Negative Aspects of Educational Technology

Even though ed tech has proven that there are many benefits, this topic also comes with negative aspects. The key aspects that showed many flaws in educational technology arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During COVID-19 many students and educators had to resort to online learning since the disease forced physical learning such as classrooms to close for the time being. 

One major disadvantage online learning brings is the use of Wi-Fi, meaning that without Wi-Fi, many learners and educators are not able to access the learning environment and will without a doubt fall behind. So, if the home does not have adequate Wi-Fi that can support online learning, such as zoom meetings, Microsoft teams, and other online meeting platforms, learners will not be able to successfully complete tasks that would otherwise be finished in a physical classroom (L, Stelianto, et al., 2020).

veronchick_84. (n.d.). No Wifi Sign Stock. Retrieved from https://cdn-icons-png.flaticon.com/512/4388/4388240.png.

Another major disadvantage would be the lack of motivation or participation. When looking at primarily younger students, if the student is to learn by looking at a screen the entire time without much physical guidance, they may lose interest fast which could confuse learners when they move onto the next unit (Cebree Admin).

Jackson, B. (2020). Lack of motivation in employees down to pandemic goal setting. Retrieved from https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/media/1fqfhf0i/article-images-2f228931-2fquarter-2520of-2520uk-2520workers-2520say-2520their-2520organisation-2520is-2520not-2520supporting-2520them.jpg

One more disadvantage that is present in educational technology is that often times poverty driven neighborhoods are overlooked when discussing the future of ed tech. As the world moves further and further into educational technology, not many people consider that poor families will not be able to participate in this new and improved learning environment which will then create a gap between poor students and middle class / rich students (L, Stelianto, et al, 2020).

HiClipart. (n.d.). Child poverty Single parent UNICEF, child transparent background PNG clipart . Retrieved from https://p7.hiclipart.com/preview/171/23/813/child-poverty-single-parent-unicef-child.jpg.

References:

Admin, C. (2022, December 14). The Pros and cons of technology in education. Celebree School. https://www.celebree.com/blog/resources/the-pros-and-cons-of-technology-in-education/

Stelitano, L., Doan, S., Woo, A., Diliberti, M. K., Kaufman, J. H., & Henry, D. (2020, September 24). The digital divide and covid-19. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-3.html