Pros and Cons of Computer-Assisted Education

The rise of information technology owing to technological advancement has brought a revolution on how teachers and trainers transmit educational content as well as how students consume it. Prior to technological advances and improvements, the education sector relied on traditional teaching-learning approaches, which are teacher-centered. In this case, the teachers taught through lectures, which came in the way of delivering quality educational outcomes. Additionally, the teachers at this point treated students equally without considering the learning difficulties and capabilities. The coming of technological solutions has changed all this, as the learning is now learner-centered owing to computer-assisted education at the elementary school level. The learners are taught how to interact with various aspects of digital learning which require more of learner initiative. It is important that digital learning provides room for students to study at their own pace. While computer-assisted learning and education can be heralded for taking into consideration learners’ abilities, it may dilute the quality of education. This claim is true especially if computer-assisted education is not combined with the traditional approaches to learning. How information technology has enhanced the use of computer-assisted education in the elementary school classroom 

Information technology has proven to be useful when it comes to enhancing the use of computer-assisted education in elementary schools. Some of the information technology aspects that are used in this form of education include laptops, tablets, desktops, clickers/responders, and other internet-enabled gadgets. These technologies are integrated into the education system as supplementary and complementary teaching materials and methodologies. These technologies help the students to interact with digital content, which is more learner-centered and friendly. The students are able to visit several websites to make more sense of the content that they are expected to learn. Additionally, information technology helps the learners to interact with others especially if they have internet forums. These forums are ideal for students who do not have the confidence to raise their hands or speak in class. Overall would agree that IT is at the center of computer-assisted education and without it, this form of education would not be as effective. 

Positive Aspects of Computer-Assisted Education 

Computer-assisted education in elementary schools has various positive aspects, which point to its effectiveness in this era of rapid development in information technology. Children at the elementary level are at an optimum age where they can reap the most benefits, as they are open to new forms of learning. One of the most striking positive aspects of computer-assisted education is the fact that it is the earliest opportunity to introduce computer literacy skills to children (Rathmell, 2018). The thinking behind this reasoning is the fact that these children are growing to become professionals who will be required to have these skills. By integrating computers in the classroom, the education stakeholders are communicating a crucial message that the learners need to be aware of their future professional requirements. In this case, the learners are likely to develop crucial competencies, which will prepare them to fit in out-of-class environments. This earliest interaction with the computers opens up a completely new world for the learners and sparks curiosity and a motivation to excel in the subsequent educational levels. It is most likely that the success they acquire at this level would be built upon in the future academic milestones. 

The traditional learning method has proven to be ineffective in producing self-reliant learners as it is exams-based as opposed to skills-based. More so, traditional teaching methods are more of teacher-centered as the teacher drives learning. However, computer-assisted education is considered more of learner-centered as the learner interacts directly with content. In as much as the traditional approach to learning is not sufficient it cannot be ignored as it is related to control. For this reason, it is important to develop a hybridized form of education that brings together the best elements from both the computer-assisted and traditional learning. In a way, computer-assisted learning helps in bringing out the best aspects of traditional learning since it is capable of sealing the gaps created by the traditional approach to learning (Botsas & Grouios, 2017). For this reason, computer-assisted learning has proven to be a positive aspect as it helps in complementing traditional education. As a result, the student is able to get the best out of two approaches, thus turning out to be more refined and prepared for the future. 

The curriculum is created with the aim of ensuring that the teachers and the learners know the scope of what they ought to cover within a specific period. However, it should be noted that the creation of effective curricula is one thing and its implementation is another. While teachers may have covered the entire curricula within the specified time, it is not obvious that they will have achieved the intended objectives. The traditional learning methods are mostly biased considering that teachers may not cover the curricula as expected due to individual preferences. The computer-assisted education becomes an effective option as it enables the learners to engage with the curricula in a better manner (Wakil, Qaisar & Mohammed, 2017). In this case, the learners’ senses are heightened considering they can now interact with the content deeper through conducting extra research. At this point, the learner can be able to find more information on a particular topic by visiting different websites. More so, students are able to access various learning features including pictures, graphs, maps, videos, anecdotes, songs, and other supplementary information (Hunsinger-Hoff, 2016). These additional features help the learners to have a hands-on learning experience, which in turn improve the learning outcomes. The reason for improved learning outcomes is the fact that the learner is no longer passive but rather an active one. 

