The Role of Computers in Education

Why should we have computers in education? How would they even help us in learning? Computers have changed the way we work, it will be in any profession you have or see. Therefore, it is only but natural the role of computers in education has been given a lot of importance in the recent years. Computers play a vital role in every field. They aid industrial processes; they find applications in medicine; they are the heart of the software industry; they play a vital role in education. The uses of computers in education are manifold. Here, we shall talk about the important facets of the role of computers in education. When we ask educators about why we should have computers in education, we constantly hear that the computer can help or that the computer can help in education. The idea that the computer should always make easy comes from an overview of the fact that the computer entered our lives to help. The computer made cash machines possible; computers are inside automated devices such as microwaves, video recorders, cars, etc. These are examples in which the life of the computer made something much easier or made something available that was previously impossible. Thus the same thing should happen to education. The computer should facilitate education, making it much easier for the student to learn, for the teacher to teach, and to organize the administrative part of education (Valentine).

The computer technology has a deep impact on education. Computer education forms a part of the school and college curriculum, as it is important for every individual today, to have the basic knowledge of computers. The advantages of computers in education include an efficient storage and performance of information, quick information processing and very importantly the saving of paper. Know more about the importance of computer education. Computer teaching plays a key role in the modern systems of education. Students find it easier to refer to the Internet than searching for information in fat reference books. The process of learning has gone beyond learning from prescribed textbooks. Today, aspirers can satisfy their thirst for knowledge by means of the Internet. It is easier to store information on computers than maintaining hand-written notes. To know more on the subject, read about textbooks versus computer teaching.

Online education has revolutionized the education industry. The computer technology has made the dream of distance learning, a reality. Education is no more limited to classrooms. It has reached far and wide thanks to the computer technology. Physically distant locations have come close to each other only due to computer networking. Computers facilitate an efficient storage and effective presentation of information. Presentation software like PowerPoint and animation software like Flash and others can be of great help to the teachers while delivering information. Computers can turn out being a brilliant aid in teaching. Computers facilitate an audio-visual representation of information, thus making the process of learning interactive and interesting. Computer-aided teaching adds a fun element to education (Oak).

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Internet can play an important role in education. As it is a huge information base, it can be harnessed for the retrieval of information on a wide variety of subjects. The Internet can be used to refer to information on various subjects to be taught to the students. Moreover, computers help an electronic format for storage of information, thereby saving paper. Homework and test assignments submitted as soft copies save paper. Electronically erasable memory devices can be used repeatedly. They offer a robust storage of data and reliable data retrieval. The computer technology thus eases the process of learning. A life without computers would seem almost unimaginable for many. The importance of computers is evident today and having the perfect know-how of computers can only propel one’s career in the right direction. Today, computers are a part of almost every industry. They are no more limited to the software industry. They are widely used in networking, information access, data storage and the processing of information.

So why not introduce computers early in education? Introducing computers early in education lays the foundation of most of the major competitive careers. Computers play a significant role in one’s personal and professional life. There is not a single day that passes without opening our computers. In some cases, we spend time at work and at home on a computer. These ingenious inventions have changed not only the way we work but also the way we perceive information. It does not matter which profession you have, you still need a computer and if possible, a really good one. But let’s talk about the link between computers and education. Some say that computers should never be a part of education and that child, not to mention teenagers spend too much time already on these machines. On the other hand, recent studies have shown computers to be highly useful, helping children between one and three years to accumulate important skills. The conclusion is that computers play a very important role in education, one that cannot be denied no matter how much we would want to. Computers are found in any industry or field. They have facilitated numerous processes from different industries, being used at the same time by various educational institutions and even in medicine. Computer technology has influenced education, making a large amount of information readily available. Young minds know the importance of computers, enjoying the fast processing of information. There is always the green side of computers – that means that heaps and heaps of paper are saved when using these machines. So, what do you know, you can benefit from the latest technology and stay green at the same time.

There are teachers out there who consider computers to be one of the cornerstones of modern education. Are they right? Has the process of learning changed for the better since the introduction of computers in schools and other institutions? The answer is yes and many statistics have shown that computers are able to create a genuine thirst of knowledge in children of different ages. Yes, it is true that they also spend their time looking for music and even movies. They also spend hours talking with their friends. But the important thing is that, since the appearance of computers, education is no more limited to a room. Computers and the Internet technology have opened both our eyes and minds into a world that just craves for being explored and discovered. Teachers have also promoted the use of computers. Not only they have access to large amounts of information but they can also benefit from this technology when teaching. It is a known fact that one of the easiest ways to teach a lesson is using a presentation in PowerPoint. The information is delivered through slides and students find it much more comfortable to get notes. Education is not the only field where computers have demonstrated to be useful. The medical field has benefitted indeed from the appearance of PCs, representing the perfect medium for information storage. Today, hospitals use computers on a regular basis for a wide range of medical data, including patient’s records, medical history, surgical interventions and treatments prescribed. All of this data is stored on the computer and can be accessed at any chosen moment. Doctors use computers to search for the latest discoveries of the medical world, including journals and diagnosis breakthroughs. They also rely on per formant medical equipment that has a modern-generation computer, including when it comes to X-ray devices and other systems commonly used for medical imaging. In the future, we can expect to have computers that think just like us. Specialists are working to develop a smart computer that is able to help people with a certain handicap, providing access to a wealth of products and services at the same time(The Role of Computers in Education and medicine).

Computers have passed a long history of development transforming from scientific projects, a hallmark of academic research themselves to working tools and now the main instruments of understanding and cognizing the surrounding world. Now they are changing the way of teaching and learning.  However, many would prefer to postpone technological revolution in education till the time a person enters the university. Many people are sure that prior that time young people are more prone to subjective and biased information which can harm immature minds. Some people are on the contrary sure, that if a person starts surfing the net from the very beginning, he or she gains the necessary experience in finding useful information, he or she even learns to live there. Taking into consideration the latest developments in augmented reality technologies it might certainly come true in the near future. Some teachers believe that good old traditional methods of teaching are quite reliable and there is no urgent need to revamp the whole system.  While modern educators are pretty sure that learning should be fun. And the more fun a student has, the more successful the results of the teaching process will be. And nowadays a computer or some other digital technologies are the ultimate condition of fun. The most interesting opinion is shared by a number of parents who in general view a computer as a new baby-sitter a rather upgraded one when compared with the previous version a TV-set.

They seem to think that buying a computer for their child is enough to make him or her upload and engage into some educative programs, surf informative sites and resources.  And they are bitterly disappointed when their children spend most of the time indulging into some stupid shooter, tearing their enemies to bloody pieces or chat with the same rattle-brained peers in some neighboring district discussing football or MTV. It was quite clear from the very beginning that a child or even a teenager need some sort of guidance to enter the Internet world, somebody who would teach them to behave at different forums and online discussions   as many of them as well as older persons share the same illusion of lack of restraint which seems to be the Internet main feature. But sooner or later all of them come to some sort of a conclusion that computer skills are indispensable for children not to lag behind the time and be competitive at the current education and workforce market. Computers in education can be beneficial in several ways. They can increase the productivity of students by making tasks such as composing papers and research easier. They can make it easier for teachers to collect papers, grade them and send them back to students. Computers can also reduce the amount of paper necessary for education, since materials can be sent and viewed digitally. One of the primary roles of computers in education is to facilitate communication between students, teachers, administrators and parents. Email can allow teachers to contact students quickly without scheduling face to face meeting time. Assignments can also be sent out via email and finished work can be submitted in a digital form as an email attachment rather than turning in a paper copy. Students may be expected to check their email regularly for class updates and assignments.