Independent work theme: Compyuters and education

TATU URGANCH FILALI TELEKOMMUNIKATSIYA TEXNOLOGIYALARI FAKULTETI YO’NALISHI 972 21-GURUH TALABASI MATLATIPOV AZAMATNING INGLIZ TILIDAN TAYYORLAGAN

INDEPENDENT WORK

theme: Compyuters and education

PEREPARE: Matlatipov A.

Computers & Education aims to increase knowledge and understanding of ways in which digital technology can enhance education, through the publication of high-quality research, which extends theory and practice. The Editors welcome research papers on the pedagogical uses of digital technology, where the focus is broad enough to be of interest to a wider education community. We do not publish small-scale evaluations of specific software/systems in specialist domains or particular courses in individual institutions (unless the findings have broader relevance that is explicitly drawn out in the paper). Papers that include discussions of the implementation of software and/or hardware should focus on the context of use, the user/system interface, usability issues and evaluations of the user experience and impacts on and particularly on the implications for learning and teaching. Computers as a delivery platform only is insufficient. Detailed information on implementation architecture should NOT be included in the paper, but may be provided via URLs. We welcome systematic review papers and meta-analyses that include clear research questions, a framework of analysis, and conclusions that reflect the aims of the paper. See PRISMA guidelines for further advice (here). Authors should take care to refer to and abide by the author guidelines. Papers that do not address the criteria outlined in the author guidelines will be returned without review
Computers And Education Essay, Research Paper
Computers and Education
There was no doubt that computers would change the world when they first came
into existence. One of the major areas to be changed would be education, especially at
the college level. Computers provide students with numerous benefits. They allow
students to research classroom topics and can help improve classroom performance.
However, they have negatively affected education and will continue if there are further
advancements. It is important that education not lose the concept of personal touch
between the teacher and the student. Thus far, the advancements computer technology
have made in education have been beneficial for the most part; however, further
advancement could be detrimental.
It is very convenient for a student to be able to look up information on the
computer. No matter what field of study a student is involved in, they would be able to
use their computer as a source of information. One way of accessing this information is
through the multiple uses of the Internet. Search engines and online libraries are two
useful ways of gaining information. The amount of information a student can gather on
the computer is endless. For example, if a student needed to do research on dementia, the
computer would be a great source of information. By simply typing in the word dementia
into the search engine box, the student can find endless facts and information on
dementia. This is such an easier task compared to searching for hours through numerous
books.
Computers also help develop more interaction between the teacher and the
student, an aspect of education that is very significant. It is helpful for students to be able
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to e-mail their teacher if they are having problems in class. At the college level, students
may only see their teacher or professor one or two days a week. Students may not be able
to meet with their teacher during their office hours due to the conflicts in each
individual?s schedule. These types of students are now able to e-mail their teacher with
their questions. A computer is more helpful than a telephone in certain situations. For
example, a student may want a teacher to look his or her paper the night before it is due.
Unfortunately, the student is unable to meet the teacher in person. In a situation such as
this, the student could e-mail his or her paper to the teacher, including any questions he or
she might have concerning it. The teacher could easily e-mail the paper back, including
suggestions as well as answers to the students questions. In this situation the computer is
helping the student get the help he or she needs before class the next day. This type of
benefit helps improve classroom performance.
Contrary to the advantages computers offer to an individual?s education,
computers present problems that are equal to or greater than the advantages. Plagiarism
is one of the many problems computers present. Students are able to look up numerous
essays from the Internet. They can easily retype these essays and turn them in as their own
work. Since the amount of information on the Internet is endless, there is usually no way
for the teacher to know this or prove it. Students have a great temptation to do this.
Another problem associated with information gained by computers is obtaining
invalid information. One should always question the credibility of a source from the
Internet. It is true that the amount of information a student can find about a subject is
endless, but sometimes there is no way of knowing the validity of the source. Sometimes
the type of people passing information on the Internet are not experts in that particular
area. Yet students are not aware of that fact. Many times students may think they are
reading an article written by an expert, but often times they are not. On the Internet,
people often try to pass on information as though it is fact when it is really just the
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writer?s opinion. Students could easily write a paper full of invalid information because
of this problem.
Many students simply cannot afford the cost and upkeep of a computer. The lack
of cost efficient computers proves to be a major disadvantage to students who are already
paying for their college education. It is almost impossible for students to perform well in
a class when they do not have access to a computer. For example, many teachers post
homework assignments, notes, and important due dates on their own web page off of the
Internet. In some classes, the computer is the only way a student is able to access this
type of information. In this type of class, a student would be at a major disadvantage
without access to a computer. If computers are going to be such a substantial part of
education, they should easily be available to everyone.
If computer technology continues to rise, there will extreme damage to education
at the college level. Even bigger problems than plagiarism and false information will
arise. A descent in student?s thinking abilities would be a direct result of a rise in
interaction with computers and education. It is important that students not depend solely
on computers to prevent a loss in organized thinking skills and personal creativity. It is
important that a student feel like they can think and problem solve on their own without
depending on a computer.
Computer advancement will try and make it as easy and possible on students
when it comes to doing tasks around campus. A direct result of students relying too
heavily on their computer would be confinement. An advancement in computer
technology such as this only promotes laziness. Students should not be able to access on
the computer things that are already conveniently located on campus. For example, if a
student needs to get something from the store, talk to a friend, or get library information,
they should not depend on a computer to do it for them.
Most importantly, a rise in computers might have an affect on the personal touch
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between the teacher and the student. For a student to be able to interact with their teacher
