Some Disadvantages of the Use of Computers in the Teaching and Learning Process
Published By varron on 2011-03-21 3521 Views
The existence of computers as well as the internet provides advancements in our community. This modern technological tool gives benefits in many fields of work because of its fast and accurate processing of mathematical and logical operations.
Different establishments and fields of work have been using computers and find it good and beneficial. From the business sector, to engineering and architecture, to medicines, and to the other field of sciences, the use of computers is evident.
In education, the uses of computers are now being integrated with the teaching and learning processes. Some people say this is good since computers could enhance the learning of the students. Other critics say that this move might not be good because of some considerations. They stress that the integration of computers in the teaching and learning process might bring some disadvantages.
According to them, the use of computers in education processes provides disadvantages in different aspects. When computers are use in teaching, there are tendencies that the effective teaching will disappear between the teacher and the learner. This is due to the intervention of the attention that is given by the student to the computer machines. In other words, computers could become a barrier in communication between the teacher and the learner.
The gap between the rich and the poor could also be affected since computer machines are seldom accessible by the poor students while advantage is evident to those rich students who usually studies in the leading schools and universities which usually have this computer and internet facilities. Another thing is that this will lead into a kind of discrimination since rich students mostly have their own personal computers while poor students do not have. These are evident especially in the developing countries where most of the students don’t have their own computers at home.
The risk of becoming anti-social is also a disadvantage since some experts believe that using computers often makes an individual difficult to form personal connection to others.
Health risk is another consideration. There are certain health disturbances that are associated with computers. Among of these are the eyestrain, repetitive motion injury and more. Computer integration in the teaching and learning process could also give some problems for those students who use to have poor eyesight or vision.
Another consideration is that the fundamental skills are sometime neglected. An example of this is the use of the spelling and grammar tolls in word processing software which make the students rely on computer machines rather than doing the editing with their own as a way of enhancing their learning.