- Technology could help students have better comprehension and learning abilities.
Did you like pounding erasers when you were a grade schooler? Today’s students might not have the pleasure of making those plumes of chalk dust, thanks to the tech revolution transforming America’s classrooms. If you’ve been to a school lately, you have most likely noticed the chalkboards are being replaced by smartboards, tablets and laptops. In Georgia, one school is taking it a step further, and trying to make it more fun for the kids by allowing students to bring in their own devices to the classroom, according to a story by MSNBC.
In Georgia’s Coal Mountain Elementary School, students are encouraged to bring iPads, iPhones, Kindle Fires, laptops and even gaming devices to use during class, the news source said. While it may be a far cry from getting smacked with a ruler in years past, school officials believe that having their own devices will help the students better focus on tasks at hand and allow them to feel more at home.
“It’s really a simple thing,” said Tim Clark, district technology specialist for Forsyth County School District, which includes Coal Mountain, according to MSNBC. “Kids have technology in their pockets and [are] taking them to school, but trying to hide them from teachers and from their parents. What we’re trying to do is have the kids take them out of their pockets and use [them] for instruction.”
Clark told the news source that the philosophy behind this is simple: Technology can be brought in and incorporated into lessons in various ways, such as providing education games, research tools and other ways to let students take control and become designers of their own education. He said, “it’s not a solitary type of activity where every child is buried in their device … it increases collaboration. It increases communication with the teacher. ”
The Community Times reported that Baltimore County Public Schools’ Randallstown High School is unveiling some interesting technology of its own to help students crunch numbers and gain financial literacy. In early June, the school will unveil a new stock exchange classroom, according to the Randallstown Community Times.
Focusing more on school-owned technology, the classroom will have a TV, data board and stock ticker. The classroom will let students learn first-hand about business, finances and planning, as the financial literacy class will be a requirement in Maryland schools.
What kind of impact do you think classroom software will have on kids? Will it improve learning or simply make kids too reliant on technology? Let us know what you think in the comments!
