Technology in Education

 

Technology in Education

One of the topics I reflected on this week is the ongoing struggle educators face with students’ use of technology in the classroom. The challenge is not the technology itself, it is how students use their devices during instruction for purposes unrelated to learning. This issue is even more obvious in secondary schools, where classroom management plays a major role in students’ learning experiences.

Although many schools have policies that prohibit cell phone use during class, students often use their phones anyway.

 I keep thinking there must be alternative approaches to address this issue. From my experience teaching different age groups, I’ve learned that creating multiple engaging activities to keep students actively involved is often more effective than repeatedly telling them to put their phones away. This is just my personal experience, but students seem deeply attached to their phones, and constant reminders rarely change their behavior. Instead of fighting this reality, perhaps we should explore instructional approaches that make sense for their generation. While this is not my preferred way to teach or learn, I have learned to adjust to new situations.