Reasons Why Computers are Not Advisable for Compulsory Learning Levels

Use of computers as tool for learning in schools for primary and secondary education may not be a good idea at all. First off, it will only increase the cost of education, which not all families can afford to shoulder. As a result, some sectors of a community will be discouraged from enrolling their children to a proper school, and choose home-based or online educational courses as alternative.

Although there are cases where non-profit organizations help in looking for donors who will alleviate the costs of setting up a computer-aided school environment, other factors require careful consideration. Such elements are not immediately perceivable. If left unchecked, they will only be counterproductive to the supposed benefits of using computers as basic school tools for primary and secondary school levels.

Negative Factors that Can Adversely Impact Computer-Based Compulsory Learning

Primary and secondary levels of education are regarded as compulsory because they constitute basic reading, writing, mathematical, scientific and social aspects of learning. Even if computers can provide information needed by learners by way of digital contents and video tutorials, the following factors can lead to problematic behaviors or yield less favorable results among learners.

Learning Process is Less Structured

Unless teachers can limit or supervise every content accessed by students, the latter will have a hard time keeping up with the planned lessons. Young minds are naturally curious, and impatient as well. They have a tendency to stray from what is currently being taught, if they find the topic boring or uninteresting. If a young learner sets his or her mind in exploring other materials, he or she will be acquiring knowledge in a less structured manner, not meeting the entire learning objectives of planned lessons.

Overexposure to Computer Use

Aside from the potential health disorders that may be developed in connection with long periods of computer use, overexposure can make students wary of doing schoolwork in their respective home. As they will have a free hand in accessing different types of digital contents, they can easily get distracted by chat messages and notifications that lead them to social media or gaming websites. More often than not, they tend to forego priorities as they will have a hard time extricating themselves from a more entertaining form of activity.

Forsaking the Benefits of Textbook Learning

Acquiring knowledge by way of textbooks develop certain skills that are best tapped on during the early stages of education. Completing a lesson or a chapter of a textbook includes answering exercises manually. Development of good writing skills therefore goes hand-in-hand with textbook learning.

Each completed chapter can be reviewed by students anytime and anywhere, as opposed to having access to past lessons only when in front of a PC: or be prevented from doing so when a portable computer device runs out of battery power.

Reading hard copies of lessons via textbook can likewise develop appreciation for other reading materials that can make their imagination work. Since novels occur in chapters in the same way textbook lessons are presented, the process of reading stories and narratives will keep the element of suspense intact.

The experience will not be similar if students develop an attitude toward digitally presented lessons as something they can manipulate easily, by scrolling up or down, or swiping left to right easily.

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