The Impact of

Technol ogy on
Today’s Learning
Environment
NU 0913-002
A hmad A l i

Engl ish Literatu re ( C ommu nication S k il l s cou rsew ork )

M u naz z a Niaz i

Date: Monday, May 10, 2010

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The Impact of Technology on Today’s Learning Environment
Contents (Outline):
Introduction to technology as a tool in education
 Technology changing world and learning environment
 Introduction to oncoming topics of the essay
Historical arrival of technology in learning
 History of first tool affecting education
 Gradual oncoming of technology in education environment
Changes due to technology in our class and home
 Increase of information about different subjects
 Increase of competence in the learning environment
 Standard of learning due to new requirements in fields of education
Learning environment shaping people in turn shaping our society
 Cultural Industries due to education so making of nations with identities
 World going ‘Global’ increasing ‘global thoughts’
 Grow of same thoughts and interests in a society giving it identity
Benefits of technology
 Making study interesting and adding fun element…..Increasing knowledge gain
 Internet the flood of information….at the spot access
 Computer giving virtual world….giving real experience
 Distant learning…..knowledge to every one etc.
Negative effects of technology…..
 Less hard work and being dependent… Students became lazy
 Students’ minds distracted by felicity of technology
 Difficulty of finding correct information on internet
 Decreasing communication skills…less interaction with friends etc.
Future of technology….the speed of progress
 Changing requirements of different fields affecting future learning
 Increase of new technology tools in education in future
 Bright tomorrow of education and world under peaceful technology use
A Summary to the essay:
The Impact of technology on our learning environment is apparent and
significant. Our environment has undergone a complete change under technology. Every
thing related to the study is going to be electronic. We use many types of gadgets in the
class as well as in our homes to assist us in study of any subject. Technology has made the
learning easy and interesting. Computer plays an important role in this entire scenario.
There are software to make real world experience virtually. We have mathematical,
biological, and every field related software making progress fast and easy. The Internet
provides us information quickly and according to the topic. The Impact of technology on
students’ life is far reaching. Their study has become purpose oriented by different
facilities to assist them finding the desired information at the time and according to the
demand. The Technology has added fun element in the learning. One the other hand, with
all this facility and assistant, technology do have some negative impacts on this
environment. Specially, students’ minds are distracted to media element and other negative
sides of this felicity. But these effects can be reduced by taking some responsible steps
regarding use of the technology and controlling our behavior towards it. The Learning
environment has bright future if this pace of progress keeps going on. But, this goes
without saying that we must make ourselves and our children aware of the negative
impacts of technology if we are to see a brighter tomorrow.

Essay:
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Today is the era of technology. Every field of the life has undergone a
complete change under technology. Technology is dominant and prevalent everywhere and
in every object. Technology surpassed boundaries and given us new ways to go through
and new scenes to look at. Not only it has changed our living style, that is
a great change, and behavior but also our way of thinking. Technology
has made world fast by making it purpose oriented, that is, provided us
prerequisites for actions and activities. Now we do not think how to go to
the America but why to go because journey is not a problem today, in the
past rather it was an important consideration. Same is the case with
education and learning.
The most affected area by technology is the ‘Education’. It has changed the needs
and demands of students as well as their environment in class and in home. A revolution
has occurred in this field. Some people take into account its negative impacts but, infect the
whole change in this world today is due to the nonstop progress in education because of
technology.
In the following paragraphs we will be looking at a little history of advent of
technology in education that how technology enrolled in this field and what are the changes
brought about by technology in our learning environment today. We will cover its impact
on students’ education life and that how in turn it has affected the society and culture of
nations. We will also try to speculate the future of the society and learning environment
regarding technology in our lives.

