Running Head: TECHNOLOGY'S IMPACT ON LEARNING 1

Technology's Positive Impact on

Technology's Positive Impacts on Students Learning

on technology to get to where they are going, find new information, interact with other people,

and countless other things. It has created so many new unique jobs and opportunities.

Technology has not just shaped everyday lives and the world, in general, it has also shaped the

classroom. Using technology in schools was not always how the learning was done. It wasn't

until pretty recently that technology started to make its way into the classroom. However,

introducing technology into the classroom has been a heavily debated topic. Some say it

distracts students from learning and should not be used in school, while others say it is

beneficial to the classroom and students’ learning. To understand the beneficial impact

technology has on students learning there needs to be a very wide approach to find all of the

benefits it has to offer. This paper examines multiple studies were done that show how

technology in schools helps students engage better while helping students learn more which

leads to better test scores, grades, and overall learning.

Discussion

Technology was first introduced into schools in the 1980s. And ever since then its effect

on students learning in the classroom has been a controversial topic. However, technology has

had a very positive impact on students’ overall learning. Specifically, technology has improved

students focus in the classroom and has helped students be more engaged in what they are

doing. It has also opened up a lot of new opportunities for students to get more familiar with

technology which can open up better job and career choices later down the road. Lastly it has

helped give students a better hands-on learning experience which is one of the best ways people

learn.
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Effects Technology Has Made on Students Learning.

Studies show that technology has been very beneficial to the classroom. It has not only

gotten students more familiar with using technology which will help open up more job

opportunities for them down the road, but it has helped keep students engaged. Technology also

helps students with hands-on learning which is one of the most beneficial ways of learning.

Each of these benefits, student engagement, job opportunities, and hands-on learning will all be

further examined below.

Student Engagement. Technology has made quite the positive impact on student

engagement by providing students with a new and fresh way of doing things. Student

engagement is the most important factor in retaining information and learning more. According

to Baytak, Tarman, & Ayas, all of whom are very respected and distinguished experts on the

impacts of technology found that most students believe that their learning is improved by

integrating technology into the classroom curriculum. Students participating in the study

reported that using technology in school makes learning fun and helps them learn more. They

believed that technology makes learning interesting, enjoyable, and interactive. “Students today

love to learn by doing, interacting, and discovering” (Baytak, Tarman, & Ayas, 2011). By

making implementing technology in schools it gives students the opportunity to switch it up

from the normal pen and paper exercises and makes what they are doing a lot more interesting.

From personal experience as a current high school student being able to either use my phone or

the computer to do my classwork, is something to look forward too because it is so much more

interesting than using a pen and paper. According to a study done on the impact of technology

in elementary schools states “When elementary school teachers use and model different forms

of technologies, they actively engage their students and create a stimulating work environment”
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(Kenney, 2011). Technology stimulates the kids minds in a different way than teachers were

able to before technology was being used in classrooms. The fact is simple, the better student

engagement is the better they will be at retaining information and using that information on tests

or even in there everyday lives. The more students and schools use technology the higher the

student engagement will be. Technology improve student engagement which in turn leads to

improved student learning.

Job Opportunities. Technology has made a positive impact on students' futures due to

the experience it provides students. By students learning how to use technology in school there

are so many job opportunities that can be achievable that there was not before technology was

used in the classroom. Using technology at school will set students up for a better future.

Almost all jobs today require a basic understanding of how to use technology so practicing it in

school it prepares students for those jobs down the road. According to a study done by

DePasquale, McNamara, & Murphy “Teachers should model the use of technology in support

of the curriculum so that children can see the appropriate use of technology and benefit from

exposure to more advanced applications that they will use independently when they are older”

(Pg. 56). By setting students up for the future will not only benefit the students learning, but it

will also benefit our workforce and in turn our world.

Hands-On Learning. Technology has improved students' ability to gain hands-on

learning skills because it provides so many more opportunities to learn using hands on methods.

Hands-on learning is one of the best ways of helping students learn more effectively.

Technology has changed the game when it comes to hand-on learning. Online interactive

activities play an integral role in many classrooms across the world. These hands-on lessons are

a much more interesting and visual way to learn which helps students who are better visual
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learners retain information. A study was done on the effects of technology on a school in Iowa

called Van Meter. The study found that “the use of technology has helped developed skills such

as exchange ideas, research independently, adapt to new situations, and take ownership over

their own learning” (Miller, 2011). These skills are great examples of skills developed through

hands-on learning. The technology they are using has allowed students to develop skills that

will help them learn much more effectively than the would have been able to without

technology. Hands-on learning creates a more stimulating environment, which leads to better

student engagement. Technology acts as a catalyst for hands-on learning because it makes it so

much more accessible than it ever was before. This just further proves that technology has a

very beneficial impact on students learning.

Conclusions and Future Study

In order to gain a complete understanding of technology’s positive impact on student

learning, it is necessary to conduct more research into the long term effects of the

implementation of technology in school. This includes but is not limited too, how different

countries use technology, specific technological job opportunities, as well as the impact

technology has on standardized test scores. Technology helps bring students a fresh new

perspective on their learning which has made such a big impact on students learning.

Technology also helps give students more experience which helps them with their future

careers. Technology has also been a catalyst for one of the most important ways students learn,

hands-on learning. As technology continues to expand in the classroom it is important to

continue to analyze the positive impacts it has on student learning.

References

Baytak, A., Tarman, B., & Ayas, C. (2011). Experiencing technology integration in education:

children's perceptions. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 3(2),

139-151.

DePasquale, R., McNamara, E., & Murphy, K. (2003). Meaningful connections: Using

technology in primary classrooms. Young Children on the Web, Retrieved from

http://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200311/techinprimaryclassrooms.pdf

Kenney, L. (2011). Elementary education, there’s an app for that: communication technology in

the elementary school classroom. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in

Communications, 2(1), 67-75. Retrieved from http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-

web/academics/communications/research/vol2no1/07Kenney.pdf

Miller, S. (2011). Student voices for change. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(8), 20-

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