Education and Technology - Essay Example

By definition, education is the process of imparting or acquiring knowledge, developing the powers of both judgment and reasoning, as well as the general intellectual preparation of an individual or others for a mature life. On the other hand, the dictionary definition of technology is a branch of knowledge that primarily deals with the creation and the use of technical means and their interrelation with life, the environment, and the society as a whole. With the modern day advancement in technology, a relationship between education and technology has ensued and as a result, seen many forms of technology being applied in the education environment. This being said, the core intent of this essay is to define how modern-day digital technology lies at the heart of contemporary education provision.

To begin with, computer-assisted learning is the primary form of technology applicable in the education environment. More specifically, scholars define this form of education as the use of computers as tools that provide support to education or training people. In this regard, teachers and educators make use of computers in the classroom setting to give assignments to students and their respective study groups. Besides, teachers and educators use computers and their technology to illustrate visually related subjects which, in turn, enhance learning for students. Similarly, some studies done regarding the relationship between computers and language learning substantiate that computer-aided learning helps the development of the four language skills, reading, listening, writing and speaking, in learners. This, in essence, signifies that most of these computer-aided learning programs are geared toward the effective attainment of these skills.

In a similar regard, technological features such as educational computer games have been extensively applied in education settings. Using educational computer games in classrooms is considered overly beneficial since this kind of game-based learning helps in learning both content and skills, including the 21st-century skills such as collaboration and innovative problem-solving. According to Schaffhauser (2013), when used appropriately, educational computer games make it possible to understand and grasp basic classwork concepts like a game. This means that when students play these educational games, again and again, they enhance their daily academic practice and hence improving their theoretical knowledge with each new attempt. Similarly, living in the 21st century, technology has indeed taken over many aspects of life. For this reason, it is more important to incorporate video games into classrooms since they primarily prepare the learning students for living and also working in the 21st century. Owing to the fact that modern-day children are using computers more often, it is only essential that both educators and school leaders get the students to be more prepared for the working environment and also to see them more inspired towards different and relevant future careers. Banchero (2013) argues that educational gaming can help equip children with the skills necessary for adapting to the outside world.

Today, learning using technology has become a global phenomenon. However, there are differences between the extent at which technology in education is used in developing countries and the developed countries. More fundamentally, in developed countries, forms of technology such as the internet is often considered as a value-neutral tool that primarily allows the learners to overcome the constraints of traditional elitist spaces and gain unhindered access to learning. However, although it is widely suggested that incorporating technology in education can help address issues of social exclusion and education equity, most developing countries face a lot of challenges with regard to the incorporation of technology in education. For instance, in some countries such as Nigeria, Africa, a majority of schools in the less privileged areas lack technologically trained personnel and teachers and hence acting as a hindrance to computer-aided education. In a similar regard, most developed countries such as the United States have almost every institution of learning to incorporate computer-aided programs. This is, however, not the case in most developing countries since large populations live in the rural areas where they do not have access to the internet. Thus, as a result, the introduction of technology-aided education in the developing countries seems to have done little advancements as compared to the developed countries.

In conclusion, the incorporation of technology in education has evidently gained more traction over the recent years and has become more accessible with numerous benefits. In a similar regard, a form of technology relating to education has evolved from simple forms used in the 80s to the complex ones that are highly used today. For this reason, numerous benefits of the use of technology-based learning in classrooms can be seen in their promotion of problem-solving skills and creative thinking, among other relevant factors in education. There is no doubt that technology in classroom environments has positive educational outcomes when efficiently used. However, although numerous educational systems have endorsed the use of technology-based learning in class, the most significant challenge lies in identifying how various forms of technology should be adequately incorporated in class to connect to the curriculum.