Technological advancements have changed the way we communicate, connect, and even how we learn. Tech tools like laptops, tablets, educational apps, and artificial intelligence have become part of the modern-day classroom.
While there are some concerns around classroom technology use, like excessive screen time, there are many benefits to implementing tech into instruction. When technology is integrated into education, it provides students with personalized learning experiences and collaborative learning opportunities. In this post, we explore both the advantages and challenges often associated with technology use in the classroom.
Pros of technology in the classroom
The results of HMH's 2024 Educator Confidence Report (ECR) indicate that educators are seeing the benefits of technology. In fact, 81% of seasoned educators surveyed felt technology has had a positive impact on the profession over the past decade. In the ECR, teachers also stated that technology helped inform instruction and strengthen their craft. Here are more ways in which tech can enhance teaching and learning.
Support personalized learning
Through the use of digital programs and edtech tools, teachers can better personalize students' learning experiences. Many programs and platforms, such as HMH Personalized Path, tailor materials and practice to best meet individual student needs. Online programs also provide teachers with data that can be used to guide whole-class and small-group instruction.
Engage students
Students are more motivated to learn if they are enjoying the process. One study shows that digital educational games can do just that. Online learning activities and games can engage students in skills practice in a fun and effective way. Skills practice and game-based learning, found in programs like Waggle, provides students the opportunity to think critically and problem solve through interactive and motivating challenges. Some online programs are adaptive and personalize learning activities to help students meet their academic goals. HMH Performance Suite gives teachers real-time performance data and ready-to-teach, customizable lessons that keep students engaged and measure their understanding during whole-class instruction.
Make education accessible
Technology in the classroom can make content more accessible to all students. Many digital solutions provide audio and visual resources, like virtual manipulatives and videos, along with adaptive technology to meet the unique needs of every student. For example, technological advancements like text-to-speech and closed captioning can help students who are hearing impaired, as well as multilingual learners, communicate and further understand concepts.
Build student agency
With technology, students can take ownership over their learning. If students want to learn more about a topic, they can use search engines and AI tools to research. A simple online search provides many reliable resources for students to explore. If a student needs homework help, video tutorials and explanations are usually just a few clicks away. If students would like a challenge, teachers and students can search for enrichment activities online to supplement learning. Students can choose to collaborate with each other through apps and sharing documents, or they can work independently. Technology opens up many opportunities to build student agency.
Provide a wider range of resources
Students, teachers, and families can access a variety of useful resources thanks to technology. There are several digital programs and tools aimed to help students learn, whether they are in or outside of school. For example, if a student needs help with their addition homework, they can access manipulatives online or search for video tutorials to further explain the process. Teachers can find a wealth of resources directly on Ed via Teacher's Corner.
Prepare students for the “real world”
We are living in a world that’s driven by technology in nearly every way imaginable. If students are to succeed beyond school, digital literacy and tech and systems fluency can prove to be a major advantage. Practicing technological skills in school isn’t limited to working with AI, creating digital presentations, and editing videos. Students can gain valuable soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, problem solving and adaptability, which will prepare them for post-secondary education. These skills are also in high demand by employers and will be useful as students move further along their career paths.
Facilitate communication
Technological advancements have made communication between teachers and families easier. Attendance, grades, and behavior referrals are recorded on online portals and instantly shared with students and parents or caregivers. Additionally, teachers can use email, learning management systems, or mobile apps to send messages, notifications, and announcements to families. For example, if a student is absent from class, the teacher can post assignments to a class website or learning platform for easy access. Leveraging technology to communicate with parents and caregivers helps create a stronger partnership to ensure student success.
Access to up-to-date information
Another advantage of technology use in the classroom is that teachers and students have immediate access to up-to-date information. Where revisions to hard-copy materials and textbooks take place over periods of months or even years, updates to online curriculum content happen almost instantly. Gone are the days of cutting out articles from a newspaper to discuss current issues in class—current events are now reported in many online formats and on many reputable news sites. And students and teachers can even relay current events in real time through email and apps that offer messaging.
