Over the last few decades, the American education system has experienced a greater adoption of technology courtesy of advancements in the field. Today, f actors such as globalization have contributed to the rapid adoption of technology in the American education system; this is primarily because globalization has gradually enhanced the need for students to interact and share ideas with learners in distant locations. According to Ghavifekr and Rosdy (2015), the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in education denotes technology-based learning, as well as teaching processes. The adoption of technology in education assumes wide-ranging forms. Some of the most prominent forms of technology adopted in the American education system include online social networking platforms, visual aids such as projectors, online courses, and a multitude of learning software among others. The rapid adoption of technology in education has prompted policymakers in the United States make attempts to come up with laws, policies, and mandates that regulate the adoption of technology at the school level. While there are multiple components of teaching with technology, the adoption of technology in the American education system is linked to a raft of positive and negative consequences.
Components of Teaching with Technology
In the contemporary context, there are various components linked to technology use in the American education system. These components of educational technology fall into three distinct categories, those are, teaching, tutoring, and learning tools (Lazar, 2015). All the three categories necessitate an internet connection. Raja and Nagasubramani (2018) assert that an internet connection enables learners to conveniently access learning materials, tutorials, in addition to other materials that serve to boost their academic performance. Concerning teaching tools, visual aids such as projectors make for a more complete teaching experience for teachers. Raja and Nagasubramani (2018) assert that visual images have a greater appeal to students when compared to words. This is primarily because words necessitate a greater degree of concentration on the part of the learner. Teachers in US’s higher learning institutions regularly employ presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint to illustrate complex concepts. Raja and Nagasubramani (2018) mote that projectors make up a vital teaching tool owing to the fact they serve to boost the interest of learners in important concepts.
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There are wide-ranging components of educational technology that serve to enhance learning in the American education system. One of the components is publishing software. Over time, well-known publishers have increasingly embraced technologies that enable learners to access books via the World Wide Web. In 2013, for instance, McGraw-Hill Education sought to embrace educational technology by presenting America’s first adaptive e-book known as SmartBook (Spring, 2017). The adaptive e-book revolutionizes reading for students in institutions of higher learning by focusing on content that is most pertinent to their subject of study (Spring, 2017). An analysis of the e-book reveals that it allowed thousands of students around the globe to access the book with relative ease. Online libraries constitute the second key learning tool that has gradually transformed the American education system. Spring (2017) asserts that online libraries allow students to gain access to significant amounts of information stored in online databases around the world. Today, online libraries allow teachers to refer students to specific books located in online databases that are created by their universities. Today, online tutoring platforms constitute the primary component of educational technology. These platforms allow students to not only interact with professionals, but it also enables them to seek further clarification for areas that are not clear to them. Moreover, online tutoring platforms present students with the opportunity to engage in academic discussions with other students. Such engagements serve to boost the academic performance of students in the short, medium, and long terms.
Online degrees and courses make up additional educational components that relate to tutoring. Notably, online courses and degrees allow individuals in distant geographical locations to acquire degrees and certificates in various fields from the comfort of their homes. The growing popularity of online courses and degrees predominantly relates to the convenience offered by this form of learning (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). In the contemporary context, universities that offer online courses afford learning opportunities to millions of learners around the world. In addition, such courses allow individuals to partake in other engagements such as work during different times of the day (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). Clearly, online degrees and courses constitute key components associated with the adoption of technology in the American education system.
Mandates and Policies Linked to Teaching with Technology
Recent technological advances, in addition to the growing adoption of technology in America's education system, have served to influence the country’s policymaking process at the federal and state levels. Viennet and Pont (2017) note that different actors and stakeholders in America's education sector have varying levels of influence with regards to their sway on policies that pertain to the adoption of technology in schools. According to Viennet and Pont (2017), technological advancements have led to the emergence of questions on the role and effectiveness of existing policies in America’s education system. In the United States, the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) makes up a critical policy framework for the adoption of technology at various levels of the country’s education system. It is worth noting that NEPT places an emphasis on the potential of technology in learning processes (US Department of Education, 2017). More specifically, the policy framework attempts to demystify how technology can assist students to unlock the potential of wide learning principles (US Department of Education, 2017). Case in point, technology is known to help students conceive ideas in multiple contexts, make reflections on key concepts acquired in class, and adjust their comprehension accordingly (US Department of Education, 2017).
The Early Learning and Educational Technology Policy Brief makes up another policy that outlines key guidelines for the adoption of technology in the American education system. Released in October of 2016 by the US HHS, the policy brief is not only consistent with NETP, but it also supports multiple visions for learners. One such vision includes the vision that all children ought to be surrounded by adults who are well versed with key aspects of technology to support children's learning processes (US Department of Education, 2017). The second key vision is the vision that all school-going children ought to be afforded opportunities to acquire knowledge, communicate, explore and play using different approaches, key among them being the deployment of information and communication technologies (US Department of Education, 2017). The policy brief also gives crucial guidelines that stipulate that the utilization of technology should never replace the crucial role of amorphous, creative, unplugged, and interactive play (US Department of Education, 2017). The guidelines are likely to evolve as families, as well as educators, increasingly understand the impact of technology utilization on the learning processes of learners.
