Over the recent few years, the impact of technology on our day to day lives is undeniable. Every sector and industry has undergone revolutionary changes, as gadgets have become an essential part of their everyday operation. In the light on these things, a huge question always comes up, especially when it comes to education - that whether technology is only helpful or a distraction.

Technology in education

Technology has come to the education sector later than it did in business and several other sectors, but its influence is, without a doubt, immense. It was not until the 2000s that computers became a regular feature in every school around most parts of the world. Although more developed places saw computers and advanced technology a bit earlier, some parts of the world are still not up to par when it comes to the use of advanced technology in education. But overall, a larger section of the world is now reaping the benefits of the introduction of technology.

Advantages of technology

Right from the smallest task to the most important ones, everything is available at our fingertips, thanks to the use of gadgets and internet. Parents can now check out and even apply to a larger number of schools for admitting their children, without even having to take a day off and stand in serpentine queues for hours. They can check up on their kid’s performance, progress and reports, pay fees, and check any notifications from their teachers. Thanks to technology, students can make up for their missed classes by downloading class notes or sharing them online. Certain institutions also have recorded copies of the class lectures available for students. Teachers can expand their classroom resources infintely.

Plenty of valuable research materials can also be easily accessed online, and pupils can also choose to take extra online classes from specialists, irrespective of whether they are in the same school, college, or even country. The boundaries of education have clearly expanded beyond the geographical and temporal borders to include the entire world into its fold.

Distracting impact of technology

It cannot be denied that technology can provide a huge distraction to students as well as educators and parents alike. It is not uncommon to see a teacher steal a quick glance at his or her social media or personal messages while in class. Such kind of distraction not only sets the class back by a few minutes in literal time, but it sets them all back by quite a bit mentally. If this happens regularly, it can cause quite some damage over time. 

It is no secret that students are also majorly distracted by their devices. Be it in class or while studying at home, students often get hugely involved in their messages, social media, and even taking selfies when they had originally picked up the gadget to research something for their homework.

This is posing quite a problem - and the only solution really is to ensure that everyone concentrates on learning while in class on studying, without letting other things distract them.

The influence of technology on education is huge. Right from checking American University Rankings 美国大学排名 to applying for grants, students can do almost everything in a matter of a few clicks...from anywhere in the world. Yes, chances of it being misused or distracting is also quite high, but like every good thing, it has its bad sides as well. It’s completely up to the people using technology whether they use it to their benefit or let it distract them from their purpose.