The "Digital Age" has set Gen A up for failure in school.

Question

My claim is that Gen Alpha has been set up for failure in the classroom due to the digital age usage in classrooms. It is very clear how technology has impacted education especially after the pandemics when everything was online. Now, even in as young as elementary school, assignments for kids are online. In the tagged article, it mentions that only 33% of fourth graders in America scored at or above proficiency on a reading exam. As technology and AI continue to grow, our education system will decrease.

Answer 1

While I agree with your statement, I think that the claim is more based on opinion than fact. While doing some research, I did not find string evidence that isolatively blames digital usage for widespread failure. Evidence that I have found (listed below) better supports that reading proficiency is declining and that pandemic disruptions and other factors are likely contributors. The digital environment may exaggerate issues, such as "making distractions easier" or " reducing social interactions", but it is hard to isolate the "digital age" as the primary source of this information. With the article and statistic mentioned in your claim, about the fourth graders test score, is right in the ballpark according to the sources listed below. But it is also important to note that this statistic doesn't automatically imply that the decline in proficiency is the cause for "set up for failure" or that all of the decline is due to the digital touch. It is fair to say that Gen Alpha faces heightened challenges in school, especially in reading and foundational skills, and that digital environments may exacerbate these. But it is not defensible to assert that technology alone (or mainly) has “set them up for failure” without controlling for other major influences. I think a more balanced claim would be something similar to, "The digital age may contribute to educational difficulties regarding Gen A, especially taking into account the pandemic related disruptions and inequalities". 

https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/Reading_Proficiency?

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2022/pdf/2023010NP4.pdf?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8221420/

Answer 2

Reading multiple articles I would say that your claim is correct. Although there could be some benefits with having technology in classrooms, overall its negatively effecting kids and teens test scores. There was an increase of technological use after the pandemic especially, with the shift to online classes. This really affected kids attention span, and they can't focus on their own work that much. The main cause of the decline of test scores may not fully be from technology, but it could be a big factor that plays into it. So yeah I agree with your claim, there needs to be less technology use in classes. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/reading/2022/

Answer 3

Although this claim could be true, there are also counterarguments showing that technology can help Generation Alpha (Gen A) with education and learning. During the Industrial Revolution, people were afraid that jobs would be taken due to technological advancements. However, the opposite took place. Think about how much opportunity for learning technology provides for Gen A.

A Stanford University report states that “AI is not going away,” so teachers are now implementing AI in the classroom and teaching students about AI literacy. I think this is vastly different from Generation Z, when AI was a new concept during high school and students were not fully taught how to use it without cheating, etc.https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/02/technology-in-education 

Next, the National Library of Medicine states that video games can actually improve students’ learning abilities: “Social media can foster peer learning, discussions, and access to diverse educational resources, while video games may improve cognitive functions like problem-solving, strategic thinking, and hand-eye coordination” (NCBI). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11894741/ 

However, where your claim comes in is the addiction to social media and video games, which can negatively affect student participation and make students more impulsive.