Computers and Education
During the past two decades, advances in computer technology haveushered in the digital revolution. Computers have changed the way peopledo business, construct buildings, communicate with one another and receive In the field of education, computers have enhanced the way peopleteach and learn. This paper examines the advantages and potentialdifficulties of using computers in the elementary, middle school and highclassroom as an educational instrument. Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by educators at this level isovercoming the short attention span of children. This characteristic hasbeen further honed by television. Traditionally, parents and teachers haveaddressed this problem through educational television programs like Sesame However, education experts have found that children learn best whenthey are stimulated through participatory learning activities where theirminds are constantly stimulated. Towards this, many companies haveproduced educational software designed to include the children in more In elementary and middle school, websites such as NASA Quest
With proper supervision, the Internet allows students from around theworld to participate at an unprecedented level. Conclusion Critics of computer technology in classrooms present valid concerns. One teacher observed thatthe benefits of using computer technology to teach science is "like thedifference between looking at a picture of a heart in a textbook andlooking at a beating heart, being able to slow it down, and analyze it tosee how it works, step by step" (qtd in Fisher). " Furthermore, through websites that highlight issues such as spaceflight and the environment, students can better the connections betweentheir lessons and their lives. haveactivities targeted to various grade levels to teach children about spaceflight. Educationexperts have long known that children learn more quickly and retain moreinformation if they are involved in interactive and shared learningactivities (Fisher). While they could have used textbooks to study chick anatomy, thelearning results would not have been the same. The success of the program has led them to create asimilar program, this time for the 8th grade (Viadero 24). The greater threat lies in the potential gap between poorer and moreaffluent school districts. Computers have increasingly made learning more effective for students ofall ages and backgrounds. Using MRItechnology, students could track a chick's development through its three-week gestation period inside the egg. This threatens tofurther the education gap between rich and poor families (Fisher). By compiling a list of recommended websites for parents,Troutner believes that "summer and fun learning (need not) sound like anoxymoron. The solution to concerns about computers in education is not toeliminate these technologies altogether. The success of websites like EcoKids Online! and projects such asChickscope lie in their understanding of how children learn.
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