Technology Smarts

The question I chose to do this blog assignment on poses this question; does technology make us smarter or dumber? My opinion I wish to state is that technology has made us smarter in a lot of different ways and I will show several facts and reasons for this statement below with two different references to support my findings.
Technology’s Impact on Learning:
The Department of Education in its 1995 forum, some members of the panel insisted that instead of debating the connections between technology-based instruction and test scores, schools should instead focus on the most obvious and compelling reason to implement technology, that students need strong technology skills to succeed in the world of work. (p.1 www..nsba.org) Technology enhances student technology by allowing computer assisted instruction to drill the student. It allows Multi-media software to teach to a variety of learning styles, with the use of Videodiscs to strengthen basic skills. Video and audio technologies allows the material to be brought to life for the student, technology allows for distance learning which can be as effective as traditional methods of instruction, and the most significant and obvious is that all forms of technology help in some way to develop new skills related to technology itself, which is essential in most workplaces. Technology is also beneficial in the areas of motivating students and administration alike. Students tend to like it better, increases involvement in classroom, aids in the improvement of the teacher’s skills, and improves the efficiency of school administration and management with the use of technology in tracking, grading, material accessibility, record keeping, and quick reference tools to improve processing times.
Large Scale studies on Education Technology:
There has been five large scale studies of education technology to date (p.3 www.milkenexchange.org) which include the Kulik’s Meta-Analysis Study, the Sivin-Kachala’s Review Research, the Apple Classrooms of tomorrow, the West Virginia’s Basic Skills/Computer Education Statewide Initiative, and the Harold Wenglinsky’s National Study of Technology’s Impact on Mathematics Achievement.
Some of the Positive findings that these studies showed are that on average students who used computer-based instruction scored at the 64th percentile on tests of achievement compared to students in the control conditions without computers who scored at the 50th percentile. Students learned more in less time when they receive computer-based instruction. Students liked their classes more and developed more positive attitudes when their classes include computer-based instruction. Students in technology rich environments showed increased achievement in preschool through higher education for both regular and special needs children. The ACOT study showed results with the use of technology in new learning experiences required higher level reasoning and problem solving in students, although not conclusive.
Some of the negative finds were that computers did not have positive effects in every area in which the students were tested, and that the level of effectiveness of educational technology is influenced by the specific student population, the software design, the educator’s role, and the level of student access to the technology.
This last statement of student access to the technology has a personal story to be shared. When I was in high school, from 1980 – 1984, computers and technology was just starting to be accessible in high schools, although very expensive at the time, our school only had a handful of computer’s that were reserved for the students who had plans to pursue computer technology in college, and I was not able to access them until college, and that still was limited. It was not until a few years ago did I get a home computer; I always had one at work to use for work, but never played, goggled, or attained research as I can today. My children know how to work many programs, access libraries of information, play games, write papers, print, download pictures, etc., etc. with the technology that is available to them today, which far exceeds where I was at their age, so yes, technology has its advantages of improving the learning and education of knowing the how’s, why’s, where, and when of getting information, using it to answer questions I don’t know, and to broaden their horizon.