Help cut costs
Digital resources can help a district cut back on printing and paper costs. Procedures like mailing report cards to students’ homes can be a thing of the past, as parents can easily check grades online (saving paper, time, and postage). Online curriculum resources and programs can help eliminate some rebinding textbook fees and storage issues.
Cons of technology in the classroom
It is worth noting that the "cons" listed represent reservations that educations leaders, educators, and families may commonly express in regards to technology use in schools. Our goal is to encourage reflection on how the listed challenges can be addressed—and even leveraged—during planning and instruction.
Excessive screen time
Students may have access to several devices outside of school, such as cell phones, tablets, computers, and gaming devices. Adding technology in the classroom setting can increase the overall screen time, which can affect a child’s development. To be mindful of screen time, teachers can incorporate both print and digital materials to engage students. Learning Experience Design teams at HMH provide print and digital hybrid solutions that allow educators to easily adjust how much time students are spending on a device.
More distractions
Technology can create distractions in learning. Ads, pop-ups, games, news, fun websites, social media, text messages, and more are constantly competing for students’ attention. This means teachers face the challenge of keeping students on task. How can teachers ensure students are doing what they’ve been assigned? Some schools use single sign-on platforms like Clever® and ClassLink® to ensure students login into learning apps safely and easily. With Clever and ClassLink, students are able to access all their digital resources in one place, eliminating the need to explore other pages on the web. The HMH Ed platform is accessible on Clever and ClassLink. On Ed, students can access HMH solutions without navigating the internet. These platforms make it simple for districts and schools to prevent interruptions to instruction, as students stay on one centralized site. Additionally, schools can work to place ad blockers and restrict access to any websites or applications that may prove to be distracting.
Cheating
Although cheating existed before the digital age, technology may have made it easier to get away with. Students can copy and paste each other’s work into their own assignments. They can even search the Internet for other people’s work and pass it off as their own. However, there are tech tools that can help combat plagiarism. Teachers can require students to submit their papers and can then determine how much of the paper is similar to current or past submissions. It will also mark any anomalies it discovers for the instructor’s review. Writable's authenticity tools support teachers in verifying student work. Teachers can use the Authorship Alerts feature to identify whether students have copy and pasted their work or typed it directly in Writable. Another helpful feature in Writable is the Originality Check, which identifies similarities between a student's work and other sources including online content and other student submissions.
Hinder communication
Teachers and families may worry that lack of face-to-face socializing will affect students' ability to communicate effectively during real-life conversation. However, tech can support complex communication. It can provide students a way to work collaboratively on projects even when miles away. It allows for students to access a vast library of information and knowledge and connect them to the wider world, expanding their horizons.
HMH Classcraft offers Turn and Talk instructional routines. It takes the familiar classroom strategy, where students briefly talk about a topic with a partner, and asks students to enter their responses digitally. Once students enter what they've discussed on the platform, educators have access to real-time data on student understanding. Teachers also have the option to use AI to summarize all responses. With this feature, a teacher is able to know what each group talked about. Something that would prove difficult without technology.
If teachers and families are still concerned about the time spent on a device, they can moderate screen time and provide activities that encourage face-to-face interactions.
Unequal access to technology
Not all students have equal access to technology. Depending on their socioeconomic status and living environment, some students may not have access to reliable Wi-Fi or not be able to afford digital devices. These disparities can affect online learning activities, online assignments, and access to online help. There are some schools that provide technology for students, which is certainly helpful. Some educational grants can also help offset the costs of technology.
If students do have limited internet access, there are learning apps that work offline. HMH Go™ is a learning app that provides HMH users with continuous access to HMH content regardless of their Internet connection. Available for Android, iOS, and desktops, including Chromebooks, it gives students the ability to work with their HMH program in and outside of school whether on a mobile device, tablet, or computer. The app allows users to download available content for use offline. All annotations, notes, highlights, and eBook work completed offline auto-sync when users are back online.
Technology can have a positive impact on teaching and learning
Technology is a powerful tool that positively impacts learning. By creating technology expectations and routines, teachers can work around tech challenges and enhance instruction. While students can learn to use technology responsibly and develop skills for success in school and beyond.
This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
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