Technology is such a big part of our society that it would be unwise to not take advantage of it. Technology, when used in the right way, will have a positive impact in classrooms, as it can greatly benefit students' learning. Technology allows students to actively think about more information, make choices, and execute skills that they will be able to use in the workplace. Computer skills will help with learning - researching information, grammar, spelling and organization. Moreover, when technology is used as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress.
Although technology can help students in their learning process, there is always a risk of students going off task and going on social media or playing on their computers. During my mentorship program I often see students become instantly distracted by electronic devices, such as cell phones, iPads laptops, etc... and it can become a major issue for many students. However, I have also seen students benefit greatly from it, in the resource room there is a lot of student that have trouble with their grammar and spelling, typing their projects, homework, etc... helps them a lot as it can correct their mistakes.
There are students in the resource room that have laptops, chromebooks and ipads, they have them because their psych-ed assessment states that they need one to access the curriculum. It allows them to be successful in their subjects. Programs like Dragon or Read and Write can help students that have difficulties typing, this gives students a sense of independence as they can now write their own notes, assignments and test instead of have a person scribe.
I believe technology should be present in classrooms as it benefits students, but it should be monitored by the teacher to make sure that students are doing their work, and staying on task. Teachers should also walk them through the process of using the programs and navigate through the internet.
