May 20, 2010

Part I : What arguments are put forward in opposition to the use of new technologies to support school teaching and learning?


 Despite the overwhelming evidence that suggests new technologies used in supporting teaching and learning – there are also contributing factors that are put forward in opposing the use of new technologies in the classroom.
Teachers who have used some technology in the classroom will already understand the unreliability that is associated with using technology. Whilst technology should be working all the time, often it isn’t – which means that teachers often have to plan for such conditions. (Kent 2009) Some teachers might oppose the use of new technology in this respect – due to the fact they should plan for the same teaching and learning to occur without the use of technology.
The use of new technologies in the classroom also means that students may be subject to the wide amount of inaccurate information that is published on the internet. (Shelley 2006) That means as teachers, we must not only teach students about how to use technology such as the internet – but how to verify the information they find on the internet and check it is accurate. Whilst some might argue this kind of learning for students is beneficial – as they should be taught to ask questions about what is presented to them throughout their life, others might find that this learning detracts from the main topic that is trying to be learnt through the use of new technologies.
The ability to cheat easily within new technologies also factors into the argument that opposes the use of new technologies within the classroom. (Shelley 2006) Teachers will not only have to detect and combat cheating within assessments by the use of new technologies – but will also have to discuss the implications of plagiarism that can be extremely problematic when using new technologies such as the internet.

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