The essay is “How Classroom Technology is Holding Students Back” by Natalie Wexler.
Wexler argues that using technology in class harms the educational process instead of facilitating it. By sharing her experience with Kevin, a student from a minority group with a poor financial background, she demonstrates that the students struggle to interact with technology.
The author argues that technologies are unhelpful in teaching elementary school students.
Wexler presents her experience observing elementary school students from lower-income families like Kevin, who need help understanding certain concepts while working on digital gadgets. She also illustrates how easily children get distracted by noting that Kevin starts drawing on the iPad after losing enthusiasm to learn maths.
In her argumentative essay, Wexler relies on logos with factual evidence. For example, she provides the survey results to highlight that teachers prefer utilizing technologies for self-study regardless of the student’s age instead of getting involved in the lessons.
Technologies should be used in the classroom only when all students develop strong comprehension skills to avoid problems with sophisticated vocabulary knowledge. In such cases, technology serves as additional help for learners to consolidate their knowledge.
I agree that technology is unhelpful for elementary school students because they risk having many knowledge gaps and becoming trapped in the digital world. Therefore, students should interact more with teachers and peers to establish social bonds and learn critical skills.
I would elaborate more on the paradox between the school’s intention to help students from poor backgrounds and its negative consequences. It would be better to compare the teaching methods of different social groups in depth to establish that poor children remain marginalized despite all the efforts to prove that they should receive in-person learning.
Someone might believe that education based on technology helps students because visuals activate specific parts of the brain that facilitate easy information processing. Moreover, it motivates more students to interact with the subjects through gamification and access vital information since online sources are constantly updated.
Schools that position themselves as high-tech environment for students should read this essay to reconsider the balance between teaching in-person and through gadgets and create the most effective experience for students.
In her essay, “How classroom technology is holding students back,” Natalie Wexler argues that despite all the advantages devices bring to education, institutions should not prioritize their role over teachers, who should eliminate marginalization created by gadgets.
Reference
Wexler, N. (2019). How classroom technology is holding students back. MIT Technology Review. Web.