While some technology in the classroom is beneficial, the use of personal computers, tablets and cell-phones in the classroom can be a major distraction because of the desire to use social media. According to a study done by Cengage, the number of students off-task and using their devices for personal reasons is very high.
I think that tablets and cell phones can be useful for reinforcing information or introducing a new topic by creating interest, but the teaching should be left to the teacher. Tablets and cell phones can be great tools for internet research and educational games as well, but there is a time and place for these and I am not quite sure that during a lecture is that time or place. I believe it is imperative for students to experience technology but it cannot replace the traditional classroom. For some students, such as myself, the only way to retain information is to physically write it. I would have a really hard time functioning in a class where all I had was a shiny new tablet with games and notifications from social media sites. Isn't the whole purpose of teaching to have student engagement? Who wants half of their class watching a porcupine eat pumpkins on Youtube while you are trying to teach conic sections? There is enough distraction in the classroom, without tablets, cell phones and social media. Another great study on technology as a distraction is by Katie Bane, of NewsNetNebraska. This article takes a look at a study in which a teacher alternated using technology and not using technology to take notes during the semester. The classes that didn't use technology scored a whole letter grade higher than the ones that did.
Along with being a major distraction, social media poses risks to children as well. Children and adults alike are becoming "addicted" to the craze of social media and there are a ton of negative results. Social media is the easiest way to bully or embarrass fellow students. Kids on social media sites are being exposed to things such as nudity and violence that their parents may not be aware of, and certainly do not approve of. Adolescents are a curious bunch and are likely to dig into things they really shouldn't be looking at. Communicating on social media is so commonplace that it becomes hard for people to write academically, rather than conversationally. Also, as we are all aware there are predators and undesirables that have access to kids on social media sites. As teachers, we can only control what our students are exposed to inside the classroom, and opening up the Pandora's box of social media in the classroom isn't something I am comfortable with at this time.
You can check out the articles by Cengage and NewsNetNebraska in the links below to see what other people think about technology in the classroom.
http://cojmc.webfactional.com/2013/04/23/technology-sometimes-more-distracting-than-helpful-in-class/
http://blog.cengage.com/technology-classroom-distraction-asset/
And just in case YOU want to see a porcupine eat pumpkins...Get your daily dose of cute by watching "Teddy Bear" the porcupine.