is priceless. A computer will never be able to take the place of a human teacher. Part of
the learning process is for students to be able to discuss ideas in class with their teacher
and classmates. It is important that they feed off of each others ideas. It is impossible to
do this with a computer. A computer can only provide information. A teacher actually
takes this information and teaches the students how to integrate it into their lives. A
computer cannot talk back to the student or understand how the student is feeling. Only a
teacher can do that. A computer is not able to inspire a student to excel or show them
what steps need to be taken in order to improve. A teacher is the only source that can
truly educate.
Thus far, the advancements technology has made in education have been
beneficial; however, further advancement will be harmful to students? education.
Computers have influenced education in a positive way by providing information as well
as a way to communicate with teachers outside the classroom. But, these information and
communication capabilities can cause more difficulty than positive influence. There are
already many problems with mixing computers and education. A lack in a students
thinking ability and a loss in a teacher?s personal touch will only be a few of the problems
that will occur if there is a rise in computer technology.
Computers In Education Essay, Research Paper
Over the past ten years billions of dollars have been spent on computers for our nation?s schools. The goal was to improve and update our educational system but there is very little evidence of change through the years and taxpayers that have been paying for these upgrades in the schools want to know where the payoff is.
A small Belridge school district in Mckittrick, California was proud to be the first and only in the state to provide every student with two Apple IIg computers, one for school and one for home. It reshaped its curriculum to use computers in all subject areas and they thought it was working well. The parents were shocked to hear when the annual standardized test scores came in, that the entire first grade class, along with more than a third of the 64 member student body, had scored below their grade level for both reading and math. The school?s officials argued that students had scored even worse before the help of the computer program but in fact this was just one case where the computer program had failed. Many skeptics think schools should give up but educators and parents continue the fight to keep computers in the schools.
Research has proven that electronic drill and practice programs make children better spellers. Intensive preparation programs raise S.A.T. scores. So-called integrated learning systems, which deliver entire curriculums to student?s sittings at workstations in a learning laboratory, practically guarantee that grade point averages will go up. So why all the turmoil? Everyone is worried that too many tax dollars are being wasted on computers for kids when the old learning system worked just fine. They feel children do not need computers in school, that they can learn to use them at home, or in college, or even after they enter the work force.
New York University?s Neil Postman writes in his article ?The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School? that ?approximately 35 million people have already learned to use computers without the benefit of school instruction. If the schools do nothing, most of the population will know how to use computers in the next 10 years, just as most of the population learned how to drive cars without school instruction.? The argument isn?t against computers; it?s against the blind-faith rush to spend vast sums to pack schools with them. The same schools, often enough, where classroom size overwhelms any chance for learning, where programs for the arts and sports are the first to be cut.
For some schools this is a stumbling block, but for most the matter has been resolved. Parents want what is best for their children and often they are willing to chip in on the extra costs. If that means higher taxes or school fees then it?s a price they will pay to invest in their child?s education. Not only is there the argument of whether or not computers are necessary in the classroom, but which type of computers the children should use, the Mac or the PC.
Many parents argue that school should prepare children for the workplace, where Macs are a rarity. Parents also say that it?s more convenient if their children can come home from school and pop a disk in to their home PC. Michael Lorion, Apple computer?s Vice President for education says, ?there is a significant difference between how technology is used in schools and how it is used in business.? In the workplace, he argues, a computer is primarily used for word processing, e-mail, and access to databases, whereas in the classroom it can be a powerful tool for collaborative learning. Also, by the time today?s fifth grader enters the work force, windows may have given way to Java or maybe even an entirely different language that no one has yet begun to speak. Still, when PC salesmen whisper that children will ?fall behind? if they continue to use the Mac, the argument seems to work.
American schools have already spent more than five
Billion dollars this year on high-tech gadgets and training, and
many educators think laptops rank among the most promising of all. Laptops can be used by students in any class, at any time of day – a significant improvement over the typical computer lab. Unlike desktops, laptops are compact and portable making group work and field research more impelling and convenient. With all their students having computers with them at home, teachers say it gives them flexibility in assigning homework and the ability to answer student questions more readily through e-mail.
At New York City?s Mott Hall, 30 sixth-graders have been given laptops instead of textbooks. The Toshiba laptops, bought by the school district earlier this year, are leased to the students for $30 a month. The school district is satisfied with the program and has decided to expand it to 200 students. A program launched by Toshiba and Microsoft, that offers software-loaded laptops to schools at discount rates, has grown from 52 schools in 1996 to more than 170 this year. Not long ago, laptops were a luxury even school administrators could not afford. But now this district wants to make them as common in their classrooms as spiral notebooks. Several other school districts across the nation have mirrored Mott Hall?s model. Though the schools are asking parents to pay part of the cost of these computers, they don?t seem to mind so far. Many feel it will give their children a leg up or at least equal footing in class.
Skeptics say that there is little evidence that suggests computers, educational software, or the Internet prove to enhance student learning. Stanford University?s Larry Cuban states, ?Better technology doesn?t necessarily make kids better students; good teachers and smart curriculums do.? He adds, ?Schools that bought into the earlier generation of technology are stuck. The capital investment in desktops makes it difficult to buy this new thing called laptops.?
Computers of all varieties can improve education, but not without careful planning from schools and teachers. First of all, teachers must know how to use the computers so they can make up lesson plans and guide their students. Schools must know how to integrate them into the curriculum. Second, computer labs were acceptable for initial introduction to computers, but the focus today is on using them in day to day
learning. Children do better when they everyone has a computer. Adults don?t share computers in offices if they want maximum productivity and neither should children in classrooms. Each student must use his own computer if he is to benefit the most.

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