Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, technology has been innovating at a fast pace, and so has the technological adaptation in the classroom. In our day-to-day studies at school, our classrooms have projectors, and each student has their computer and their phone right in front of them. In recent years, regarding the strong influence of the pandemic, technology in classrooms has been a regular part of our learning process. Research from Purdue University indicates that “By 2009, 97% of classrooms had one or more computers, and 93% of classroom computers had Internet access.” If so many classrooms have access to technology and incorporate it into their education system, then how could technology possibly be a drawback to students?

As there is the rising use of technology in the classroom, there have been debates if they are actually useful and assist students with their academics. “Educators love digital services but there is little evidence it helps children.” Natalie Wexler, an education journalist, explained in the MIT Technology Review. In addition, a study of millions of high school students from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) investigated how students heavily using laptops “do a lot worse in most learning outcomes...” 

As stated in the MIT Technology Review, “...fourth graders who used tablets in all or almost all their classes had, on average, reading scores 14 points lower than those who never used them– a differential equivalent to an entire grade level.” Although the pandemic yields us to integrate technology into our academics, which is an inevitable issue, that doesn’t mean to use them in a disruptive way. 

What provoked me to promote quality education? Why is it me, fighting against this issue? It wasn’t just an ordinary experience, but one that changed my thoughts and values. Three years ago, I was selected as one of the ten chosen students who had the opportunity to teach basic English in an elementary school in Siem Riep. There, I was appalled at the school environment: an evident lack of books, laptops, classrooms, teachers, and desks. In fact, some students sat on the ground in class. Although the students weren’t provided with the proper environment, the children were so eager to learn. 

Since then from my connections with my teachers, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with the Ministry of Education in Cambodia and the principal of the Prey Kol primary school, an elementary school located in a rural area of Cambodia. The principal remarked how the students in his school weren’t handling technological devices in an effective way, and so wants to transition to the traditional way of teaching: through books. 

This is not just the case in Cambodia. If you take a step into the bright and clean air-conditioned room– my homeroom– you may see the same situation at times. MITA International School, which isn’t an international school, is the school that I currently attend, and one located in an urban area of Tokyo. Our school curriculum incorporates the use of an iPad, which can considerably be detrimental to students who aren’t as responsible. There were incidents such as a student tried to hack the school’s wifi password, or another where a group of girls were playing 2048 cupcakes, an online cupcake puzzle game, in class. This is a common phenomenon seen in our everyday classroom. Our teachers constantly warns us to keep our iPads down when they are speaking, and that is how our day-to-day classes go. 

One’s attitude towards education can’t be controlled. It is the mindset of the student themself in which enlightens the student with more knowledge and success. David Warlick, an innovator and leader in the technology of education, once said, “We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” Is that really true? If students are distracted and do a lot worst in learning outcomes, how does that help us see the world? Students need to be provided with the proper environment in which they can learn without any barriers. It isn’t the students’ fault at this point. It is the supplementary supplies that are distracting students from attaining their most valuable lesson.