Importance of Computer Education to Students

By James Wright

Technology improves education, but is also important for future careers.
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Technology has struggled to find its way into the classroom in all sorts of ways, from projectors and televisions to computer labs and student laptops. Along with improving the way students are taught, it is also vitally important that students learn to use computers to improve their own work and prepare for careers in a world where computers have become as common as the pencil and paper.

Modernizing Education

Education has benefited from the inclusion of technology and computers by making it easier for students to keep up while helping teachers by improving the way lessons can be planned and taught. Students who use computers learn to use word processors for work, and subsequently they learn computer jargon and strengthen grammatical skills. Students can also look up lessons on websites or through email rather than lugging heavy textbooks with them every day.

Improving Student Performance

Students who use computers have been shown to attend school more steadily and perform better than students who do not use computers. Along with getting higher grades on exams, students also stated they felt more involved with their lessons and work if they used a computer. Using computers gets students to become more focused on their work at home, in collaborative projects with other students and on their own.

Learning Job Skills

Computers play a vital role in the modern business world, and many of even the most basic jobs involve technology and computers. Teaching students how to use computers helps them prepare for any number of possible careers, and classes based on computer education can get even more specific. Many classes teach students to use office suite programs, create presentations and data sheets, and learn any number of programming languages such as C++ or Java.

Efficiency

Computers make the learning process a lot more simple and efficient, giving students access to tools and methods of communication unavailable offline. For example, students can check their grades or lesson plans online, and also communicate directly with their teachers via email or educational platforms such as Blackboard. Students can also send work to their teachers from home or anywhere else, letting them finish work outside the constraints of school hours and teaching them about procrastination and personal responsibility.

Research

Technology has made research far easier than in the past. Decades ago, students learned history by going to the library and thumbing through history books and encyclopedias. Today, many of those same books are available in digital format and can be accessed online. As the Internet has grown, so too has the available research options. Students can research topics in minutes rather than the hours it used to take.

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