Children’s use of Technology for Recreation rather than for Educational Purposes

The impact of technological developments on recreation has been significant. The increased use of technological tools has transformed how people spend their recreational time, students included. In this regard, students spend a considerable number of hours on their mobile devices, as the technological tool has increased their exposure to a variety of online experiences. The consumption of the experiences is no longer homogenous among the members of a particular household of learning institutions, as individuals are now exposed to significant freedom regarding their choice of recreational activities. Freedom affects all the spheres of the life of students. In this case, digital technologies have replaced the traditional technologies, as the technologies have altered the physical as well as mental aspects of the development of children. Students increasingly use technologies for recreation rather than educational purposes.

One of the challenges faced by educators is the preference displayed by students in using technology for recreation rather than employing the same effort to engaging in educational materials. This challenge presents the question regarding whether recreational technology can affect the learning development of students (Peter & Horst, n.d.). For this reason, the report focuses on defining the issue, exploring different avenues that could be considered to provoke change, and an action plan, whose implementation can enhance the constructive use of technological tools for educational purposes. Against this backdrop, the report provides that it is apparent for educators to engage in thoughtful and reflective work in exploring new models that could be implemented in the classroom, considering the increasing adoption of digital learning.

Before assessing the issue under consideration, it would be vital to understand the applicability of technological tools as related to recreation and education. In the fast-paced and competitive society, students are forced to devote much of their time in academic learning, including other knowledge-enhancing activities (Young & Crow, 2016). The pressure deprives them of the activities or different experiences that they can carry on during their leisure time, even though they choose their leisure activities voluntarily. The selection of their recreational activities depends on the level of satisfaction, pleasure, or the creative enrichment they derive from the engagements. Their emotional state is also affected by their participation in recreational activities.

Although students are free to choose the type of leisure activities that fit their needs, it can be argued that technological developments have altered their sense of autonomy, as most students use different digital tools during their leisure time. However, the tools could possibly be used for other purposes, primarily educational purposes, which is one way to ensure they engage with the devices constructively. Even though students can derive significant benefits from their interaction with the digital tools, primarily because they can access learning materials easily, most of them do not exploit this educational opportunity (Lin, Chen, & Chai, 2015). For this reason, it would be vital to institute an action plan that can be implemented to ensure their enhanced engagement with technology as an educational tool, which is one of the fundamental elements covered in this report. 

Defining the Problem

The fundamental question considered is whether students’ use of technological tools for educational purposes rather than using them for fun can lead to high academic achievement. According to Bowers and Berland (2013), the relationship between academic achievement and the use of digital tools for recreation can be looked at from many perspectives, which might be positive, negative, or neutral. Regardless of the view that an individual chooses to subscribe to, technology has the potential of hurting students' learning. This issue calls for the need for educators to rethink of the different approaches to technology in learning institutions, primarily to support positive learning outcomes.

Avenues to Address the Challenge Presented

The prevailing image in the mass media is the idea that individuals who frequently use digital devices for recreation are maladjusted (Klein, 2010). This argument might influence an individual’s position when claiming that the use of digital technologies for recreation can affect the learning capability of a student, consequently calling for the need for caregivers and parents to restrict the use of the devices for recreation. This argument is seemingly flawed, as suggested by Bowers and Berland (2013), who rely on evidence to suggest that the recreational use of computers cannot be considered as the culprit to the decrease in student test scores. This position calls for the need for teachers and parents to implement measures that can alter the students’ increasing use of the technological tools for recreation to their use for educational purposes. 

To ensure that students use the technological tools for educational purposes, one of the avenues that can be exploited is based on the constructivism theory. According to Aldoobie (2015), constructivism theory focuses on the idea that actual learning information does not depend on what instructors tell students or the information the students hear, regardless of whether the instructor repeats the information presented severally. The theory emphasizes on the idea that learners are autonomous and can construct and develop the information they have internalized, based on prior knowledge and their experiences (Aldoobie, 2015). This theory can inform the strategies that can be applied to address the challenge presented, as it focuses on dealing with change or the modification of the educational environment. In addition to working to leverage the change to enhance the status of this theoretical provision in the educational environment, the integration of technology in the education setting can be considered. 

Concerning the foundations of the constructivist theory, it is possible to suggest that educators should integrate technology into the learning process, as technological developments occur frequently, and can be included in the teaching. According to Aldoobie (2015), it is common knowledge that technology adapts in different groups of learners, which could be a factor to consider when indicating that technology could be thoughtfully integrated into education, as it will have a significant impact in terms of the useful development of education. An important technological tool that can prove to be beneficial to offset the challenge is the integration of mobile learning, which can encourage learners to engage with their digital learning materials, consequently reducing the time they spend using the technological tools for recreation. In this light, the constructivist theory can inform the effective use of technology for educational purposes rather than for recreational reasons. 

Behaviorism theory can also inform the exploration of avenues that can be used to address or resolve the challenge presented. Behaviorism learning theory focuses on the concept of stimulus-response, which provides that the behavior caused by external stimuli can be explained without the consideration of the internal mental state of an individual (Harasim, 2012). The theory’s fundamental assumption is that learners are passive and likely to respond to environmental stimuli (Harasim, 2012). From this basis, educators can modify the attitude, behavior, and the efforts of their students by using instructional strategies supported by technological tools to enhance their understanding. In this regard, educators can implement the principles of this theory to allow students to learn using technological tools, during which they will be learning passively as they engage in acquiring new skills. Additionally, educators can allow their students to collaborate and use the technology tools for learning to find answers to problems that might be presented in the classroom, which is one of the most effective ways to enhance student learning using technology. 

