A computer is a tool but it is only a tool. It is a good tool if used properly in the classroom but should not be thought of as the only needed tool in the bag. This seems to be a logical approach to education, but we must ask, what if this is the only method of instruction that a student is engaged? If it is overused, then there is the possibility that educators could actually be limiting content acquisition. Jack Grove in his article stated that it might even decrease grades.
A necessary component of learning is to provide students time to process information. Howard Gardner (see link on Multiple Intelligences) proposed that students have preferred learning styles (and teachers have preferred teaching styles) and posited that students seem to learn better when they are engaged in their preferred learning style. If this is true, then a student that had a preferred learning style that was only auditory, might not be maximizing their learning if they never engaged in visual learning. An approach that employs multiple intelligences might enhance learning and provide a better educational experience.
For example, spending time taking notes by hand allows students to assimilate information by using multiple senses (e.g. visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to acquire and to organize information, and this might be a more productive way to take notes than with the computer only. This is not to say that the computer should not be used, but teachers should strive to find ways to incorporate new and innovative ways to take notes in the classroom that utilizes many methods of learning. The process of redundancy utilizing multiple intelligences of learning while taking notes by hand might prove to be a more productive approach.
We could extend this thought to other strategies in the classroom as well. For example, if students only engaged in the “gamification” of learning, would they be maximizing their learning potential? Further, if your students only use their computers to engage learning, aren’t they missing out on other meaningful opportunities to acquire information? Consider best practices, multiple best practices for your classroom and seek to utilize a variety of methods to reach your students.
