Global Learning

Technology is supposed to support exploration, lesson integration, provide support for special needs students, minimize cost, expose educators to new trainings and be teacher tools. All of these areas have pros and cons that relate back to technology being used to promote global learning.

Exploration

Pros: Computers allow students to learn through exploring the internet and doing research. The act of looking up information and researching papers with such an extensive resource can keep students engaged in a project and learning far longer than they would with a set of encyclopedias.

Cons: Some students will explore beyond the bounds and parameters of the project and become distracted by other activities that they find on the internet.

Lesson Integration

Pros: By incorporating technology into lessons, students will become more engaged in and excited about the subject at hand. Lessons that would normally be tedious for many, such as social studies, can be much more engaging with virtual field trips and streaming video.

Cons: Finding the right materials online to integrate into a lesson is not always easy. This means teachers may spend a lot more time planning lessons and become overwhelmed and frustrated.

Special Needs

Pros: In special needs classrooms, each student is able to go at his or her own pace with the help of technology. This allows the students get individual instruction directly from the computer, which allows the teacher to accomplish more while feeling less stretched. Special needs students who are handicapped can also make use of assistive technology, which can allow them to communicate better.

Cons: Special needs technology can be very expensive and take an inordinate amount of money to acquire and operate.

Cost

Pros: Schools can secure grants to help pay for technology in the classroom.

Cons: Technology in general is expensive. Schools with minimal technology resources can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Classroom technology, especially laptops for individual student use, must be replaced every two to three years. Tech staff is required for a school with technology in the classroom. The more computers the school uses, the more people will be needed to keep the technology running.

Training

Pros: Training required for teachers and students using technology in the classroom will keep the users computer literate and allow both teachers and students to use their training in part-time jobs and future careers.

Cons: Training to use computers in the classroom can be costly and time-consuming. Many teachers are unwilling to participate in the extra training.

Teacher Tools

Pros: Technology in the classroom is not just for students. Teachers can use the technology to keep student records, plan lessons and communicate with parents.

Technology & Students

Advantage:

• Helps students develop the proficiency to create, critique, manage, analyze, evaluate and synthesize multiple streams of information 
• Allows students to connect, communicate and collaborate
• Access to technology is essential to the modern classroom
•  Helps connect students with people, resources and the global community

  

Disadvantage

• Lack of human interaction
• Distraction from classroom learning
•  Unable to develop skills to express themselves in a professional manner