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Emily Toman

Samuel Amendolar

ENGL 130

7 October 2023

Technology’s Impact on Students’ Learning Abilities

Technology is ever-changing and plays a vital role in everyday life. Throughout time,

technology has engulfed society. Some places that have been impacted by technology are schools

and universities. Assignments, books, and lessons were only on paper for many years since

technology was not easily accessible for everyone. Now, technology consumes most schools.

These things on paper have switched to being electronic. The pandemic quickened the advance

of technology. There are many positives that technology has created, however there are equally

as many negatives to the use of technology in schools. The transfer to electronic resources in

schools has negatively impacted student’s comprehension, decreased attention span, increased

cheating, and has reduced student effort. Along with this, technology has made resources more

accessible and has increased communication and collaboration between students and teachers.

How has technology impacted the learning abilities of students and to what extent should

technology be used as a teaching tool?

Most students are familiar with the use of technology in school. Due to the Coronavirus,

students could no longer go to in person school. Libraries were closed, and students could not

turn in printed paper assignments to their instructors. The pandemic forced education to be

completely online. Since this was an entirely new way of teaching for most instructors, they

became aware of different and new ways to use technology in their lesson plans. The pandemic
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forced the advancement of technology as a learning and teaching tool. In the article, “‘A Year of

Tremendous Growth.’ How the Pandemic Forced Teachers to Master Technology,” Alyson

Klein states, “Educators nationwide say they have mastered a slew of new technologies during

the pandemic, which forced nearly every school to operate virtually for at least some period over

the past year” (Klein). Most students had to do remote schooling. The only way for teachers to

get assignments and lesson plans to students during this time was through technology. There are

now many online classrooms, such as Google Classroom, Blackboard, Canvas, and Schoology.

These online classrooms allow teachers to post assignments and communicate with their students

virtually. With these online classrooms, there is not necessarily a need for anything printed on

paper. Remote learning pushed this advance of technology in education. The pandemic forced

teachers to learn different ways to use technology to instruct their students, and many of these

ways are still used in in-person education today. Technology is a vital education tool, but schools

need to draw the line on the use of technology at some point.

Technology has negatively impacted the comprehension of students. Reading on a screen has

been proven to make comprehending the material more difficult. In the article, “Reading in a

Digital Age,” Naomi S. Baron states, “For example, Ackerman and Goldsmith (2011) observed

that when participants could choose how much time to spend on digital versus print reading, they

devoted less to reading onscreen and had lower comprehension scores” (16). The comprehension

of reading print in comparison to reading digital work is completely different. Digital reading

shows less comprehension than print reading does. A reason for this could be that students are

less likely to reread digital material. Rereading is extremely important when it comes to reading

comprehension. Baron says, “Rereading is relevant to the issue of attention since a second

reading offers opportunities for review or reflection” (18). Reading something a second time
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allows students to grasp the information more and provides the opportunity to read something

they may have missed the first time. The switch to digital reading material is not necessarily a

positive. Educational readings should be changed back to primarily print rather than digital

reading.

Not only do the statistics show the change in comprehension, but students also notice it

within themselves. Most students would choose to read a print copy of a text rather than a digital

copy. According to Baron, “Selecting from print, computer, tablet, e-reader, or mobile phone,

92% said it was easiest to concentrate when reading print” (18). There are many different choices

that a student can choose to read from, but out of all choices the only nondigital option is most

popular. Reading on a screen causes a lack of comprehension for students and can cause a lack of

concentration. Baron states, “Of all the ‘like least’ comments about reading digitally, 21% were

cognitive in nature. Nearly all these comments talked about perceived distraction or lack of

concentration. U.S. students were especially vocal: Nearly 43% of their ‘like least’ comments

about reading digitally concerned distraction or lack of concentration” (18). Most students are

faced with distractions when reading digitally which can cause them to lack concentration on the

material. It is proven that print readings are better for concentration and comprehension, and

most students agree.

Another downside to the use of technology in school is the decreasing of students’

attention span. Concentrating is harder for students, and their attention span is getting shorter due

to the ability to multitask online. By reading digitally, students can have many tabs open at a

time. This can distract one from reading required work and makes students less likely to

comprehend and remember the information they are reading. Colorful and distracting

advertisements fill numerous website pages. Most of these advertisements can be clicked on,
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directing users to a new site. Students may get lost in this and get easily distracted by this. Online

reading allows students to view multiple things at once. For example, Baron states, “Students are

more likely to multitask when reading onscreen than in print – especially in the U.S. where 85%

reported multitasking when reading digitally, compared with 26% for print” (16). It is much

easier to multitask on a digital platform in comparison to a print text. The possibility of having

advertisements or other open tabs makes multitasking way easier, making it more likely to

happen.

