GRE analytical writing assessment contains two tasks - Analyze an Argument and Analyze an Issue. ‘Innovations distract from learning’ is a Sample GRE Issue Essay. This essay states technological innovation distracts students from actual learning. There are numerous topics found in GRE writing practice papers for candidates to practice.

Topic:

Although innovations such as video, computers, and the Internet seem to offer schools improved methods for instructing students, these technologies all too often distract from real learning.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Though innovation has established itself as an emerging trend of learning, yet a lot more work is necessary to be carried out in this direction.

Answer:

There is no doubt that innovations such as video, laptops, and the internet provide a better platform for learning. But the other side of the coin states that the use of innovations for non-academic purposes or off-task use of technology distracts the students from learning new things perfectly. Moreover, a study published by Arnold Glass, a Psychology Professor at Rutgers University, and Mengxue Kang, a graduate student shows a causal link between the use of innovations and poor grades. It concludes that technology impairs the ability to retain information from the class. Those who use cell phones in class frequently are unable to take quality notes. They hesitate to give the right answer if any question is asked by the teachers. It happens due to their inconstant concentration. In many surveys, it is mentioned that texting is distracting to nearby students too.

Apart from this, several real-world examples support the aforementioned study. The experts have observed that the use of social media in class is common in the eyes of the young generation. They take it positively and say that they are ultimate multitaskers, whereas as per recent studies, it's proven that multitasking in class is not good for children.

Also check:

The readers are suggested to have a look at the below-mentioned points to understand how and why innovations have become a headache for parents and teachers.

• Parents put restrictions on the use of innovations when their children enter puberty, and the children use it on the pretext of studying. They think their children are doing homework or attending a live class while he/she would be playing Pubg or watching web series on Netflix because everyone has a desire to get entertained by the things which they like the most. Now parents must give them freedom. Then they need to take that freedom away if it seems to infringe the basic right of acquiring knowledge of a particular subject. In short, the hyper usage of the Internet distracts the learners, they need to keep themselves away from it.
• Parents give full freedom (freedom that excludes reasonable restrictions) to their children and don’t ask them to stop using the internet or video games when they study, and the Children eventually end up getting addicted to the Innovations. The ability to concentrate on one thing is snatched from them by technology. They use it in class as well, and later on, they can’t even spend a few minutes without opening their social media accounts. The urge to see beautiful scenery is stronger than the knowledge of being disciplined during lectures and therefore a reasonable restriction is required to improve the poor grades of Children.

However, the use of innovations has been a boon to experienced folks. People are getting online degrees with the help of the Internet. They learn new skills by using the means offered by technical and educational innovations. They are aware of the fact that freedom comes with responsibilities. Innovation encourages learners to bring something new to the world of education with the help of all tools. For example, people use apps to sell their courses. Innovation in education can create more transparency. Students and instructors are in the position to analyze the outcomes and identify what further support might be needed to improve the educational environment. Parents can keep an eye on the performance of their children because of innovations such as online attendance sheets, mark sheets, and live class feedback.

As per the above-mentioned information, we can conclude that innovations can be used to spread awareness and knowledge among the common masses. The importance of innovations is clear to us in many ways, but we can’t overlook the fact that there is no gift more valuable than a gift of education. It is a gift that gives meaning to the life of that person who receives it. Hence, we should teach our children that the excessive use of innovations is harmful to the brain cells. The classes should be made more engaging and interesting. The students who can’t obtain the best information from the lectures, don’t excel in the future as well. The brilliant professionals helped in the accelerated development of the country. So, the causes of distractions from learning due to Innovations must be taken care of, so that the loss in real terms suffered by the world due to the hyper use of Innovations can be mitigated.

Furthermore, banning the use of innovations is not the solution to improve the learning system, the solution lies in solving the problems by using scientific methods or removing the root causes of digital distractions in the classroom.