Edtech: The Good
If you're a young educator, or if you have young children, then I'm sure that you've been exposed to some sort of EdTech. If not, then just go with me on this. When I was in college I took an English class that used a program called "CourseSmart". It allowed us to read most textbooks online and download them onto our computers so we didn't have to lug around a bunch of books everywhere we went. This was great because it made our lives easier. It wasn't always the most convenient way to study however, so many people would still buy the textbook anyways and use it with CourseSmart as a supplement. Either way this technology was really helpful for students like us who wanted convenience when learning something new! Students can access their textbooks (or any other information) anywhere at any time using edtech which is AMAZING!
Edtech: The Bad
Sometimes too much convenience can be bad for students though. Take my English class again for example; CourseSmart had everything we needed right there on our computers (and soon phones). Our professor always thought it would be fun if she could call her dog into class once and he'd bark at us through the webcam attached to her laptop (she actually did do this!). She also mentioned how she couldn't wait until they were doing homework assignments via video chat instead of sending emails back and forth. The new technology was so convenient for her, but this made learning more difficult for us! I know that my English professor was really trying to keep things interesting, but this was a bad idea. It made it easier for her to access information at any time, but it also made it harder on the students who had to compete with these distractions. This is one of many examples where the convenience of edtech can make things more difficult for students.
Edtech: The Ugly
I'm sure you've heard about all the "hot new" apps that are supposed to make your life better...right? Well they're not always as great as people think they are. We've all heard about Snapchat and Instagram by now (if you haven't then please go ahead and look them up right now). These social media sites often encourage users to post pictures of themselves or others without even thinking twice! They give everyone false confidence because users will judge them based on how many likes they get on their posts...even if those likes aren't real! These apps can be very dangerous because they encourage people not only judge others based on looks, but also based on how much money someone makes or what kind of car someone drives. While this may be good for business, it's also bad for society because people will become more and more competitive and less likely to help one another.
Edtech: The Ugly - Part 2
While we're on the subject of social media, let's talk about Facebook! I'm sure you've heard of this one as well. They do a lot of things right with their website, but they have some flaws too. First off, I think that the ability to post anything you want without any limitations is a great idea! You can post anything from family photos to world news or even just silly memes! The possibilities are endless! That being said however, it also opens up people to attack others whenever they feel like it...which is never okay. Nowadays nobody cares about what other people have going on in their life...they just care about trying to make them feel bad or get attention for themselves. This is something I see everyday on my newsfeeds so please don't get me started on this topic because there are plenty of other things that Facebook could do better (but that isn't what we're talking about right now)! What I'm saying here really isn't that important anyways; the point here is that these new technologies can open up users to all kinds of cyberbullying which makes our lives harder instead of easier.
I think that edtech can be a great tool for students, but I also think that it can be used the wrong way. Do you agree with me? If so, I'd love to know what your thoughts are on this issue! Please leave them in the comments below and feel free to share this post with anyone who may find it useful!