Action Plan

The action plan has to follow predetermined goals that can assist in ensuring the proper integration of technology for educational purposes in the learning environment. The goals to be achieved are highlighted below.

To ensure that students have an engaging and an empowering learning experience

Promoting the use of digital tools by the teaching staff

Leveraging the power of technology for measuring the important elements related to the provision of educational opportunities and using assessment data for improving learning

Goal 1

To ensure that the learners in the institution have an engaging and empowering learning experience, it will be vital to consider putting in place technology enabled provisions that can make it possible for them to tap the resources and expertise needed from different parts of the world. To achieve this goal, instructors can use technology tools to enable personalized learning (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2012). For instance, educators in learning institutions can design learning experiences that can make it possible for students to select from a list of learning experiences, which can be accessed through a common rubric to demonstrate the experience (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). The various learning experiences that can be considered in the design include producing media, developing websites, giving students the option to write essays, and providing them with a platform through which they could collaborate with experts in their field to collect data on a given research problem. The technology-enabled learning experiences can engage the learners and can ensure they derive relevant information from the activities. 

Through technological applications, teachers can also organize learning based on actual challenges, for instance, project-based learning. The implementation of this provision can require the use of different digital devices that can show the level of student competency with complicated activities and content (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). For instance, instead of providing the students with the opportunity to write a research report, the teacher can encourage the student to publish his or her findings online, from which he or she will receive feedback from researchers as well as other professionals in the given field. The online audience can also provide the student with constructive feedback that can be used to inform future research. Such an engagement would be beneficial to the student as he or she will exploit the opportunity presented to gain more knowledge. 

Goal 2

Educators can collaborate with technology experts and professionals outside their schools to expand their perspectives regarding how technology can be used to enhance the educational experience of the students. The knowledge that the teachers will get from the collaborative relationship can enable them to create opportunities for enhancing student learning (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). The teachers can connect with the community of entities that specialize in real-world issues to design learning experiences that would enable the students to explore their educational needs and priorities. The considered strategy is vital for ensuring that classroom learning can be more authentic as well as relevant. Additionally, the teachers can consider using tools such as online chats to connect and collaborate with their peers in different parts of the world to form an online professional community that can provide them with the opportunity to share their experiences concerning the implementation of technology tools in the classroom. 

Goal 3

To achieve the third goal, different types of assessment could be used. For instance, using the summative assessment, the technology tools will be used to measure student knowledge and their skills at a particular point. The summative assessments are usually administered at different levels, such as student groups, grade levels, or district levels (Cheng & Chang, 2014). The results obtained from the assessments can assist in determining whether students are fulfilling the predetermined standards in a given subject, including the evaluation of whether the instructional model being used is effective. Formative assessments might also be used using the technology tools to provide the educators with the information they need to institute appropriate actions that can assist in promoting further learning (Cheng & Chang, 2014). 

Table I: Preparation Action Plan

Overall Goal: To enhance the quality of educational achievement based on the implementation of technological tools for education Objective: To increase students’ educational achievement through the application of technological tools
Strategy	Actions considered	Resources	Funding	Responsible Entity
Optimizing the use of technologies in place and integrating the technology to enhance student learning.	Integrate the available technology adaptive devices for improving student achievement The school district will still continue using technology for identifying the interventions that might be required to address the learning needs of the students	Technological inventory and surveys	Local budget	Board of education in the district
Students should be able to use the technological resources to develop collaborative skills, communicate, and enhance their digital literacy for solving educational issues	Application of a variety of digital resources for demonstrating effectiveness in terms of the communication skills acquired Providing students with access to tools that can enhance collaborative learning Use technology tools to identify the interventions needed for addressing their learning needs	Technological inventory and surveys	Local budget	Classroom teachers, technology facilitators in the learning institutions, curriculum specialists

Conclusion

The proposed plan is vital for improving student engagement in educational activities using technology tools instead of spending a considerable amount of their time in using digital devices for recreation. The report outlines the primary issue, which focuses on the question regarding whether students’ use of technological tools for educational purposes rather than using them for fun can lead to high academic achievement. To provoke changes regarding the considered issue, the report has identified two theories, the constructivism and behaviorism theories, which provide principles that educators could use when contemplating the integration of technology to the learning environment. Through the action plan, it will be possible to realize the goals set, thereby ensuring the improvement of student learning outcomes as derivatives of technological integration to the learning environment.

References

Aldoobie, N. (2015). Technology integration and learning theory. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 5 (6), 114-118.

Bowers, A.J., Berland, M. (2013) Does Recreational Computer use affect High School Achievement? Educational Technology Research & Development , 61(1), 51-69. doi:10.1007/s11423-012-9274-1 

Cheng, Y., & Chang, H.-H. (2014).  Advancing methodologies to support both summative and formative assessments . Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Dabbagh, N., & Kitsantas, A. (2012). Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning.  The Internet and higher education ,  15 (1), 3-8.

Harasim, L. (2012).  Learning theory and online technologies . Routledge.

Klein, S. (2010). Study: Too many video games may sap attention span. Health.com . Retrieved from http://news.health.com/2010/07/05/video-games-attention-span/

Lin, T.-B., Chen, V., & Chai, C. S. (2015).  New media and learning in the 21st century: A socio-cultural perspective . Singapore: Springer. 

Peter, W., & Horst, E. (n.d.).  Economics of Risky Behavior and Sensation Seeking . De Gruyter.

U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan update. Office of Educational Technology. 

Young, M. D. & Crow, G. M. (2016). Handbook of research on the education of school leaders. Taylor & Francis.