big problem that comes with providing technology into learning.
• Problems with privacy. These are two very different things when all information about students is kept on papers and saved in the teacher’s desk case, or when all data is kept on the server. Of course, there are a lot of ways to protect online information, but there is still a risk that someone could get access to private things. Nobody can feel confident that the data won’t be erased, downloaded or damaged by third parties.
• Inability to access data outside the classroom. Not all students have the Internet connection at home, that’s why some of them can access all the needed information only at school. When they are home, it’s impossible to access technology tools. Of course, they can go to the library, but it’s not always possible to download software onto public computers. That’s why teachers should consider their students’ access to the Internet at home if they are going to give them some assignments that require using online tools and special programs.
• Lack of communication between students. When they are involved in studying with modern technologies, students get used to sitting at the computer all day long. Instead of taking a break and going out with friends, they chat with them online on various social media networks or talk on the phone for hours. There is less “live” communication that is very important for each and every person

Of course, it’s impossible to tell clearly if the technology is useful or harmful for studying. It just has its good and bad sides to both teachers and students. It’s important to consider all minuses and pluses to understand where to go next.

Being a father of 1 daughter, I myself looking forward to the next technology in modern classroom and how will it affect to our next generation! What do you think – what’s next? Will mathematics based Blockchain, artificial intelligence, argumental reality play their role in modern educational system? If yes, how?

Looking forward to some concrete discussion…!