Computers In Schools: Tapscott II

Technology is infiltrating many aspects of our lives. Regardless of how we feel about this, it is happening. As Americans, we generally use various forms of technology in our everyday business and personal lives with virtually no objections to it. But, what about technology in school systems? What about students brining laptops to class?

According to Tapscott, ". . .almost every American school provides Internet access and about 95% of schools have high-speed connections" (Tapscott 142). He goes on to give both positive and negative examples of the use of computers in schools. Some studies show that computers don't make much of a difference, while others show an improvement in learning due to the use of computers. So what is true?

Clearly, like any tool, computers can either be positive, negative, or indifferent depending on their use. This is why studies on technology in the school systems vary so much. If you use a hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood, you are using the tool right and will get positive results. On the other hand, if you use a hammer to throw at a car that cuts you off on the highway and you are cited with a ticket from an on-looking officer, you will get a negative result. Finally, if you use a hammer as a lawn ornament, you may enjoy the look of it but it offers you no positive or negative results - it is indifferent.

Similarly, a computer in the classroom can either enhance the learning process, distract students from it, or merely be likened to a lawn ornament with no real purpose or use.

The issue seems not to be about the students learning to use the technology properly and to their benefit; rather, it is more with the teachers learning the teach about the use of computers and learning how to teach a technologically inclined generation. It is just as important for the students to comprehend how to absorb lecture-based information as it is for teachers to learn how to teach from a technologically interactive point-of-view.

It's not that one needs to replace the other-- both need to work hand-in-hand to enhance and broaden the learning base. As Tapscott puts it : "It's not what you know that counts anymore; it's what you learn" (Tapscott 127).