History of the technology enrollment in learning environment is more evolutionary

than revolutionary. These changes occurred over a period of years, as teachers and students
become more experienced with technology. The first significant technological change that
was reflected in education was the invention of typography, though it took several
centuries before books were available for every student's
individual education. Of course, in education, it is not the steam
engine, with which the beginning of technological progress is
associated, but for example, the famous inventor Thomas Alva
Edison had the idea of replacing the textbooks with motion
pictures. Similar ideas appeared with the emergence of
phonograph, radio broadcasting, tape players, TV as well as
video. These attempts were rather unsuccessful. None of these
aids replaced standard textbooks nor changed classical instruction methods. The form of
one-way information transfer, such as in public broadcasting, prevents individual learning,
because it does not reflect individual needs. The sequential presentations such as tapes and
videos, etc. do not allow for working with the information needed. Therefore these means
only played a role of supplementary material.
Similar attempts were noticed in the 70's and 80's, when first personal computers
reached the markets. There were suggestions that computers would soon replace not only
textbooks, but also even teachers. These hopes turned out vain again. Instead of the subject
matter the students were keener on gaining the best results, which was often possible
without relevant knowledge.
Today we find ourselves in similar situation, but on a different level and with
different consequences. Interconnected computers are able to play the role of all the above-
mentioned technical aids including textbooks. There is no need to wait for the exact time
the desired information is broadcasted or to walk to the library or video stores
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This gradual advent of technology has brought about many permanent changes in
society but especially in learning environment. What is the aspect of life not changed due
to technology! Technology hand beplastered the whole world - from education to business,
dieting to illness, industry to homes, living to journey, and playing to sleeping every thing.
Here we are to discuss the changes in learning environment due to technology. Learning
environment has a new direction since technology enrollment. The most dominant change
is due to computer and its related material. The classrooms has become digital. There are
computers for each student in the class. Instead of taking notes of lectures on notebooks
they only need to copy the presentation files to their computer. The speed of learning has
become fast due to facility of internet, the flood of information,
and other electronic media. This increased speed has made the
learning environment competitive. Another aspect of this IT
revolution is the extra fuss of information about a subject. Now a
professional is one who is current and up to date with new
research on a specific subject. In this way, we can say, the
standard of education environment has risen.
Online education and distance learning have given a new
dimension to the field of education and learning. Today, students do not necessarily need to
be physically present in classrooms. Many educational institutes offer online courses to
their students. Many universities offer online education programs wherein the students can
interact with their teachers over the web, access reference material from the University
website and earn degrees online!
Now the learning environment has changed from teacher oriented to that of student,
because the learning has extended from teacher and tuition to web and wikies. Thus
responding more effectively to what students need to learn. Infect these are remarkable
changes brought about by technology to our learning environments.

In addition to learning environment society, also, has been impacted by technology.

Each invention has affected how people relate to one another and how cultures have
expanded or ended. Technology impacts how cities grow, where people live, and who owns
what. Technologies are the reason a few people are very rich, that people are more social,
and that teaching and learning is changing.
These technologies mentioned above would include not just computers and the
internet, but other related technologies with the characteristic of the transfer of information,
including more traditional media technologies, such as film, satellite television, and
telecommunications. As societies and nations orientate themselves around these
technologies, there are consequences on the societies and cultures.
Globalization and spread of information are likely to have a profound impact on the
cultural and social aspect of learning environments. These two factors if change the
learning environment, they also strengthen it. An individual is no more in range of their
village or region believes. They receive the ideas from all over the world, and reshape their
minds about how to deal world with.
Just as the industrial revolution ultimately contributed to an increase in urbanization
and the development, the information revolution has created a new social condition,
including the emergence of "information communities” and a feeling of globalism.

Now, from impact of technology on cultures and societies we come, a level down,
to an individual student. The whole task of students has become backbreaking and hard if
we take standard of education and competition due to it. But the task itself has become easy
and interacting. Now they have to change their behavior to the technology and adapt it as a
tool in their education.
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For the students like me, technology is the best way of learning because it is a
convenient way to search a lot of academic information.
Technology makes me know my goals. It gives me opportunity
to approach new ways of studying and entertaining. Today, it
become much easier for me to look for information I need on the
internet. It takes only several seconds to get the results while it
cost me a lot of time and effort to search for info without
internet. Furthermore, I believe we are getting closer to each
others though we live thousands miles a way and our behaviors and way of thinking is
changing and becoming global and infect, this is a positive change.
The awareness to positive and negative impacts of technology is very important to
be successful in this relational environment of the technology, education and student.

