In recent years, more and more of our lives have started to be impacted by technology. Now, if you have a mobile, you can be reached anywhere. Things that humans have done the same way for hundreds of years are changing due to these technological advances. But it is possible to go too far? Should young children be introduced to devices that may harm them? 

Recently, my school sent out a poll to parents to see how parents would feel about all students having their own device for them to do schoolwork on. This, the school explained, was not definitely going to happen, as the school wanted to see how parents and students would feel about this decision before committing to anything. Even if the school did decide to have every student own their own device, this new system would not come into place until at least September 2025, and would have varying levels of use in all subjects. 

The growing use of technology has made many things in life easier and helped many people. An example of this is that technology at school can be used to enhance students learning. Games such as Times Table Rock Stars make primary school children better at their times tables as children find the games very fun to play- my 11-year-old brother proudly informs my family every time he reaches a new level. I use technology often when revising, as I look up past papers and notes online. Many accounts on social media share useful study tips and tricks which teach students different ways of revising and therefore help them do better in exams. I find that when used well, technology can be a great advance in learning today.  

However, as useful as technology can be, it can also be a hindrance and a distraction. When I am doing schoolwork, I must put my phone in a separate room to prevent myself from quickly checking it every five minutes. Even when I use my tablet for work, I turn it off the minute I am not using it to prevent myself from.  Social media is also a very easy thing to get addicted to- many people in my year have an average screen time of over nine hours per day. This can be detrimental to people’s mental and physical health. If over-used, technology can give people sleep problems, vision problems such as eyestrain and can contribute to poor posture. People may also spend less time with others, as they constantly want to be on their phone. Although some may argue that computers are useful to take notes on, studies have proven that handwriting boosts memory, as you must be selective in what you are noting down. 

So, should technology be embraced by schools or is old fashioned learning still important? I think it is about finding the right balance between making good use of technology but not allowing it to distract you.  In the future, we will undoubtedly discover more ways of making our lives easier with devices. However, I think we should still value ways of learning and life which involve in person interaction and physical activity. What do you think?