Should Technology Be Used in Classrooms?: Pros and Cons

Michele Heimbauer, MA CCC-SLP

Associate Director, Winston Innovation Lab

At Winston Prep, technology is approached as a tool for enhancing learning, considering individual needs. Pitfalls include using it as a reward or crutch, leading to passive learning.

However, when used intentionally, benefits include improved engagement, organization, and collaboration. Responsible use is crucial, fostering digital citizenship and wellness.

At Winston Preparatory School, we think of technology as a tool to enhance the learning that is happening in the classroom in a mindful and intentional way, rather than a bypass mechanism. As with our approach to all we do, our introduction and use of technology is based upon the individual needs and strengths of each student while also relying on evidence-based efficacy research.

Here we’ll explore instances in which technology should and should not be used in the classroom. Continue reading to gain a bigger picture understanding of how students and teachers approach tech at Winston Prep.

Possible Pitfalls of Technology in the Classroom

Technology as a reward.

Research widely supports that rewards and consequences are not an effective approach to supporting the development of a child. Though it might seem that these methods make a difference in the short term, in the long term, rewards and consequences are detrimental to a child’s overall development and motivational system.

Using technology specifically as a reward (or removing it as a consequence) exacerbates the dopamine surge the screen can trigger, increasing the child’s desire to be on the screen.

Further, screens have inevitably become a requisite part of life. It is important to normalize their use, integrating such tools into the day rather than treating them as a special occurrence while explicitly modeling and teaching healthy and mindful use of technology.

Technology as a crutch.

Educators need to judiciously choose how to integrate the ever-growing accessibility of applications, careful that they are not promoting the use of technology as a substitution for explicit remediation of skills, especially when it pertains to students with learning disabilities.

For example, though text-to-speech and speech-to-text programs have made significant quality and usability gains over the past decade, we still have a responsibility to teach a student with dyslexia how to decode, encode, and fluently apply these skills independently.

Technology as passive learning.

Technology can promote passive rather than active learning. Without explicit instruction on how to actively engage with digital material while self-monitoring for understanding, students will often be challenged to retain, recall, and apply the information in effective ways.

Benefits of Technology in the Classroom

When used intentionally, technology can be vastly helpful in the classroom. Students and teachers now have incredible opportunities, for example, to research, stay apprised of current events, and take part in virtual experiences.

Here are a few ways that technology benefits WPS students every day:

Students can use technology to manipulate information on the smart board in real-time and teachers can create more engaging lessons and learning experiences overall.

It is significantly easier to keep track of assignments, notes, and tasks.

Feedback on assignments can be immediate and collaborative, improving the learning process.

Groups of students (or the entire class!) can work together on one document, developing critical thinking and collaboration.

If used intentionally, technology is a valuable tool and resource that facilitates the learning process for all students in different ways.

Examples of Technology in the Classroom

Examples of technology that is helpful for students with dyslexia include:

Audiobooks
Text-to-speech reader programs (such as read&write for Google)
Video content

They allow access to complex syntax, tier 2 vocabulary, and information beyond their decoding level. Audiobooks can also provide a model for fluent reading as a student follows along with the corresponding text.

Recording technology can be used to independently practice fluent reading. Word processing, especially for students with dysgraphia, can help alleviate the cognitive load of written expression, allowing students to focus on developing sentence and composition skills.

There are also several effective applications available to support independent practice and reinforcement of specific decoding and encoding skills introduced in the classroom.

How to Use Technology in the Classroom

When working with a student with a nonverbal learning disability technology can be an effective tool for bridging the abstract with the concrete, deepening comprehension of the world around them. Using multimedia videos, photos, and demonstrations can bring content to life.

For example:

Using technology to video chat with a refugee, Holocaust survivor, or a classroom in another country: provide context and real world knowledge to perspective taking or otherwise abstract concepts.

Building and math related applications: support visual spatial and mental rotation skills, important to not only understanding mathematical concepts but also tied to visualization and perspective taking skills as a whole.

For students with weak executive functioning skills, the focus should be on using technology as an organizational and productivity tool. Often, the simplest technology is best for these applications.

For example:

A basic clock and calendar app can be incredibly helpful in supporting self-regulation by tracking goals, plans, and follow through

A basic mindful breathing app can help support students’ availability in the learning process

Importantly, instructors need to explicitly teach students how to use these tools while also teaching how to reflect on their effectiveness. It’s the best way to be sure they are helping rather than hindering goal achievement.

Using Technology Responsibly

Winston Prep leaders and instructors understand that an integral component of technology instruction is intentionally and explicitly developing digital citizenship, media literacy skills, and digital wellness whenever using technology.

In addition to modeling effective and healthy use of technology involving critical thinking and reflection in the classroom, resources available from partners such as Common Sense Media, are useful in helping instructors, students, and families understand the impact of technology use on ourselves and others.

Applying reflections to learn how to monitor and respond to one’s emotions while using technology, and learning effective strategies for both the classroom and the home environment to ensure responsible use and balance is a key component of our technology approach.

Technology has saturated our lives. It is our responsibility as educators to teach our students how to use these tools effectively to enrich their learning while supporting their social emotional well-being.

Winston Preparatory School is an innovative, individualized program for students through 12th grade with learning differences such as dyslexia, nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD), and executive functioning difficulties (ADHD). Learn more and discover how Winston Preparatory School uses technology as a remediation tool not as a work around.

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