Although there are many advantages of using technology in an education setting, there are also many downsides that are often overlooked.
Good Handwriting May Be a Thing of the Past
With the use of tablets and computers to do assignments and homework, we may see the extinction of good handwriting in all children. For a while now, children who struggle to write or have dyslexia were often helped in classrooms and exams with the aid of a laptop. But if everyone starts using them then there will be less and less need to write anything down.
Access to Inappropriate Content
This is a major issue for many teachers and parents. The internet is full of things that are inappropriate for children to see. Even though it is possible to put on parental locks on many of the devices out there, that still does not make it 100% safe.
Not only is there a risk of a child searching for inappropriate content, there is also a risk of people contacting them through messaging sites, or even gaming apps that have direct messaging as an option. Children are often naïve and vulnerable when it comes to things like this. Even with internet safety information.
Learners Disconnected from Real World
Whilst teachers are busy educating with their online tools, they are losing a lot of the all-important verbal communication between themselves and the students. This can make children disconnected from the world. It could also be more difficult to discipline misbehaviour as the teacher can no longer draw the students’ attention – the device does that instead.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying was an issue before technology was first introduced as an educational tool. It is still a major issue and if anything the problem is getting worse. Cyberbullying is dangerous because it can be done with complete anonymity. There are approximately 4,400 young people that die from suicide each year, for every one of those deaths there is at least 100 suicide attempts. A huge proportion of this stems from bullying, and cyberbullying has only made it easier. Before a child could just go home and not have to deal with it for a while, now it follows them home.
Cheating
The use of devices in the classroom has the inevitable risk of cheating.
A Major Distraction
Above all else, many technological devices are a major distraction to anyone, not just kids! With an abundance of games and non-education related material, it can be easy for minds to wander.
Incorrect Information
Not everything you read on the internet is true, I know that you know that, but does a child? Children are far more impressionable than adults, and even if you inform them on the matter how are they going to know what is real and what is fake? Many adults still struggle figuring out what is real and fake online, this is because tricksters and trolls are getting better. And as the technology advances so do their skills.
