• There is much information written about the benefits of technology in education and the effects of technology on English learning. Advocates for integrating technology into the English classroom emphasize the positive effects of technology. It is important, however, to take a more critical look at the effects of technology on English education so that we can maximize the positive effects and minimize the negative ones.
  
  

Inactivity

• Computer usage in classrooms increases children's amount of sedentary time and decreases their amount of active time. Physical activity helps to keep the brain active and focused, so it is important for students to be physically involved in their learning. With the increased use of technology, the physical aspect of learning is often neglected.
  
  

Changes in Communication

• While technology opens the door to opportunities and access to people outside our immediate social circle, the result of the virtual world often closes doors to real-world encounters. Technology has increased the opportunities for long-distance communication, but in exchange decreases our ability to communicate proficiently in face-to-face encounters. The effect on students might be that they are not learning some very essential social skills. This particularly applies to ESL students, who need face-to-face encounters to learn the social nuances and unspoken social rules of another culture.
  
  

Reading and Writing

• Social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are thriving on the use of short snippets of information, shortened forms of full words, and fully developed sentences and thoughts. Although these programs are not used in the academic setting, we have to recognize that students use these sites regularly, and it is dramatically changing the way we read and write. This major social trend in the use of technology in every day lives has a tremendous negative effect on education, especially English language learners (ELLs). Additionally, the use of educational technology in the classroom promotes shorter pieces of reading, which has a negative impact on students' ability to read longer pieces of writing. There is reason to believe that the attention spans of students are steadily becoming shorter as we rely more and more on technology-enhanced teaching materials.
  
  

General Findings

• A report by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology indicates that the positive effects of technology on education far exceed the negative effects. For example, students learn more in less time when they receive computer-based instruction, and the use of technology results in higher level reasoning and problem-solving abilities. The negative effects were minimal by comparison.
  
  

Requirements for Positive Effects

• Even in studies that show overwhelmingly positive effects of technology on English learning, it is important to note that the achievement of positive effects is the result of some common components. Teachers must be educated and trained to understand a variety of strategies and methods to integrate technology into the English classroom, must have access to the technology while planning, must have technical assistance available to themselves and students, and must be involved in ongoing and long-term staff development to support the use of technology in English learning. No matter how sophisticated the technology may be, without these factors, the positive effects of technology on English learning are often lost.