Can computers help students with their studies?

  • 作者: David Lai Cheuk Hei
  • 寫作年級: F6
  • 寫作日期: 2011
  • 學校: St Mark's School

With advanced technology, people can accomplish their tasks and fix problems with ease. The computer has been believed to benefit education.On the other hand, the problem of over-dependence and misuse of computers among adolescent is rampant. Solutions to the problem are urgent.

First and foremost, computers were originally designed for storing information and processing data. Nowadays, people can make use of this tool to edit and effectively organize notes, which especially helps a lot in studies. Therefore, it was once believed that computers should have positive impact on education. Is that true?

There is no denying that computers really contribute to the convenience of living in the 21st century. Nevertheless, people rely too much on computers, especially teenagers. With the help of the Internet, students can obtain information of nearly all aspects in no time. The reason is that they can post some questions in forums and people from all over the world can answer them. This gives rise to the problem of over-dependence because teens can post their homework on the forum and their difficulties can be solved. In this way, students will not know how to fix the problem or even they will not figure out the main idea of the questions. This certainly hinders the progress of their studies.

Another example of over-dependence on computers is the use of software. Microsoft Word, a very popular and prevalent software, can automatically correct any mistakes found in the text without the user noticing. It is extremely useful in business when large amounts of words need to be typed and typing errors occur occasionally. Despite the efficiency in correcting the mistakes, students will not notice any spelling mistakes they have made. It is important for teenagers to learn from their mistakes. As a result, the reliance on computers only hampers studies.

The second problem is the misuse of computers. In the 21st century, more and more online games are continuously produced. This kind of entertainment tempts a lot of youngsters to spend time playing them. The worst situation is that some young people even indulge in playing these games and neglect the importance of studies. Idling their time by playing online games, students will have no time left for revision. This is so far the most serious problem as complained by many parents.

Furthermore, some of the teenagers enjoy using Facebook or MSN to chat with friends. Chatting can undoubtedly improve their relationship. However, they usually spend too much time chatting and do not do their revision. Therefore, misuse of computers can have serious influence on their studies.

As a result, solutions to the problem and suggestions about the correct usage of computers on education are needed. First, we can replace the present printed books with E-books. The main reason is that animation can be involved in E-books so that some difficult ideas or concepts can be presented in a much more realistic way. This probably elevates the efficiency of teaching.

Second, teachers can make use of the online system to assign some homework for students. For instance, ‘A Passage A Day’ and ‘English Builder’ are popular online system for students to improve their language. In this way, teachers can monitor the performance of students in a more effective way.

Third, students can research on a particular topic on the Internet and obtain information easily. In this manner, they can know deeply about that topic and are not restricted by the limited content of the textbooks. This is probably the most beneficial function of computers in studies as information from all over the world can be gathered.

By and large, the effectiveness of using computers on education really depends on whether students make use of them correctly. Therefore, teachers should raise the awareness of students about suitably using the computers for studies. Only when teachers and students cooperating with each other can a better future of education comes.