Technology In The Classroom

Past Technology

Technology plays a big part in our lives. For the most part, technology makes things easier. Sometimes we are confused when technology fail us. Have you ever seen a traffic congestion at an inoperable light?

Using Technology In The Classroom

I grew up in a time when calculators were the most common technological advance.

Technology Learning

Then word processors, yes word processors came along and typing became much easier. I want to discuss how calculators may have stifled us. If you are younger than 30, you probably do not remember completing your math homework without a calculator. Do not get me wrong, I think calculators make calculations a lot faster, but children should be able to solve a math problem without a calculator.

Arithmetic is the simplest math. Children should not be allowed to use a calculator to do division. What happened to long division? If a child uses a calculator he does not have much work to show because the calculator did all the work. If you ask the child does he understand what just happened; his response would probably be, "Why do I need to know that if the calculator figured it out? "I just need to know how to operate a calculator".

Change to come

If I heard a child say that, my first thought would be we are doomed because technology is making us lazy.

It is not the child's fault because they are using technology to the maximum. I briefly mentioned calculators, the truth is I believe calculators stifled my generation. Before calculators came along, teachers routinely asked us to show our work and if we were lucky enough to have a calculator the teacher ban us from using it to complete our test.

I did not like this policy, but looking back I think I would have learned more math. Then companies started making calculator watches. It was over then, this may have been the downfall of elementary education.

Technology in the classroom

I am thankful for the progress made by technology. We now have computers not word processors, automatic teller machines, and global positioning.

If you listen to the news today or read the school's curriculum you will discover that the kids are using iPads, game controllers, and researching the web to complete essays. If the teachers find a good use for technology, I do not have a problem.

The kids are using computers so they are replacing books. What happened to Encyclopedias? Our kids are not necessary failing in school; we are accepting less information for learning. Does anybody agree with the progress of our kids education? We have some exceptions, but they can not carry an entire nation.

This nation is still on the forefront of technology, but other nations are catching up fast. I predict if we do not start educating our kids with real substance, in twenty years or so we will not be the World leader.

How do you feel about the curriculum being taught in school's today? Do you think technology makes our kids smarter or do you think we are getting lazy?

What was the biggest technological advance when you were in school? How can we fix this problem?

Do you believe we will always be on the forefront of technology? Remember we are already buying a lot of our technology from overseas.

Technology In The Classroom