Computers in the Classroom       An Oppositional Paper

Three main arguments arise against using technology in the classroom. These arguments cluster around the negative impact technology has had on the health, personal growth/socialization skills, and education of the student.   Each of these arguments is worthy of study and should be carefully considered before implementing technology in the classroom of preschool and elementary students.

Probably the most surprising of the negative impacts is the recent surfacing of health problems associated with using technology.  Recent studies have identified repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain (most prevalent), obesity, and for some, long-term physical, emotional, or intellectual developmental damage (Cordes & Miller, Healy 1998) as being caused by frequent computer use.   There have also been documented cases of "video wrist" which resembles the adult problem known as carpal tunnel syndrome, and a lesser documented problem of radiation especially from the older model monitors which emitted higher levels of electromagnetic radiation.  (Healy, 1998)  Although these health concerns are only now surfacing, future more conclusive studies in these areas may provide a stronger case against implementing computer technology in the classrooms of preschool and elementary students.

Another area of concern is the negative impact frequent computer use has on the personal growth and socialization skills of younger students.  A recent study by Cordes and Miller identified a growing separation of family units (especially parent and child) as a result of excessive computer use.  This separation continued outside the family unit into the natural world surrounding the student.  The study found that computers are causing an increased isolation both emotionally and physically in the relationship between the "computer child" and the direct experiences and reality of the natural world.  The National Science Board supported this finding in a 1998 report that found prolonged exposure to computing environments may create individuals incapable of dealing with the messiness of reality, the needs of community building, and the demands of personal commitments.

Healy (1998) found that time spent with computers in the early years not only subtracts from important developmental tasks but may also entrench bad learning habits, leading to poor motivation and even symptoms of learning disabilities.  She goes on to emphasize that it is not "desirable for children under the age of seven" to spend a great deal of time in computer related environments.  In a study in 1999, Healy calls the argument for preparing our students for the future invalid because "by the time they get a job, the technology of today will have been replaced with the technology of tomorrow."

However, even with the new information surfacing on health, personal, and socialization problems, studies on the academic impact of technology on students are even more prevalent.  There is no clear, commanding body of evidence that students' sustained use of multimedia machines, the Internet, word processing, spreadsheets, and other popular applications has any impact on academic achievement (Larry Cuban, 2001).  Instead, studies are and have shown the one constant factor of how children become expert speakers, readers, and writers is face-to-face conversation with more competent language users, not being abandoned to a computer environment (Cordes & Miller).  In fact, in some cases, excessive, unsupervised computer time appears to stunt imaginative thinking. Haugland found exposure to non-developmental software demonstrated 50% losses in a child's creativity within a year.

Healy, in her1998 study, emphasized the preschool mind is not ready for the disembodied learning that comes from a software program, which can, in fact, damage the child in more areas than just creativity and imagination.  Dillon supports this stating if the wrong software is overused, it will not only reduce a child's creativity and imagination but also shorten the child's attention span.  In place of the disembodied learning found in computer environments, Healy stressed the importance of interaction with adults, such as reading a story together or playing a board game.  Elkind, finding that computers may actually mask the child's cognitive understanding of the material being read, urged, in his 1996 study, a more balanced approach to computer use, such as combining it with developmentally appropriate practice, such as group reading or one-to-one reading.

Even with these areas corrected, Warschauer identified low-income and minority students as having less access to new technologies or using them more for rote learning activities than for cognitively demanding activity.  His study showed that even when low-income families do have computers, the educational benefit achieved from these (as measured by children's gain in academic performance) is far lower than the educational benefit achieved by students from high-income families with computers, presumably because the families are able to provide more guidance in selecting appropriate software and encouraging appropriate educational use.

Healy stated that it appeared technology in the classroom has become so important that money will be spent on hardware, software, and networks instead of essential teacher education.  School districts have hired technology coordinators who do not have adequate training in education; cuts have been made in vital areas to finance technology; and instead of reducing class sizes, computers are being installed.  The issues of the student's health, personal growth, socialization skills, and academic improvements need to be further studied and considered before implementing computerized learning environments.

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