On Media Technology in the Classroom

 

My name’s Kevin Lima. I’m currently a student at CSUN and have just begun my senior year. As someone who’s been a  student for nearly two decades and seen substantial technological changes, I’ve also seen them slowly but surely be integrated into the classroom with varying levels of effectiveness. Their inclusion has ranged from the use of smartboards for easier presentation, to full blown programs that need to be purchased for roughly $60 so that it could do the teaching while the professor got to sit back and provide a grade based on the progress made on the program. The role media technology should play in teaching should be substantial, as it can make things easier to get done, so long as whatever the shape it takes in the classroom doesn’t prove cumbersome for the students this integration of technology is meant to help. For example, classes shouldn’t be completely reliant on the use of technology if students aren’t provided with free access to the equipment that is deemed mandatory. Fortunately, I don’t have much of a problem with the need for technology here at CSUN due to the provision of laptops and hotspots, which are all that’s really needed for the most part to meet the criteria of a student who is prepared to pass such classes. However, a point that I feel I have to bring up is the use of overcomplicated methods of submission and overall activities that take away from students being able to complete and turn in work. When this happens, the grade can very easily become dependent on students’ abilities to prove adept at keeping up with random practices when it comes to technology, rather than their ability to understand and apply the material. Therefore, I think the use of media technology shouldn’t take away from the subject matter of the course, as well as avoid hindering students’ effectiveness and comfort.