It can be said that, technology such as Web 2.0, (sites like Wikipedia) and mobile technology (such as e-readers) has and currently still is making a positive impact in the education system.
This technology has been shown to have benefits and has been proven to be more portable and convenient. It would be very highly beneficial if technology gets integrated in to the education system.
By integrating technology in to the education system it can be very beneficial, as shown in the research by many, “[p]ublic wiki[s] […] [have] the potential [for] positively impact writing skills (sentence construction, spelling, and grammar), awareness of intellectual property, processing and understanding of content, interaction among students, and the development of critical thinking skills
” (Bravo 2). In addition, to what Yousef found in his research, it:
Can be used for independent and collaborative learning experiences[,] [h]elps learners to overcome the digital divide[,] [h]elps to make learning informal[,] [h]elps learners to be more focused for longer periods[,] [and increases] [s]tudent to tutor and institution interactivity (as qtd in Fuegen 50).
Furthermore, “[o]nline learning […] has several advantages for institutions and universities, such as the cut down of educational costs
” (Biasutti 861). Therefore, with an integration of technology it can have many advantages such as being cost efficient. With technology, it creates a more flexible and convenient environment. For example with e-books (also known as Electronic books) they are in a lightweight format, with forms of digital texts, like PDFs and electronic books; then another example are Tablets which are miniature computers, which normally lack a physical keyboard, but they provide interactive opportunities through built-in functionality and third party applications (Fuegen 49). With e-books a student can easily load a text book or course notes on to the device and read it while traveling which can further educate the student; therefore, if a student dose a lot of traveling, technology will be a key feature in their studies.
One of the most useful Web 2.0 sites is Wikipedia. This site is responsible for well over 17 million articles, in over 270 languages, with more than 82 thousand contributors (Hew 49). Hew also further stated that, "students can add, edit, delete, and compare previous versions of students’ work by accessing the history page […]
” (49). Wikipedia is a great and useful tool to collaborate and get information from.
With all this being said, technology is a must have in the education system. With research, it has been proven to help the students to focus on their academics, create a more time efficient way to study and even collaborate with each other.