English Notes

“It is Science Week and you have been asked to write an article for your school’s website about the increasing role played by technology in schools. In your article you should: describe some of the positive ways technology is utilised in schools today, discuss whether or not, in your view, technology can be a negative influence in schools, and speculate about the role you think technology will play in schools in the future. Your article may be serious or humorous or both.“

Read the following response from a student:

Grange Hill News

Technology: A Help or a Hindrance in the classroom?

Author: Dave Scott

There was a time when laptop computers and overhead projectors were considered cutting edge technological developments in the world of education, but as we approach the second decade of the 21st century, we are inundated with new technology that promises to make education easier. The question we must pose in this new world is, ‘is this new technology positive or negative?’

When we consider how ubiquitous Google Classroom is in every school in Ireland, it is clear that schools are using technology to help students. Google Classroom removes the need for printed hand-outs and monotonous note-taking that hinders teaching and learning time, with notes accessible at the touch of a button. YouTube channels that explain that equation you are having difficulty with or that poem you just can’t figure out is another positive development and actually encourages independent learning outside the classroom. There are countless other platforms that have offered help to the struggling student and as we all know, we can use all the help we can get.

However, we have to be aware of the negative influence of technology in schools. Cyber bullying is a phrase that is all too common in the corridors of schools on this island and it poses a serious risk to the mental health of young people. Having students ‘snapping’ every little thing that happens around the school is always going to lead to problems and we all know that some people take it too far. That is just one of the myriad of problems that technology poses.

The recent advances in Chat GPT and AI have made it impossible for teachers to know if students are learning material or asking their pocket assistants for some help. Although Chat GPT may have a place in education, asking your phone to complete your homework assignments on a daily basis is going to lead to difficulties when exam time comes around. This recent development has caused the government to stall plans for continued assessment, as they will not know if the material is plagiarised or the student’s own work.

For people in their late 20’s and early 30’s, it must seem crazy that Chat GPT can do your homework at the touch of a button. But this begs the question, ‘what will happen in the next ten years?’ Is it possible that school books will be a thing of the past, with all class materials available on a student’s mobile device? Will the classes be recorded so you can catch up with what you missed? Could students be able to ‘learn from home’ and not bother with going to school at all? These are all things that seem impossible but just think about how quickly the world of technology has changed over the past ten years.

I think that we will have to embrace technology and use it to help our learning. Banning phones is never going to work. We all know that students have a few spare phones to hand up if we are caught with them in class. And you never know, perhaps instead of teachers, we will have our very own Chap GPT Assistants on hand to teach us everything we need to know. Now there is a scary thought!