Does Technology Outweigh The Negative Effects Of Increased Screen Time?

Do the benefits of technology outweigh the negative effects of increased screen time? As technology continues to advance, the more time we tend to spend on our devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. How does this effect children? Children today are of the digital age as they are growing up with seemingly advancing technology, they are exposed to the internet and variety of online interfaces such as different apps, programs and media. Technology has become a significant part of our lives as we increasingly involve digital technology and the web in education and socializing. The integration of technology, including computers and mobile devices into K-12 classrooms and the exposure of the internet to children is more beneficial than

The debate on digital education is on its effectiveness to teach and improve students learning; but, some researchers argue that digital education will save money while creating a more effective system and institutions. Due to the digital revolution and financial problems, schools have already made changes as they invest more of their funding into software rather than teachers. Christopher Dede, a Harvard University professor of learning technology says that “Administers must find technology-based strategies effective for classroom teaching and learning with large number of pupils,” due to the demand for better performance by schools and the climbing student-teacher ratios within in them. The integration of technology has created “blended” classrooms or learning environments which are a mix of real classes with online based learning. David Moursund, an emeritus professor of education at the university of Oregon, stated that students learn

The use of mobile devices in the classroom “can facilitate multiple entry points and personalized learning paths, support multimodality and improvisation in situ, and encourage creating and sharing artefacts on the move” according to Looi et al (2009). Mobile devices allow students the choice to decide where they learn, whether it be inside or outside of the classroom. Apps that can be accessed through these mobile devices such as ReFlex and TeamUp “in which students work on projects independently and in small groups” and provide “audio-visual recordings for reflection.” TeamUp allows all members of the class to review the recordings of all groups while allowing everyone to present feedback, ask questions and to reflect on their work. ReFlex allows individual students to record their personal learning clips and store them in a timeline and even create time capsules in which they save their initial thoughts to either share or save for future references towards their progress. Both apps help “develop skills such as comprehension, teamwork, summary, and critical thinking,” while allowing teachers to review and monitor students’ progress in order to help them prosper by providing adequate advice and