The days of school just being about pencils and paper and chalk and blackboards have been deprecated.
Only time will tell if injecting technology into the classroom will be a complete success or leave something left to learn.
As more and more teachers who grew up with and did not have technology move into retirement, an upswing of teachers who are familiar and grew up with technology is taking their place.
Today’s teacher is one who grew up with a computer and the Internet. For them, the idea of trying to do much of anything without technology is completely anathema.
Today’s student has more technology at their fingertips than in the history of the world. Just about every student from approximately 3rd grade and up has a smartphone, and those who are younger can navigate a tablet or iPad without concern. This means today’s teacher has got to be aware of this in their classrooms and must tap into this resource.
With the smartphone, there are virtually thousands of applications available for school and education. Certain apps, such as Quizlet and Kahoot!, depend strictly on smartphones and on the Internet. Students can complete assignments on their phones, email them to their teachers and continue to perform at high levels.
Blended learning, such as dual online and face to face classes, are becoming more and more the norm for many students. Colleges offer online classes for students who seek asynchronous learning opportunities or perhaps cannot meet the requirements of a daily class schedule. This means teachers, professors and students alike must be aware of technology in the classroom and be willing to embrace it.
The era of technology is upon us. Those who refuse to embrace technology as a part of a classroom will soon find themselves forced to learn or left behind. The same can be said for students who are constantly moving forward with their technology. What was commonplace in education yesterday has already been supplanted by something newer, better, faster and is only good until the next great innovation.
