technology in education
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A growing trend in education is technology, which has both positive and negative connotations. Technology allows for schools to contribute globally rather than just within the classroom and school. We are able to communicate with people from other schools, as well as other countries, and this allows for students to broaden their understanding of other cultures and learning environments. Technology has made it possible for classes such as Alt Ed, Business, etc to be added into the course selection at many schools. This allows for students to take classes that they are more interested in or excel in. Research is literally at our fingertips, making it extremely easy for student to obtain information for their assignments. Although technology is extremely helpful and beneficial in order to cover the required curriculum, having this access to technology can also be detrimental. First of all, technology is a distraction to many teenagers, as well as adults. Social media consumes a large portion of an average persons day, which takes away from time better spent on studies. Schools have even had to go as far as blocking certain websites in order to maintain the attention of their students. Another downfall to technology is that it quickly becomes out of date or obsolete. Electronics that are purchased by schools, as well as by students, are often incompatible after a few months or years. An example of this is ENSS’s netbooks that are available in the library. Although they were purchased less than four years ago, they are slow, out of date, and usually not compatible with the programs and websites that students now need. Lastly, plagiarism has become much more common because of the ability to copy and paste information directly from a website to a document. It is difficult for teachers to confirm this plagiarism unless students are obtaining a post-secondary education, as they have higher technology to determine whether or not a paper has been plagiarized.
bullying in education
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry studies the long term affects of bullying, for kids who are bullied, kids who do bully, and for those who play both roles. Researchers studied data from over 1,400 children from North Carolina at the ages of 9, 11 and 13. After asking the children about their experiences with bullying, it was found that 5% were bullies, 21% were victims, and 4.5% played both roles. Between the ages of 19 and 26, the same people were surveyed again. They were asked question about their current mental health so that researchers could determine whether or not they suffered from mental health disorders, anxiety disorders etc. The children who had only been victims of bullying had greater risk for depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and agoraphobia as adults.The children who played both roles experiences many types of depressive and anxiety orders and suffered from suicidal thoughts. 25% of the surveyed people said they had suicidal thoughts and 38% had panic disorder. Those who were only bullies did not have the same risk for mental health disorders, but instead were at risk for antisocial personality disorder. The author of this study states that the fact that depression was such a risk later in life “provides strong evidence that being a victim of bullying or being both a victim and a perpetrator is a risk factor for serious emotional problems…independent of preexisting problems”. The author was also surprised “at how profoundly bullying affects a person’s long-term functioning…this psychological damage doesn't just go away because a person grew up and is no longer bullied. This is something that stays with them”.
Stress in education
The modern education system teaches children to put pressure on themselves in order to pass classes and exams with 90% marks. This stress stems from teachers, parents, peers, and themselves. The Korean model is to work extremely hard, and this has paid off, as they have achieved a remarkable feat. Their country is 100% literate, but this success has definitely come with a price. Every single one of these students is under incomparable pressure to perform and do well. It is believed that talent is not even a consideration. They believe in working hard, and therefore there is no excuse for failure. It is for this reason the students study year round, both in school and out of school. Korean’s believe that they must get through the really tough period (school) in order to have a great future. It is a question of short-term unhappiness and long-term happiness. The Korean model is believed to teach kids how to learn, work hard and persist after failure, which is what children need to know how to do in the modern world. The Finnish model is completely different from the Korean model, but proves to be just as effective. Finns believe that important learning happens outside of the classroom, and therefore they have short school days and school-sponsored extracurriculars. A third of the classes that students take in high school are electives, and it is a low-stress culture due to its values and wide variety of learning experiences. It is because of this that I personally believe the Korean model to be unacceptable. Finland has proven that students can be successful without an insane amount of stress, yet Korea still forces students to suffer through public school, high school, and post-secondary school in order to enjoy themselves later in life.
ways that school could be improved
- Better balance the curriculum: Either have a few large assignments that cover all of the curriculum, or several smaller assignments that over time complete the curriculum. We currently have a mixture of both, however it is quite difficult to finish the required work without dedicating a great deal of personal time.
- Lessen the expectation of homework: Depending on the school, most high school students have at least 4 courses per semester. In my personal experiences, teachers do not communicate with each other the way that they should, and therefore there are overlapping due dates, test dates, etc. This creates a lot of homework for students, and consumes a great majority of their personal time/weekends. Many students are required to work, and have a difficult time finding an even balance between work, school and personal life. If the expectations of homework were lessened, this would be an easier task for students (high school and college/university students in particular).
