| Education has changed significantly in the last twenty | | | | The internet allows students to read books and |
| years. One of the main reasons education has | | | | educational supplements at home. There is no need to |
| undergone so many changes is because of | | | | go to a bookstore or library. Since many of these |
| technological development. In 1990, computers and | | | | sources are open source or funded by advertising, |
| other forms of technology served a minimal role in the | | | | students can access these materials for free. |
| classroom. Today, many if not most college students | | | | Wikipedia, Wikibooks are good examples. Students |
| attend class with a laptop. I am writing about some of | | | | can learn more without leaving their house. |
| the biggest advantages technology gave to education. | | | | College applications and job applications can now be |
| Technology has made research much easier. Before | | | | complete online. Students can deliver important |
| online Encyclopedias, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and | | | | paperwork to universities and employers at a much |
| other online research tools were available, students | | | | faster rate. |
| were forced to spend numerous hours in the library. | | | | Online education allows more students to get an |
| With the new tools, students can conduct research | | | | education. Handicapped students, students that have |
| faster in the comfort of their homes. With Google and | | | | to travel a lot, and students with jobs can now |
| other search engines, students can find relevant | | | | complete their degrees wherever they go with a |
| information faster and more efficiently. Also, there is no | | | | flexible schedule and often at their own pace. Due to |
| more need for intensive memorization as information is | | | | its lower costs, online education also benefits |
| more readily available. | | | | lower-income students. |
| New also technology allows for a faster, more | | | | Technological development allowed the creation of |
| efficient, and more interactive classroom experience. | | | | new IT jobs and improved economic development in |
| With Powerpoint presentations and projectors, there is | | | | general. |
| no need for blackboards and whiteboards. With | | | | Not all effects of technology on education are positive. |
| clickers, students can take quizzes during the | | | | Technology also allows students to cheat more easily. |
| classroom. | | | | However, new technology allows instructors to detect |
| These developments also help improve tutoring | | | | plagiarism. Technological developments can also |
| services. Online tutoring programs are becoming | | | | discourage critical thinking since answers are more |
| available. One-on-one in-home tutoring programs are | | | | readily available. Technology also encourages students |
| also being aided these developments. Tutors can bring | | | | to spend their time doing other activities such as |
| laptops to sessions allowing them to look up | | | | playing video games and participating in social |
| information, and show examples to the student more | | | | networking. |
| easily. | | | | Overall, technological development in the 1990s and |
| Wi-fi technology allows students to study in more | | | | 2000s appears to be beneficial to education. Currently, |
| comfort and a more ergonomic setting. | | | | technology improvement follows Moore's law which |
| New mathematical software such as Maple and | | | | states that computers become twice as efficient |
| Mathematica allows students to make a computer | | | | approximately every two years. Today, one can |
| algebra computations more easily. Software like | | | | purchase a well performing personal computer |
| Matlab and Scilab allows students to make numerical | | | | (without a monitor, software, and other accessories) |
| computations more easily. There is no more need for | | | | for as low as $123.99. Recently, I have not spent over |
| a line rule. Advanced Texas Instrument and Casio | | | | $250 on a desktop computer and it allowed me to do |
| calculators allow students to solve equations and | | | | very advanced computations like high-sample Monte |
| produce graphs. Online software such as Webassign | | | | Carlo algorithms. If the trend continues, students all |
| allows students to submit mathematics assignments | | | | over the world will be able to afford desktops and |
| online with instant feedback. | | | | laptops contributing to a better global education. |