Positive and Negative Consequences of Technology Adoption in Teaching
The adoption of technology in various segments of America’s education system has had a raft of positive ramifications and impacts for stakeholders. One such consequence includes heightened levels of interaction between students drawn from different cultural backgrounds. Tang and Hew (2020) posit that technological advances have increasingly transformed how students interact; this is particularly so for communication technologies that facilitate voice and video interactions between students situated in different geographical locations. Statistics show that between 2015 and 2019, adults in the United States registered a twofold rise in the time they spent on messaging apps daily (Tang & Hew, 2020). WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, as well as WeChat constitute the most popular mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications among young people in the United States. According to Tang and Hew (2020), MIM applications facilitate learning through their ability to boost the social presence of learners. Besides, MIM applications help facilitate online discussion forums for different subjects in academia (Tang & Hew, 2020). Enhanced teaching constitutes another positive ramification associated with the adoption of technology at different levels of America’s education system. Raja and Nagasubramani (2018) assert that teachers deploy technological developments such as digital cameras, three-dimensional visualization tools, projectors, Microsoft PowerPoint, mind training programs, in addition to computers to allow students to comprehend complex concepts. The technologies allow for the simplification of concepts since they utilize visuals such as diagrams to illustrate complex concepts. It is worth noting that technology adoption contributes to enhanced learning since visual explanation and illustration not only capture the attention of students but it also allows for a more enjoyable learning experience.
Remote learning makes up an important positive consequence of technology adoption in the American education system. It is worth noting that information and communication technology facilitates academic discussions between students located in different geographical locations. Video conferencing, for instance, enables students to engage with their counterparts in a different school from the comfort of their classrooms (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). Distance learning has increasingly become commonplace as students from different parts of the world seek to complete online degrees and courses (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). Some of the stakeholders who benefit from distance learning include students, parents, and institutions of higher learning. To begin with, students who engage in distant learning can learn and work at the same time. Parents, on the other hand, save up on costs that would have otherwise been expended in conventional undergraduate studies. Lastly, distance learning spares institutions of higher learning massive investments in physical learning infrastructure such as lecture halls and accommodation quarters. An additional benefit of technology adoption in America’s education system is creative learning. ICT stimulates creative learning by giving learners the platform to simulate different models and scenarios (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). Clearly, technology adoption is linked to wide-ranging positive consequences.
Technology adoption in America’s education system is linked to various negative consequences. One such negative ramification includes diminished writing skills. Raja and Nagasubramani (2018) note that overreliance on ICT allows learners to increasingly develop diminished interest in writing grammatically correct sentences. ICT gives learners access to a variety of tools, key among them graphical calculators which may be utilized by learners to engage in academic cheating (Raja & Nagasubramani, 2018). Hence, technology adoption is linked to various negative consequences, key among them being heightened academic cheating.
In conclusion, it is evident that the adoption of technology in the American education system is associated with various positive and negative consequences. Today, key components associated with technology use in the American education system fall into three distinct categories: teaching, tutoring and learning tools. The adoption of technology in America’s education system is linked to a raft of positive consequences. One such positive consequence includes increased levels of interaction and collaboration between students drawn from different cultural backgrounds. Second, technology adoption helps facilitate remote learning for students situated in different geographical locations across the globe. Technology adoption in America’s education system is also linked to two negative consequences. The negative consequences include diminished writing skills and increased academic cheating.
References
Ghavifekr, S., & Rosdy, W. A. W. (2015). Teaching and learning with technology: Effectiveness of ICT integration in schools. International Journal of Research in Education and Science , 1 (2), 175-191. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105224.pdf
Lazar, S. (2015). The importance of educational technology in teaching. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education , 3 (1). https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/the-importance-of-educational-technology-in-teaching
Raja, R., & Nagasubramani, P. C. (2018). Impact of modern technology in education. Journal of Applied and Advanced Research , 3 (1), 33-35. http://www.academia.edu/download/63887921/Impact_of_modern_technology_in_education20200710-27957-jsmaeg.pdf
Spring, J. (2017). American education . Routledge.
Tang, Y., & Hew, K. F. (2020). Does mobile instant messaging facilitate social presence in online communication? A two-stage study of higher education students. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education , 17 , 1-17. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s41239-020-00188-0.pdf
US Department of Education. (2017). Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 national education technology plan update. Office of Educational Technology . Retrieved from https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf
Viennet, R., & Pont, B. (2017). Education Policy Implementation: A Literature Review and Proposed Framework. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 162. OECD Publishing . https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED581629
