Compies in Schools

School used to mean sitting behind desks with paper and books and listening as the teacher lectured and taught from the front. Well, in New Jersey that doesn’t seem to be the case. Children are instead all equipped with their own laptop and even over in West Virginia student are all given their own laptop and have a computer installed in their own home. At least that’s what Richard Ohmann’s view of the classes looked like as he describes in his article Computers and Technology.

Ohmann goes on to say that despite the increase of technology, the increase hasn’t helped actually all that much. As he writes, “thirty percent of college courses had websites a year ago, and sixty percent used e-mail as a tool for instruction ‘ but only fourteen percent of the administrators surveyed on this subject held that “technology has improved instruction on my campus” " (63). The author then goes to say how “a lot of that venture capital vaporized in the dot.com debacle” (63), to explain that despite all of the money being put into the computers most of it had vanished and had not been put to much use for the potential investors. He goes on to argue that the computers and internet access are actually harming learning as it leads to more plagiarism and ways for students to cheat and that by giving them computers many students are likely to tune out their teachers and surf the internet instead (63). In sum, Ohmann argues how computers are not helping students or their investors but actually harming them even though many people believe the computers are helping.


I agree with Ohmann up to a point. I follow his lead on the idea that computers do present an easier way for students to cheat and plagiarize and how many students would surf the internet instead of paying attention in class. After all, if I was in an insanely boring lecture I’d want to go online too. However, I disagree on his reasoning that computers only bring harm. They have many good qualities too by allowing students to broaden their horizons and gather more information quicker and easier than looking in books. It also presents students with the knowledge of how to type, learn spreadsheets, and work their way through things they’ll most likely use later in life. All in all, I would say the internet and computers should be used in classes, but only when the assignment calls for them so they’re used responsibly.