Information technology in education: Risks and side effects

The use of information technology (IT) in education carries risks and side effects, which are often overlooked or played down. In this paper, examples from the published literature are provided to demonstrate the down-side of IT in education: typing impairs reading and writing. Impaired reading and writing impairs learning and memory. IT leads to shallow processing, exemplified by the smaller amount of learning through the use of Google as compared to books, journals or newspapers. WLAN in lecture halls causes decreased student learning because of increased distraction. Finally, IT causes IT-addiction in a considerable number of students (up to almost 20%). In sum, the known risks and side effects of IT stand in marked contrast to the often claimed but largely unproven possible benefits. Educators and policy makers should take note. (C) 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.