Paper vs. Digital Learning — The Classroom Debate

Sophie Erenberg (11) | STAFF REPORTER

Technology in the classroom can be a helpful tool for both students and educators. With the right digital education tools, it has been proven that students are more likely to engage in the learning process, benefit more from individualized instruction, and even increase their productivity to boost academic performance. However, the mainstreaming of digital learning into school curricula worldwide has raised the question of whether educational institutions should continue to use traditional paper materials or replace them entirely with technology.

With the advancement of educational technology, the majority of schools have moved away from traditional paper materials such as handouts and physical textbooks and begun incorporating digital tools into the classroom. Yet despite their potential benefits to the modern education system, parents and teachers are at odds over the impact of digital devices on children’s mental and physical health. According to a recent study by Gallup, 69% of teachers in the U.S. believe their students’ use of electronic devices has been mostly harmful to their mental well-being, while most American parents of school-aged children expressed optimism about the effects of technology use on youth (The Washington Post 2018).

Michelle Harmon, a seventh-grade teacher at Montgomery County Public Schools and mother of three, acknowledges both perspectives. She observes that the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets in the classroom have given rise to more anxiety, and her biggest concern is the difficulty her students experience in thinking through problems: “Everything is so instantaneous to kids, and they expect answers to questions right away — there’s a downside in that it doesn’t help our kids wrestle with the gray area or complexity.”

Moreover, while some studies have found positive effects from moderate amounts of computer use in STEM disciplines, the majority of data showed a negative impact at various grade levels. According to a study involving millions of high school students in the 36 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, students who habitually used computers at school performed significantly worse in most learning outcomes, whereas similar studies found a positive correlation between U.S. college students’ digital device use and lower exam scores (MIT Technology Review 2019).

In sum, while technology may reduce the costs of physical instructional materials and can be a powerful tool to encourage active participation in the classroom, it is significant to note that the excessive use of digital devices in education can have a counterproductive effect on students’ academic performance and well-being. As technology continues to become more prevalent in everyday life, it is increasingly important for educational institutions to sensibly integrate digital learning into classroom instruction, in lieu of replacing all paper materials, to ensure that students are able to manage their time efficiently and maintain healthy lifestyles.

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