Technology and education

Nowadays, technology is an inherent part of our lives as it is present in our leisure time, at work, making a medical appointment or even in the education field, where there have been some major achievements in the last 2 years.

Blackboards and chalk have been substituted by zoom calls, virtual classroom apps or other technological and online apps, keeping the essence of traditional classes with a twist of modernity. Teachers have managed to include new technology in their classes to provide new alternatives of learning for their students where they can learn almost in every technological device and help each other through new collaborative apps.

However, excessive use of technology can be counter-productive if we disregard the students' socioeconomic or cultural background. If students do not have the necessary means to access the classes it can result in an obstacle in their learning progress. During the Covid-19 confinement, the implementation of new technologies in education was hastened regardless of the great divide it may cause between students with resources and those who couldn't afford to have any of the electronic devices needed. For instance, both teachers and students alike had to suddenly adapt to these new digital changes without any tutorials or help from their colleagues, adding a new barrier to follow the class.

Because of all of this, I think that although new technologies present a wide range of opportunities for teaching and other fields, there are also some drawbacks and obstacles that need to be dealt with first. In fact, I believe that in order to guarantee that these tools are used in the best possible way, teachers must avoid taking anything for granted, whether it be technological knowledge or electronical devices. Only by doing this and keeping the students at the centre of their actions will they be able to use technology in everyone's favour.