Learners have different learning needs and capabilities something that should be put into consideration if the learning objectives are to be achieved. In this case, there are slow learners who need more time before they can make sense or understand even the simplest of concepts. Traditional approaches to learning have been used for a long time but they are yet to achieve equality in educational attainment. The educational stakeholders have even come up with special classes and integrated classrooms all in the name of ensuring equal educational opportunities based on learning abilities. While these efforts have been intensified in the past, they have not managed to assist learners in the learning of difficult learners comprehensively. However, not all is lost as computer-based education promises to avert this situation. According to Eyyam and Yaratan (2014), computer-assisted education has specific features that allow learners to put a pause on specific content and absorb it at their own pace. This feature means that the learner does not have to feel frustrated by the fact that the teacher cannot slow down or keep on repeating concepts. Additionally, computer-assisted education allows for the repetition of content as many times until the learner become well versed in the area of interest. Most importantly, this form of learning enables students with varied learning abilities and styles to evaluate themselves from time to time. Pupils with learning difficulties can enjoy this feature, as they are able to measure their academic progress without feeling any intrusion. For these reasons, computer-assisted education should be the way to go in improving educational outcomes for elementary school learners. 

Negative Aspects of Computer-Assisted Education 

In as much as computer-assisted education is considered as a significant aspect, which is shaping the future educational objectives and needs, it has several negative aspects. These aspects are mostly related to policy, inequality, and feasibility. In this case, computer-assisted education may not be a success since the related policies do not put into consideration the inequalities evident in the funding. According to Mu ñ oz (2013), the US continues to struggle with inequalities between low SES and high SES schools, which mirrors the disparities in society. The state and federal governments are yet to ensure that all school districts have vibrant and effective computer-assisted programs. States and districts have failed in their role of ensuring that government funds reach the schools which need them most and thus perpetuating these inequalities. The schools with vibrant computer-assisted education programs have similar challenges as it is not automatic that all the learners have access to computers back at home. As a result, the desire to have fully-fledged computer-assisted educational programs is just but average. The learners have to make do with the few available learning resources, which compromise the level of education. 

Computer-assisted education is an expensive affair, which requires an excess in funding for training, development of training materials, securing computers and maintaining the resources. The challenge becomes worse as the stakeholders have to grapple with resistance especially from older teachers who are not ready to accept the change. In this case, the government is forced to hire new teachers who are technology-savvy and who are ready to adopt the technicalities of computer-assisted education (Unser, 2017). Even when the government has secured the service of these committed teachers, this approach may not be feasible, as it cannot exist on its own. There is a need to infuse this form of learning approach with the traditional approaches to learning. The teacher must engage the learners away from technology-centered learning so that they develop their social skills. At the end of it, computer-assisted education requires deliberate and calculated measures to ensure that it is capable of contributing to the desired educational outcomes 

In conclusion, computer-assisted education has become the main approach to learning as it is about to take the place of traditional approaches. This form of teaching puts the learners at the center of the learning process by providing a greater leeway for the learner. Computer assisted-education helps the students to have more interaction with the content at their own pace thus taking into consideration individual learning differences. This form of learning makes use of varied features such as pausing repetitions, images, videos, and other learner-friendly features. However, this form of learning has several negative aspects in that it cannot work in isolation from the traditional approaches to learning. The teacher must be physically present to ensure that the students do not wander off from the educational contents. A lack of proper structures and frameworks may come in the way of achieving the set educational goals. Of importance is the fact that this form of learning is prone to increasing the current educational inequities owing to disparities in funding. Nonetheless, there is a good chance that with proper policies and structures in place computer-assisted education would solve the existing educational achievement issue. 

References 

Botsas, G., & Grouios, G. (2017). Computer-assisted instruction of students with ADHD and academic performance: a brief review of studies conducted between 1993 and 2016, and comments. European Journal of Special Education Research , 2(6), 146-180. 

Eyyam, R., & Yaratan, H. S. (2014). Impact of the use of technology in mathematics lessons on student achievement and attitudes. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal , 42(1), 42. 

Hunsinger-Hoff, S. (2016). Personalized Learning with Digital Devices . Center for Innovations and Learning . Philadelphia, PA: Temple University. 

Mu ñ oz, J. (2013).Technology use in elementary school classrooms. California State University Capstone Projects and Theses. 283. 

Rathmell, B. R. (2018). Computer-assisted instruction in elementary classrooms: Student-teacher relationships and teacher role through the implementation of computer-adaptive instruction programs (Dissertation) . University of Portland, Portland, OR. USA. 

Unser, C. E., (2017). A study on the positives and negatives of using technology in the classroom (Theses). Long Island University, Brooklyn, N. Y., USA 

Wakil, K., Qaisar, N., & Mohammed, C. (2017). Enriching classrooms with technology in basic schools. European Journal of Open Education and E-Learning Studies, 2(1), 99-107.