Synthesis Essay

The first day of class began with reading a syllabus. All the students sat quietly as the teacher read aloud what was to be expected. Reading more and more into it, the teacher mentioned that no cell phones were to be used in class…students groaning; typical right? Students had never been allowed to use their cell phones in class, let alone in the school. So why were they so disappointed? Teachers make that rule because cell phones distract students’ learning processes and takes away from good learning.
While Richtel stated that schools shouldn’t rush into using technology so soon, but should have educators focus more on teaching students the old fashioned way, including pen and paper; Sweeney wrote about how it is beneficial to students that they do use technology since they are already used to the different programs out there. Many people think that technology in the classroom is a great way for students to succeed, but technology can hinder a student’s work ethic and they can become lazy. In the article “A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute,” published in The New York Times, Matt Richtel writes how an Elementary school in California would rather go old fashioned than to fall victim to the newest technology. Richtel agrees by stating how employees of the big technology companies such as Google, Apple and so on would rather have their children using pens and paper, not computers or screens. The schools method consists of a teaching viewpoint made up of physical activity and learning through creative hands-on tasks. Everyone who approved this said that computers restrain creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans. One parent, Alan Eagle, whose children attend the Elementary school quoted, “I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school…the idea that an app on an iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that’s ridiculous” (Richtel, 2). Richtel then concluded that education experts would