Utilizing computers in the classroom is becoming increasingly necessary to teach students as completely and effectively as possible. Computers are so commonly used that restricting class learning from utilizing available computer resources would be a failure on part of the K-12 system. Pen and paper have been sufficient in education in the past; however, now typing is much more convenient and older methods of teaching are quickly becoming outdated. Along with this, computers also incite a more individual approach and engage students. Switching from paper to computer has the added advantage of being physically lighter, lightening the weight that students have to carry in their backpacks during the school day. Students today do not benefit from the sole use of teachers and paper textbooks in the classroom. This idea against computer usage in the classroom is detrimental to the progression of  K-12 learning. The use of computer technology in American K-12 schooling is crucial to the advancement of teaching in the classroom in our evolving modern society through the evolving use of technology everyday in modern society, an effort towards the improvement in an individual approach to learning, and engaging students.

Teaching today in America without using computers would result in falling behind with the increased usage of technology in everyday life. Computer technology is evolving incredibly fast and the increased outside usage of this technology cannot be ignored in the classroom. Using cell phones or computers in the classroom prepares students for the real world, whereas prohibiting these technologies would hinder preparedness. “‘We think school should be preparing students for real life—and in real life, people use cell phones,’ says Nielson” (Koebler). Students do many activities outside of the classroom that would be not necessarily beneficial in the classroom, but the core style of attaining information in today’s society involves technology, therefore when you remove this element in the classroom setting, the student learns differently in the classroom which can be a struggle when it is more natural to use online resources today. The negative implications of ignoring modern technological advances indicate that the integration of computers in the K-12 system is necessary for the continued progression of teaching. Computers must be utilized in the classroom to keep up with the fast pace of advancement in society.

Using computer technology to teach extends an individual approach to learning, which is so often sought after and difficult to maintain with students who require such different paths to learn. Curriculums are frequently only able to use one method to teach. With online resources, students can resolve questions about the material they are learning with information found by looking up the topic and tailoring the teaching to their own needs. Rather than a single teacher explaining a concept to a number of students with different learning styles, a computer provides videos, papers, websites, and other resources to students that can help them understand material in a way that benefits them the most. Combining the use of a teacher and computer technology will benefit the student tremendously. Blended learning is the method of teaching with both an instructor and online resources, and is the optimal learning path to be taken with integrating computers into the classroom.

Other countries show a similar pattern of benefiting from the use of computers to teach. In India, an extensive study by professor Sugata Mitra was done with children in a slum in New Delhi. The children were given one computer with minimal instructions and taught themselves what they wanted to learn on this computer. The children taught themselves biotechnology, and one boy was found teaching another girl through the computer and helping her teach herself with the computer. Another study done by Mitra with a computer in an Indian slum aimed to teach the children involved how to speak English with better British accents. Like the first trial, this experiment was a huge success, as the children started the project with pronunciation that could not be detected as correct English by the software in the computer to incredibly accurate british accents. Going further, students were tasked with learning biotechnology in English. With the combination of their computer and an encouraging mentor, the scores of the students rose from zero to fifty percent. The experiment spread after these findings, and results in other countries as extensive as South Africa yielded similar results (Mitra). The power of a computer and dedicated student is strong, with much benefit coming from providing computers to those who do not have the resources for good teachers at their disposal. The results found through this study support the cause for American students and their use of computers to learn, with the student being able to learn through a computer the details that may not reach them by just hearing from a teacher. Otherwise, dependency solely on a teacher is highly restricting, as there are poor areas in America where good teachers will not go and students must be able to access information on their own if they wish. Even in classes with competent teachers and willing students, sufficient individual attention cannot be achieved solely from a teacher when a class consists of large groups of thirty students or more.

However, using computers in classrooms is argued to be distracting to students. The opportunity to use a computer with the capability of having multiple tabs open, with no restrictions on what is open, results in possible distraction. Students may use their laptops to access sites such as social media, online shopping, and other various forms of distraction on a computer. These hindrances are something to consider. However, if the school itself is issuing computers, then certain websites such as social media sites can be blocked, along with shopping sites that will not be of use for research in the classroom, and student activity on computers can be monitored to most effectively filter their usage at school. Providing computers to each student is something to consider, and there are government grants for technology that could support providing students with the technology to do schoolwork. This would also be made possible through spending less on traditional paper textbooks that are paid for right now and transferring the funding there to computers. Another argument encountered is that of taking notes. Even in a case where students use their own devices, the school can put a restriction on sites accessed from the internet connection or WiFi provided by the school. Notation through computers compared to writing notes by hand is an issue that many teachers have strong opinions about. A Princeton and University of California study found that the use of pen and paper in note taking is more effective in the immediate effects, as when those studied were quizzed right after learning about a subject, students who wrote their notes by hand performed overall better than those who typed their notes. (Rockmore) These results, however, cannot be entirely depended on for accurate results in learning retention, as these students were quizzed right after taking down the material, without chance of reviewing extensively the information presented. A recent Wakefield Research study found “about 70 percent of students use digital devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets to take notes in class” (Carlton). Typing notes also serves as a benefit, where one can effectively copy down information quickly as to cover more content in a class and review what was learned while studying, making class time more effective.

Contrary to the belief that computers would decrease engagement in a classroom setting, there is evidence that students are more likely to retain information when using a fun, more involved method of teaching, such as computers (Winston). Growing up in a society surrounded by new and improving technology, a blended learning method must be integrated into the school system to maintain engagement. Another program that promotes the blended learning module is “Edmomo.” Edmodo is a module created in 2008 with the goal of engaging students more effectively. Edmodo utilizes a blended learning approach and gives teachers a consolidated tool to aid in the process of integrating computer technology into the classroom. Since release nine years ago, the site has accumulated nearly ninety million users. The platform is similar to the website Blackboard used by the University of South Carolina, with options also to play educational games, catering to younger users. Along with offering age-appropriate tools, parents are also connected to their children’s studies and can monitor their progress and development. Parents can track their children’s learning including areas where they may need special attention, whereas this information would be less clear or unavailable without the use of technology. As said by the creator of the program about the purpose behind Edmodo, “Everyone is connected, everywhere they go now, except for the classroom.” The aim of Edmodo is to connect people through technology in the classroom (Borg). A program called DEMULTS aims to include computers into the classroom. Rather than doing so through online textbooks or writing notes on laptops, it does this through the use of educational video games. These video games enhance engagement and enjoyment for the students. This study utilizes the idea that culture affects the method of teaching that works most effectively for students. To apply to today’s culture, the use of technology is increasing rapidly, and the ways that we learn are being saturated with technology because of that. As a result, computers are shown here to be effective in this society for students today (Falcão).

Computers in the classroom are imperative in today’s society. The positive impact of using these technologies is astounding and promises a bright future for the continued progression of learning in the modern age. Computers aid in the transitions with the fast-paced society we live in, as typing is a quicker alternative to writing out notes and resources such as educational games being available for enjoyable learning at a young age. It also provides better engagement by students and an improved individual approach. Computer programs like that of DEMULTS and Edmodo are carving the way for efficient blended learning modules to be incorporated into K-12 schools across the country. There are already millions participating in these sites alone (Borg). More traditional styles of teaching are quickly becoming outdated, and computers are becoming more and more valuable tools for education. The American K-12 system benefits greatly from the integration of computers into the classroom.