- Options for evaluation: While some students thrive in a written examination, others struggle. Some students find it easier to demonstrate their understanding of the curriculum by completing a written assignment or research paper, while others struggle with this. If students were presented with the option to choose the method of evaluation that best suited them, it would allow students to thrive and to enjoy the curriculum to the best of their ability.
- Eliminate and/or alleviate stress: In a society where stress is always a factor, the education system should examine ways to help eliminate or at least lower the stress level placed on a student. This could include considering negotiable due dates, flexible test dates, extra work periods or shorter lessons to allow for completion of outstanding work, and optional group work. I personally enjoy education and learning, however the stress that school causes me is often overwhelming and lessens my motivation, as well as my overall enjoyment of school. The extremely high cost of post-secondary education puts a lot of stress on grade twelve students especially, as their marks will ultimately determine where they may attend and how much it will cost. Many students work extremely hard in order to obtain as many scholarships as they can, but this creates an insane amount of additional stress. There are times in our lives where we will all experience stress, however I do not feel as though school should be a major contributor to daily stress.
- Relate the curriculum to everyday life: Many believe that today’s curriculum does not pertain to everyday life. One example of this is the math courses that are available in high schools. We are taught how to find the value of x by using an equation, but we are not taught how to balance a cheque book or create a household budget. In your opinion, what is more important?
the importance of education
The expectations of society today place a great deal of importance on education, post-secondary in particular. Without an education there are few employment opportunities, resulting in higher unemployment rates and low income families. A basic education is required in order to develop the skills necessary for success in everyday life. While post-secondary is not an option for everyone, those who have the opportunity to continue their education will thrive within a professional setting, ultimately helping to provide assistance to an often failing economy.
I believe that my ideas could help to positively impact the experience of school by creating a more beneficial learning environment. Removing high stress levels from within the academic setting will benefit students and teachers. Many people who decide not to further their education may reconsider their options if stress is removed from the equation. This will ultimately benefit the student, as they will have the opportunity to further develop their overall self and it will benefit our economy by producing more educated professional citizens. Many students do not enjoy school because of the way the curriculum is currently presented, the stress associated with school, frequent homework and the process of being evaluated. My ideas would remove and improve many of the current issues within today’s education system.
After the implementation of my suggestions, each of the social sciences would analyze them differently. Anthropology would analyze my suggestions by discovering more educated individuals which would create a more complete society. Psychology would analyze my suggestions by realizing that individuals are significantly less stressed than they were before implementation, and that the majority of students are enjoying their experience with education. Sociology would analyze my ideas by seeing a society that is thriving due to a higher level of education as a whole. These three social sciences would witness a significant improvement in the overall education of society.
I believe that my ideas could help to positively impact the experience of school by creating a more beneficial learning environment. Removing high stress levels from within the academic setting will benefit students and teachers. Many people who decide not to further their education may reconsider their options if stress is removed from the equation. This will ultimately benefit the student, as they will have the opportunity to further develop their overall self and it will benefit our economy by producing more educated professional citizens. Many students do not enjoy school because of the way the curriculum is currently presented, the stress associated with school, frequent homework and the process of being evaluated. My ideas would remove and improve many of the current issues within today’s education system.
After the implementation of my suggestions, each of the social sciences would analyze them differently. Anthropology would analyze my suggestions by discovering more educated individuals which would create a more complete society. Psychology would analyze my suggestions by realizing that individuals are significantly less stressed than they were before implementation, and that the majority of students are enjoying their experience with education. Sociology would analyze my ideas by seeing a society that is thriving due to a higher level of education as a whole. These three social sciences would witness a significant improvement in the overall education of society.
social needs in today's society
Both bullying and stress have become an overwhelming issue within today’s society and particularly within our education system. I believe that my suggestion toward changing the system would allow for these two concerns to be addressed and minimized significantly. My ideas consisted of better balancing the curriculum, lessening the expectations of homework, providing options for evaluation, eliminating and/or alleviating stress, and relating the curriculum to everyday life. Bullying could be reduced by allowing those individuals of a similar learning style to work together, as opposed to forcing students of a different learning style to work in a group. Stress would be reduced by providing this option, as well as lowering some of the unrealistic expectations currently being placed on students by their parents, teachers, peers, and themselves. By striving to improve each of these concerns, the level of stress and the high incidence of bullying would be greatly reduced, assisting in the improvement of the social needs of today.