Educational technology has greatly developed and has made both teachers and students successful as well as reforming schools. Some of these educational technologies include computers and computer peripherals (analytical software). Although these technologies have greatly impacted education in positive way still many people argue that the use of technology in schools should be limited. Many warn that continuous use of technology in classrooms has some side effects on students such as access to materials that are inappropriate and over-dependent on technology to learn. Proponents of educational technologies believe that technology will improve achievement through motivation and developments of thinking skills hence the need to invest much in educational technologies.
As the world becomes complex there was the need to shift teaching and learning from content area to skills that help students to solve complex problems across various fields. As result educators took into account educational technology and adopted strategies that integrated technology into classrooms. The use of these technologies appropriately alongside guidance has helped in the development of thinking skills. Appropriate use of multimedia technologies in classrooms has helped teachers to give stimulating lectures. Educational technologies have given students an easy way to get information that is changed to knowledge. Computers have developed writing skills, eased collaboration between students in various countries, research and helped in solving problems that otherwise would be difficult. Computers have also improved the accuracy, completeness of information generated in educational research centers. Studies have shown that the use of technology alongside instruction by teachers has improved students learning through enhancing active learning. Students in technology-rich environments are able to master concepts and principles, and hence implement active learning. With technology, students have large information to work with rather than the little information available in books. Again use of databases, software has helped students to learn from information which is faster than waiting to ask questions to individual teachers.
Apart from improving students’ achievement studies shows that technology has also improved teachers quality; that is as technology becomes more complex, teachers are becoming better. For teachers to be expected to use technology in such that it will enhance students’ performance, they must be equipped with the necessary professional skills. As result teachers have been trained and equipped with skills to use such technology, and understanding technology as a tool for active learning. Technology has led many teachers to pursue professional development in order to keep on devising methods of improving learning and teaching of science. The use of the internet according to students has helped them grow their relationships and share information with other students across the world; hence to them, it enhances academic work. Million people especially students are going online to gather information and do research. As years pass internet is becoming critical in educational improvement since it is digitally connected. As more people are getting access to the internet, it’s believed that students and other education stakeholders who have no access to the internet are increasingly disadvantaged. Therefore, increasing the number of people and more so education stakeholders using digital technologies is important to the education sector. Technology has made the concept of the internet possible, thus the growth of information would not have been if not for this technology. Researchers believe that technology cannot be isolated in good instruction and appropriate use of technology plays a critical role in academic improvement.