A computer is a versatile tool. As a tool, it can be very helpful to one who knows how best to use it. It could also be just an expensive paperweight to someone who does not have the skills to use it. A computer can hold all the text in many books and allow the teacher to customize a course very easily. If all the students have computers, they can use special software that allows them to learn at their own pace. Instead of the teacher having to bore some students with repetition or having to flunk some students who couldn't catch on, the lecture is individualized to each student. When combined with a digital projector, the individual computer can present eye-catching visual aids to supplement the lecture. Or put the cost of the projector toward providing a workstation for each student, and they can each have a close-up view. (A workstation is an inexpensive computer with just a monitor and keyboard/mouse that is networked along with others to a single computer which is the server, or host.) Combine a single computer with an inexpensive dot matrix printer, and you can print hand-outs which could be worksheets, homework, or tests. The computer for the teacher can assist with record keeping. By utilizing a Scan-Tron machine, my teachers were able to use a computer to score tests very quickly, saving them time which they were able to use more productively. Students taking a test using a computer can receive immediate feedback as to whether they answered right or wrong, making computer testing a good preparatory tool, or it can simply allow the test to be graded immediately. The computer combined with internet access can allow the teacher to research up-to-date information to teach, which can assist with piquing the students interest. Two or more computers can be connected over long distances, allowing ill or quarantined students to access a recorded lecture or a live webcam of the classroom. Such connections would not require the internet, rather they can use a private network with a variety of ways to make the connection. A teacher can record a perfect lecture and play it back for multiple classes while he uses his time to perfect the next lecture. There are probably many more ways, but I am not even experienced as a teacher.
