Technology is an integral part of the lifestyle of today’s population. With many people depending on their smartphones to communicate with friends, almost everyone uses the Internet. Not only can this advancement of technology be a useful tool to organize social gatherings, but it can also serve as a learning tool. Even though technology does have its drawbacks, it is still an important and valuable part of students’ lives.

Even the classrooms of most public schools can’t escape this advancement of technology. Computers have become a day-to-day tool in many classes, much like pencil and paper of ten years ago. Google Drive, in particular, has found much use in classrooms due to its collaboration features. Students can share documents with one another, then work on them with each other in real-time.

Although all this technology can help students with their school work, more often than not is it used to surf the Internet and connect with friends on social networks like Facebook. Using the same technology that powers Facebook’s chat, Google Drive allows multiple collaborators to work on a document together, in real-time, with one person’s work showing up on other’s screens. While being useful, this can also serve as a distraction to students.

With all this new technology, have we become too dependent on it? If the sight of people walking around the world, completely oblivious to their surroundings, staring into their mobiles is any indication to go by, the answer is yes. Because of this transition to the Internet, many people don’t write letters anymore, in favor of writing emails or sending text messages.

Academic integrity can also be compromised with this technology. Copying entire research papers and projects can be as easy as clicking copy and paste. However, online services that allow students to turn in papers and projects online have become sophisticated enough to detect plagiarism from the Internet, as well as projects submitted by other students from the school.

TurnItIn, a web service that allows students to turn in papers and projects online, allows teachers to view the exact time the paper was submitted, and automatically compares it against other students’ papers not only from Westwood, but also from other schools and papers published on the Internet.

In the end, though, the integration of technology into the classroom is a good thing, despite some issues that still remain. This new technology allows students to work together easily, enriching their learning experience through the interactive and collaborative features provided, while also allowing teachers to crack down on plagiarism easily.