Unplanned Use of Electronic Media: Implications for Teaching and Learning

Introduction

With the rapid change in science and technology, the form of teaching and learning process in the classroom has also been changed by using electronic media. Uses of multimedia, tablets, iPods, mobiles, video discs, and so on are commonly used in classrooms in order to make teaching and learning effective (Catapano, n.d.). Positive use of electronic media can be ensured through proper planning. However, the unplanned use of electronic media in classrooms leaves significant implications for teaching and learning as discussed below.

Unplanned use of electronic media can be distracting 

As well as there are advantages of electronic media in classroom teaching and learning, there are negative impacts if used in an unplanned manner which leads towards distraction from the smooth teaching and learning process. The students are more motivated to use electronic media than paying attention to the teacher’s lesson. Therefore, the well-planned use of electronic media can leave positive impacts which need to be encouraged. Unplanned use of electronic media causing distractions leads to low performance academically. It leaves an important implication for teachers that if they want to use electronic media, they should plan to use it first and then bring them to the classroom otherwise, that will be because of disturbing rather than support in learning (Raut & Patil, 2016).

Low level of interaction in the classroom

 According to Bain (2015), it is the interactions in the classroom between teacher-student and student-student interactions that play a significant role in learning in the classroom. These interactions may be ensured in the form of students’ group discussions, presentations, pair work, and such other techniques. For these strategies planned use of technology supports them to be carried out. However, if electronic media is brought into a classroom without any proper planning, then it can cause the disconnection of the interactions among the learners. Electronic media if not planned then it reduces verbal communication so to keep a low level of interaction leaving no space for learning through interactions. 

Electronic media fosters cheating in academic tasks

It is the common observation of the educators that students are found tending towards finding shortcuts in completing their academic tasks such as homework, assignments, and classwork. The use of electronic media in the classroom fosters cheating academic tasks. It is an easy way to complete class tasks through copy and paste in the given time without any rigorous exercise on the assigned task. In order to discourage or control this negative practice, teachers need to be equipped with well-prepared lessons if they want to use electronic media in classrooms (Bain, 2015).

All the students do not equally benefit from the electronic media

Unplanned use of electronic media in classroom teaching does not guarantee equal benefits for all students. All the students do not equally concentrate on teaching through electronic media in the classroom until and unless the teaching is properly and adequately planned where all students are attempted to engage in teaching and learning activities. Therefore, teachers need not use electronic media in their classroom teaching without planning (Catapano, n.d.).

Electronic media creates confusion among the students

            Electronic media to be used in the classroom needs proper and continuous guidance from the teacher. If it is used in classroom teaching without planning, then it may lead students to gather unauthentic and irrelevant information. Therefore, the teachers need to plan their lessons in such a way that each and every student could get the teacher’s attention and guidance while benefiting from the electronic media used in the classroom (Raut & Patil, 2016).

The use of electronic media becomes overwhelming if not planned

            The use of technology needs much more preparation on part of the teacher to make it purposeful and meaningful. Unplanned use of technology becomes overwhelming that what and how needs to be achieved through technology in the classroom is not clear. It means that if mono-tone activities are carried out throughout the lesson for forty to forty-five minutes, it can cause overwhelmed or laborious feelings among the students (Bain, 2015).

References 

Bain, L. Z. (2015). How students use technology to cheat and what faculty can do about it. 

Information Systems Education Journal, 13(5), 92-99. Retrieved September 26, 2018, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137336.pdf

Catapano, J. (n.d.). The Implications of New Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved

September 27, 2018, from

http://www.teachhub.com/implications-new-technology-classroom

Raut, V., & Patil, P. (2016). Use of Social Media in Education: Positive and Negative impact

on the students. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, 4(1), 281-285. Retrieved September 28, 2018, from http://www.ijritcc.org