Computers and the Internet technology have revolutionized the field of education.
The importance of technology in schools cannot be ignored. With the advent of computers
in education, it has become easier for the teachers to render knowledge and for the students
to grasp it. The computer technology is used to add a fun-element to education. And it goes
without saying that the Internet has gifted education with interactivity.
Through the use of advanced computing and telecommunications technology, the
process of learning in the classroom has become significantly richer. Students have access
to new and different types of information; they can manipulate it on the computer through
graphic displays or experiments in ways never before possible. For example, instead of
reading about the human circulatory system and seeing textbook pictures showing blood-
flow, students can use technology to see blood moving through veins and arteries. Thus,
Technology helps learning by enabling us to visualize things we ordinarily can't see.
The technology allows students to become more self-directed and self-dependent.
This gives them courage and motivation. I mean, technology assists learning by providing
additional motivation and rewards at the "teachable moment."
Development of learning communities overrides geographical boundaries making
us broad minded and more experienced in our fields and with many new ideas about our
profession and work. Perhaps what technology does for us is provide us a new way of
thinking - a new way of looking at problems and solutions. It is giving us more options.
Computers can create access to worldwide sharing of ideas and knowledge.
Interactive and problem solving programs create interest, and increase knowledge gained
because they involve focusing and thinking. Discussions and interaction are increased in
the learning process.
Another benefit of technology can be the help to special students who once
remained a burden to others. Now technology is giving them a chance to acquire the same
knowledge with different means as normal students do.

Though the digital world does have a lot to offer everyone, there are some
downfalls associated with our technological era. If you see in a view exclusive of
education, I think that to a certain extent we have become so dependent on technology that
it is changing what now it means to be human.
We are obese because we spend half our day in front of a
television or computer screen. Things have become so easy that
our endurance to bad luck or bumps is low. Now students are not
as hardworking as they were in the past. If they were working
hard with the same pace we would have reached to the peak of
human progress and evolution.
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Our basic capability of survival has dropped, and we would not know how to
attain food without a kitchen and supermarket. Same is the case with education
environment. Now we can socialize without leaving the house and it is now possible to
have a relationship with someone you have never been in the presence of.
Study environment is polluted with media---minds of students are distracted! This is
going to be the most important risk of technology regarding learning environment. Almost
all the students are affected with this cause. In other words, according to Dr.Martha Stone
Wiske, co-director of the Educational Tecnology Center at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, One of the main difficulties about technology and education is that a lot of
people think about the technology first and the education later.
Living in a world of constant change is not easy and also predicting the nature of
the coming changes brought about by the fast pace of technology. Those who have been
exploring technology applications with children and youth with disabilities attempt to keep
informed of the rapid advances in education and anticipate interesting possibilities. Still,
we are often amazed at the exciting new products of technology. So, we can hardly wait to
explore them and their effects on the education of children and youth.
The technologies we know now will change and merge, at an increasingly rapid
pace. In 1965 Gordon Moore, founder of Intel, predicted the exponential growth of
technology. Moore's law postulates that the processing power and speed of any electronic
calculating device will double every 18 months. At the same time, the
price for that technology will decline approximately 35% a year. If this
continues to be true, researchers will have an abundance of exciting new
tools to use as they study the curriculum and children of the future.
Those tools will not only be more powerful than we have now, they will
cost less, making them affordable for research, for schools, and for
families.

The importance of science and technology in education cannot be stressed enough. The
introduction of technology in the educational field has made the process of learning and
knowledge sharing, an interactive and fun-filled activity. Technology is indeed one of
Gods greatest gifts to mankind.
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LOGBOOK
References:

Books:
The Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning by
By Lucinda Lea, Maria Clayton, Barbara Draude, and Sarah Barlow
The Impact of education technology on students’ achievement by John Schacter

After reading these books, I dared to write many topics of this essay. Further, I are
improved them by extensive study of different material specific to that topic on web.

Web:
On the web my main source was www.Buzzle.com (intelligent life on web)

Topics Reference
Introduction Technology & Learning www.mightystudents.ocm, www.buzzle.com
Historical Background www.it.pedf.cuni.cs/ehistory, www.editlib.org,
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu,
www.nap.edu
Changes to Learning Environment www.buzzle.com, www.issues.tigweb.com
Impacts on your life My own experience & www.buzzle.com
Impact on different cultures and societies www.buzzle.com ,www.articlesnatch.com
Benefits www.buzzle.com, www.speedupyourlife.com,
www.yahoo.answers.com
Negative effects www.Helium.com, www.azinearticles.com
How you see its future www.wiu.edu,buzzle.com