Even though tablets can be a useful educational tool it does provide a source of distractions and can cause procrastination. Teenagers and kids can download games and other apps that can prevent them from doing their school work if teachers do not check the students every so often. Some teachers have even banned them from their classroom, even though students may have been required to purchase a tablet. Laptops should be considered to be used in classrooms instead of tablets, because they, “feel more serious, and the addition of a keyboard facilitates actual work and note taking,” (Shockley).
Technical support and a, “website building bootcamp,” should be created for teachers who are struggling to create a website that is user-friendly for their students while also being more up to date than a lot of teacher websites are (Shockley).
Google classroom allows teachers to, “assign, collect, check and track work” (sdjkfh). To use this program students need a electronic device such as a tablet or laptop, which if a school does not provide one it can be costly for students to purchase one and it is possibly that they may not be able to afford it. Another drawback to google classroom is that it can also be distraction within the actual classroom and outside of school.
Khan academy is program on the internet that provides videos, explanations, tools and support to numerous subjects and it is all free. Even though it has a lot to offer, “it simply cannot provide students with everything we need to know. It is an amazing supplement to in-class learning, but should not be used as a replacement,” (Shockley).
Most teenagers of this generation are addicted to many forms social media and teachers are now using twitter to have contact with their students and provide them with information they need for class. Even though using social media for education is tool that can be beneficial, there are risks that need to be considered. Most social media is public, therefore what is posted can be seen by people who are not a part of the class and it is easy for heated arguments to start that the teacher may not be able to control. It does hold hold, “a promise in its ability to connect teachers, classrooms, and schools to students and issues that we care about,” since most teenagers are on social media almost constantly (Shockley).
Interactive whiteboards, a touch capable projector screen, may have sounded like a wonderful idea at first and everyone thought it was going the future in schools, but even though students can be, “interactive with the board, they are actually not worth the price tag of $1,000. It is just easier and cheaper to hook up an iPad to an projector” (Shockley).
Evernote is an app that is free to users to create, “notebooks, to take notes, take pictures, set reminders, chat with other students and make lists” (Shockley).
Google drive is a way to access documents, folders, power points and just about anything else you need for class in one place. You can also “share” it to other students which can make a group project either easier or harder, depending on your group, by making it easier to sabotage or commit plagiarism and cheating.
Technology in classrooms needs to be able to incorporate having one on one time with teachers, passionate lectures and get teenagers excited about school. EdTech in classrooms is here to stay, but there are many ways to improve it for both students and teachers to get the most out of every class.
