Jennifer Peterson & Katie Schouten
The Sailors’ Log
Mona Shores HS
1st Place
Division 3, News Writing
Pro/Con Editorial Columns
Pro: Education should embrace on-line learning, but…
Shores has recently started to replace the past ways of learning with the newer and more advanced on-line learning through Google.
I believe this is the right step and will put Shores ahead of others. The advancements of technology is surely not slowing down, so why should we?
Like all advances, there are going to be problems that need improvements, but everything has faults. The sooner we accept the fact that technology is the way of the future, the sooner we can fix those problems.
Some may worry that staff and students do not know enough about Google or any other on-line learning components, but the staff has been training during late-start Wednesdays to eliminate those problems.
“Our district has done a great job preparing staff,” media specialist Anne Brainard said. “We also let staff know they are not alone in the transition, that support is provided. I continually meet with staff throughout the day so I can help them feel comfortable and offer ideas on use within the classroom.”
The use of Google Drive and Gmail has created a connection between in-school and out-of school learning. I have gone home multiple times with a worksheet and had no idea what I was doing.
With the use of email, I can simply ask my teachers a question and expect a response. I no longer have to go to school confused.
According to PewResearch Internet Project, 92 percent of the 2,462 Advance Placement (AP) teachers surveyed said the Internet has had a major impact on students’ ability to reach materials, resources, and content that correlates with their teaching.
Teachers are also able to remind students of upcoming due dates and anything else they should know. I would much rather receive Remind texts and emails from teachers than check my planner.
“Technology allows for 24/7, meaning students can learn outside of school hours and outside the walls of the school,” Brainard said.
Many people against the use of technology fear it will cut into students’ outside life but so does any other type of homework. Putting a deadline outside of school doesn’t really make a difference. They’re at 11:59 p.m. usually. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m asleep by then. How many students would actually work from midnight until 7:40 a.m.?
Putting schooling on-line also leads to better organization. I’m not the neatest person, yet it’s not that difficult to organize Google Drive. Currently, for my classes that are still paper dependent, I have to dig through my binder pockets to find a sheet from a couple of weeks ago. With Google Drive, I can quickly see all of my folders and documents right in front of me.
Technology supposedly creates more distractions. Basically, they are saying high schoolers do not have enough self-discipline to work on a computer.
Yeah, some students will get distracted, but that is their fault, not the computer’s. Students who are likely to open other tabs on the computer and become distracted are the ones to daydream during hand-written notes.
Exposing us to these distractions will build self-discipline and prepare us for the real world, where distractions are everywhere.
Another common misconception is that on-line work creates an easier chance to cheat. Cheating is possible with any type of learning. Submitting work to websites like Turnitin actually allows teachers to compare students work to other websites, allowing them to check for plagiarism. Teachers do not have the capability of doing that with printed-out work.
Having three older sisters who have all been in or are going through college, I have seen how heavily they rely on their laptops. I have not seen my sister, who is a sophomore at Grand Valley State University, use anything other than her laptop for her assignments.
College professors are not going to baby students. They are going to expect students to know how to work a computer. Instead of starting behind, Shores is offering us a chance to start ahead of other students in college.
Technology may have some downsides, but the benefits out weigh them. The future is shaping around technology, and the increase in technology inside of school is only preparing us for our futures.
Con: …beware of detrimental aspects
Shores, along with other schools around the nation, are making more noticeable steps toward switching out the old-fashioned, pen-to-paper concept for a computerized education.
For example, Shores will become all Google next year. I wonder if every outcome has been explored.
Technology is progressing at such an alarming rate with no one willing to question whether or not this is what is most beneficial for our society.
It is not the notion of allowing technology to seep into American education that bothers me. The idea of saving paper seems ideal. Rather, it is the diminishing boundaries between school and home life being created by this dependency on computers which has me worried.
Spending seven hours in class, filled with deadlines, is stressful enough. Having homework that can now be electronically submitted during the hours that I am supposed to be free of turning in school assignments is unbearable.
“Assignments that should be explained in class are now being emailed to us as additional nwork,” junior Sophia Baker said.
Many say that email is a beneficial source provided by technology; I do not disagree. Communicating with teachers while I am at home is a personal gain; but where does this leave teachers? Most have more than 100 students at a time and are unable to be constantly available to answering emails as I am sure they have a life of their own.
Not only is the workload heavier at both ends, but technology might not be the useful resource that administrators hope it to be.
According to The Washington Post, a Pew Research Center survey found that nearly 90 percent of teachers believe digital technologies are creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans.
When a laptop is sitting in front of their faces, teenagers are not likely to maintain focus as effectively as if it were a piece of paper. The evolution of social media, and the multiple outlets the Internet provides, makes it too easy for students to push aside the English essay for an additional hour. I have been guilty of picking up this habit.
High schoolers do not tend to think through all of the repercussions of their actions. While some can handle the personal responsibility of not being distracted and getting their work done, the majority may not find it so easy. Teens are not known for their wisdom in judgment.
Certain luxuries present on modern devices, such as the copy and paste selection, seem more inviting than reading a textbook and producing an original answer.
For a teacher to know that Billy didn’t do his own assignment would be increasingly more problemsome to discover. Times New Roman font looks the same no matter who typed it.
Also, Google search engine has a reply to any question imaginable. There is no need to think for oneself. Schools are beginning to encourage this.
Yes, there are some programs that can compare papers for stolen quotes, such as Turnitin. But how often is this utilized in classrooms? Out of all of my electronically submitted assignments during the first trimester – and there were many – only two were submitted into Turnitin.
That being said, it is not only the students who are having trouble with the switch but teachers are as well.
“It is not that I am against the involvement of technology as an aid, but it has more to do with my value on human communication,” English teacher Roxanne said. “What are we willing to give up for what we want? And in this case, I believe embracing the dependency on technology is causing students to shy away from more engaging and intellectual thinking. This day in age, it is too easy for kids to say, ‘Just Google it.’ They do not even question the sources. Whereas, using a textbook makes them look for the answers and challenge the content.”
Is this evolution making students less able to use their brains? In my opinion, yes.
While technology may be helpful in some aspects, there may be quirks unbeknownst to all.
It seems apparent that not every avenue has been considered when it comes to how this will affect the lives of students and teachers before leaping into a whole new generation of teaching, despite it being their lives that will be most affected by the switch.