High School Teaching and Student Performance in the Digital Age

Indianapolis, IN

We are living in a digital age and today's high school students are first digital generation. Gradually, computers and other devices are changing how high school students are taught and how they learn. While using digital equipment as a learning tool can make the learning process faster and easier for students, students can become too dependent on the help of digital devices that their intellectual and social skills may decline. We live in times when often information is confused with knowledge. It is not unusual for students to confuse ˜knowing' with able to ˜seeing it up on Wikipedia', or, ˜getting the answer' in math by simply knowing how to work a calculator without understanding the underlying mathematical concept. The focus of this paper is to examine the impact of digital devices on students' academic performance. The paper will begin with a history of technology in classroom. It will then examine the how machines and digital devices have transformed teaching and learning in high schools, and the implications of such changes to students performance in college.