Current technological advances cover a broad spectrum of facets of life, including the educational system in the United States. Such progress in technology promotes faster adjustment to the rapid changes and innovations produced by modern high-tech society. More specifically, there is one controversial issue regarding the present approach to education, such as the use of computers in school settings. They might be considered as the most frequently utilized technology in the regular learning process of a student. However, computers are the technology components that have additional space requirements concerning the classroom environment, as well as the hidden costs behind its implementation into the process of studying.
Technology-oriented approach to teaching represents the new way that educators instruct the students. Considering the in-depth perspective of this issue, developments in technology facilitate the teacher’s highest efficiency and, thus, improve general engagement with the students towards better academic outcomes. Although these new teaching methods seem to be highly effective and needed in modern education, there is a number of unforeseen costs behind such an approach. It is important to examine the variety of factors when defining instructional technology expenses that primarily depend on the amount of educating staff and student numbers. In addition, it relies on the critical tech components, including infrastructure, hardware, and software, that imply additional costs.
To begin with, as the first fundamental tech element, infrastructure implies the costly venture behind the developing and maintaining classroom technology. Therefore, the adequate use of computers in schools requires resilient wireless network connections for internet service. Secondly, computer-based systems need hardware and software for administrative functions and instruction. Properly adjusted throughput is key to the successful integration of school technology. However, this dynamic issue might cause challenges for schools in terms of high-speed connectivity delivered for every classroom in the educational facility. The problem can be alleviated with the help of federal funds by enabling the school administration to focus on hardware purchases. These, in turn, encompass the significant transformation of the schooling system, including test-taking processes and standardized assessments implemented via computer. Online tests require the provision of secure devices for each programme of tests. Finally, one critical element that lacks the proper financial focus involves software purchases to prevent any possible violation of privacy and on copyright. For this reason, schools should cooperate with community stakeholders to design a rational use policy and determine the appropriate tools that support instructional use.
To sum up, technology integration into school settings is an inevitable issue that commonly progresses within the modern approach to education. By analyzing the hidden costs provided by the use of computers in the classroom, one may develop supporting and profitable technology instruction policy. Schools should develop a long-term budget to meet primary educational needs and implement sustainable strategies with proper planning to achieve effective and cost-saving technology adoption. With that said, the most crucial aspect of integrating school technology implies an explicit focus on improved academic outcomes of a student and control over its proper use for educational purposes.