Digital reading and assignments can lead to laziness and a lack of effort. Digital reading

allows students the ability to not fully read the piece, and still find the exact phrase or

information they are looking for. Students can search texts directly, making them less likely to

read full articles at a time. By not reading entire articles or books, students spend less time on

assignments. Some students may even rush their assignments so they can use their electronic

device for different uses. In “Barriers to Technology Use in Large and Small School Districts,”

author, Gregory M. Francom states, “Another respondent shared, ‘Some [students] are pretty

engaged either way, others do poorly on the computer because they will do it half-butt and play

games” (Francom). Since students know they can do more enjoyable things on their device, such

as play games, they may spend less time on their assignments. Ultimately, spending less time on

assignments will mean they will not do as well as one who would take more time to complete the

assignment. This also means students using technology may lack effort in comparison to a

student who does their assignments on paper.

Technology in schools has increased the ability to cheat on assignments and exams. If an

exam is not proctored or there are no instructors around to watch, students can switch tabs and

search for answers to the exam questions. There are many sites that make cheating easier, such as
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Chegg, Quizlet, and ChatGPT. Students can also easily share assignment answers between each

other. Technology makes cheating easier for students, so students do not necessarily learn the

material they are supposed to.

Technology can fall as a burden to many families as the price can be overwhelming.

Technology is not easily accessible for some families. According to “Using the Technology

Acceptance Model to Assess How Preservice Teachers’ View Educational Technology in Middle

and High School Classrooms,” the authors state, “The socioeconomic status continues to increase

the digital divide and equity in education in terms of access to technology; and as a new and

advanced technology becomes more available for some, others are falling behind” (Casey, Kirk,

Kuklies, Mireles). Many students have access to these online learning opportunities, but some

cannot afford it. Technology creates a divide between different socioeconomic statuses. It is not

fair for certain students to have access to more learning materials than others. However, print

reading and physical textbooks can be pricier than digital materials. Although it can be cheaper,

most students would rather have physical copies of textbooks. According to Baron, “If cost is

removed from the equation, digital millennials commonly prefer print” (19). If prices were the

same, most students would rather have printed paper rather than digital materials. Along with

cost, internet access also plays a role in accessibility. The families with a lower socioeconomic

status may not have access to internet at their homes. This only makes the divide larger.

Technology is not as easily accessible to people of certain socioeconomic statuses.

Although technology has many downsides in education, there are also some positives to

the use of technology. One of the advantages of technology in schools is the increase and

availability of communication and collaboration. Students and educators have the ability to

communicate with one another outside of the classroom. Students can email educators and
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receive a response way quicker with technology. Along with this, students can share group

assignments with each other, and communicate on these assignments while outside of school.

Technology makes communication and collaboration easier for students and educators.

Another advantage of using technology is having access to more resources. Students can

have access to many websites, articles, books, videos, and more. Along with this they can access

them anywhere, which can make it easier to complete assignments. According to Baron, "These

new tools make it possible for millions of people to have access to texts that would otherwise be

beyond their reach, financially or physically. Computer-driven devices enable us to expand our

scope of educational and recreational experience to include audio and visual materials, often on

demand” (16). Technology makes it possible to access information anywhere and at any time. It

also can reduce time spent on researching. In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” the

author, Nicholas Carr mentions, “The Web has been a godsend to me. Research that once

required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes. A few

Google searches, some quick clicks on hyperlinks, and I’ve got the telltale fact or pithy quote I

was after” (Carr 85). Technology makes it easier to find the information one is looking for and

allows one to find that information much quicker.

