Exercice - Ways of learning

The topic of the images is how technology has changed our ways of learning. Since laptops and smartphones have become more available to the public in general, due to their low prices, almost everyone nowadays can have access to them and to the Internet. This means our lives have changed, and so has education. Information is now available to anyone at any time, so we can imagine the ways of learning are not the same as 30 years ago.

In both pictures we can see people studying. In the first one, there is a girl reading a book, while in the second one, there is someone using a computer. The girl in the first picture seems to be focused on what she is reading. She is by herself, surrounded by books, in what seems to be a library. On the other hand, in the second picture, the girl seems to be surrounded by other people and one of them is using a smartphone.

In my opinion, technology has revolutionized education. To begin with, it has made information more easily and rapidly available. In the past, students had to go to public libraries to have access to the information they needed for their classes. Nowadays, students can simply look for the information on search engines like Google or Yahoo. Moreover, many books and magazines can be consulted online.

Furthermore, touchscreens have made education more interactive. Students are no longer passively receiving the knowledge, they play active roles in creating and absorbing the information.

Yes, there could be negative effects when using technology in classrooms. For instance, students could get more easily distracted if they go on the Internet to play games or to use social media. This does not contribute to their learning, on the contrary: it may make children have trouble to keep focused.

I do believe teachers should integrate technology in classrooms. It is necessary for children to become familiar with it in order to become “technology literate” and to be able to successfully enter the labour market.