Annotated Bibliography

In today’s world where competence, skills and experience is a requirement, technology plays a great role in overseeing this. In fact, studies show that students worldwide rely on technology in one way or another in order to enrich their learning experience. Bates & Poole (2003) observed that more Americans are pursuing higher education than ever before and by 2026, undergraduate enrollment rates are expected to increase.

With increase in graduates in search for jobs, the competition stiffens and students are required to work extra hard in order to be able to compete in the job market (Rogers, 2003). This requires the students to enroll into online courses, get into YouTube and learn a skill for trade or enrich their own learning via the use of technology.

Statement of the Problem

The problem to be addressed in this study is whether technology should be regulated in the learning institutions to help students concentrate more in their studies or should it be more liberal.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study stems from claims that technology serves as a distraction to the students away from their studies. Also further claims have been made for its misuse, instead of students studying they spend most of the time in the surfing the web for pornographic material, engage in trolling etc. However true these claims might be, the bigger picture should not be lost, as with the advent of any new technology, responsibility has to be taken and does not come without its limitations.

Research Questions

Technology mostly offered by learning institutions come in the form of computers and internet offered in the form of mostly public Wi-Fi or via LAN cable. However, before any deductions are made, the following questions need first to be answered. They will help to iron out issues and shed light on what actually happens. It is important to understand what the students use the internet for. The student’s Wi-Fi usually contains a firewall to filter out sites that are usually considered counterproductive such as pornographic sites etc.

Q1. How does technology affect the learning of students in the learning institutions?

Q2. What do students usually use the school’s internet resources for?

Study Significance

The study should help the administration and policy makers understand the benefits and drawbacks of integrating technology with education. This will enable them to make proper decisions in this regard. The study will also relieve the tensions held by the parents and encourage them to be supportive of technology and nurture the culture. The study should also encourage the government to increase funding for technology initiatives in the institutions to make them more conducive for learning.

Conclusion 

Technology is an imperative in the constantly evolving world that we live in today. Students use technology to enrich their learning experience in ways that would have otherwise been more expensive or sometimes dangerous. For instance an engineering student building a circuit board would first run a simulation in a computer then connect it safely afterwards. Technology also makes life easier, so that the student focuses on solving the problem than handling laborious plumbing that demotivates and takes the fun out of the learning experience. Lastly, everything has its drawback but this does not mean that we should

References

Bates, A. W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley. 10475 Cross point Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46256.

Rogers, P. L. (Ed.). (2003). Designing instruction for technology-enhanced learning. IGI Global.