Additionally, technology is gradually taking over society. Schools are not the only thing

filled with technology. Since technology plays such a vital role in today’s world, it is important

to understand how to access and use these technological resources. According to the article,

“Exploring Student ‘Flow’ with 1:1 Technology,” the authors, Kathryn L. Lubniewski and

Kimberly A. Kiraly, state, “These will ultimately prepare students for the advancing digital

world in which they learn, work, and engage with others” (337). Technology is everywhere in

the world, so it is important to understand and know how to use it. Technology in school
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prepares for the world outside of education. Using technology in the classroom teaches important

technological skills that may be used after completing school. The article, “How Using

Technology in Teaching Affects Classrooms,” states, “We do not yet know what types of jobs

will be around when many of our students are adults joining the workforce, but we do know that

technology is not going anywhere. Students will need strong technology skills to be successful in

whatever job or career they may go into after school” (GCU). Students will most likely need to

use technology at some point after completing school, so using technology in school may be very

beneficial for one’s future.

Some people may argue that schools should only use electronic teaching methods since

the world is advancing to a digital age. Other people may argue that schools should revert to their

old ways, and not use technology at all. Although technology provides many benefits for

schools, printed paper materials should not completely go away. There needs to be a balance

between the use of technology and printed paper materials in schools. Technology is important in

schools, but the use of it needs to be reduced. For students to get the best education possible,

technology and physical sources such as books and printed paper both need to be used.

Technological devices are crucial for research in schools and communication with teachers and

peers outside of schools. However, technology is not needed for basic assignments and readings.

To solve the issues technology brings to schools, there needs to be a serious reduction. Some

ways to fix this problem would require schools and universities to resort back to physical

worksheets, paper tests, and paper readings. Even having a technology free zone at certain points

in time could be extremely beneficial to the concentration and comprehension of students.

Additionally, schools should provide some sort of electronic device, a computer or iPad,

for every student. This would help decrease the divide between students of different
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socioeconomic statuses. “In turn, students who have teachers using technology benefit,

particularly students who may not have access to technology in their homes” (Casey, Kirk,

Kuklies, Mireles). Technology in schools provides opportunities that certain students may not

have at home. For those who cannot gain access to the internet at home, they may go to a public

space if needed to complete an assignment outside of class. Required readings should be kept

printed, but if not required then digital readings are permitted. According to Casey, Kirk,

Kuklies, and Mireles, “A key component in ensuring all K-12 students receive opportunities to

engage with technology is to prepare preservice teachers to be proficient at using new

educational technologies in their classrooms” (Casey, Kirk, Kuklies, Mireles). Technology

should be available in schools; this allows students to have equal opportunities.

Technology has greatly impacted the education of students in both positive and negative

ways. Digital learning in school has reduced attention spans of students, created a lack of

comprehension, increased the ability to cheat, and is not easily accessible for everyone.

However, technology has made it easier to communicate and collaborate with others and made

information accessible anywhere. Along with this, it is important to understand how to use

technological devices since the world is consumed by technology. Knowing how to use

technology can be extremely vital for life after school. Both digital and printed paper materials

are important to implement in a student’s education, there just needs to be a balance between the

two.
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Works Cited

Bubniewski, Kathryn L. “Exploring Student ‘Flow’ With 1:1 Technology.” International Online

Journal of Primary Education, vol. 9, issue 2. 2020, pp. 337-354,

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1283020.pdf. Accessed 6 Sep. 2023.

Baron, Naomi S. “Reading in a Digital Age.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 99, no. 2, 2017, pp.

15–20. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26388266. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” JSTOR, 2009,

Casey, J.E., Kirk, J., Kuklies, K. et al. Using the technology acceptance model to assess how

preservice teachers’ view educational technology in middle and high school

classrooms. Educ Inf Technol 28, 2361–2382 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-

11263-6

Francom, G. M. (2016). Barriers to technology use in large and small school districts. Journal of

Information Technology Education: Research, 15, 577-591. Retrieved from

https://www.jite.org/documents/Vol15/JITEv15ResearchP577-591Francom2800.pdf

Klein, Alyson. “‘a Year of Tremendous Growth.’ How the Pandemic Forced Teachers to Master

Technology.” Education Week, Education Week, 28 May 2021,

www.edweek.org/technology/a-year-of-tremendous-growth-how-the-pandemic-forced-

teachers-to-master-technology/2021/04.
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Process Note for Assignment 1

The library worksheet helped me find valuable, credible sources for my recommendation

report. This worksheet also helped me narrow down the sources to use. The peer review helped

me since I read my paper out loud to my group. My group members did not have much to say

about my paper, but reading my work aloud helped me make sure my wording made sense. The

conference with my instructor was the most beneficial of everything. I asked all of the questions

I had, and he provided me with more ideas on what to write about.