Technology as Savior or Devil

Technology has its buzz words. If you've been in education long enough, you have heard a great many of them: QPA, NCA, Graphic Organizers, Content Area Reading....the list goes on and on. Real veterans...cough...can point to cycles in the jargon. One of the most current in the last decade is the use of technology or one-to-one laptop initiatives. When the initiatives were launched, many looked to computers like a savior. Some wished to claim that use of technology could even boost test scores. Lots of hoopla followed. Fear was also part of the recipe. Often schools divided into two camps: those who supported technology and those who clung to the "days of old." Some saw the new technology as "the devil" in that it corrupted minds, lead students to possible "bad deed," and distracted from classroom teaching. Time has lead to a more middle ground. I teach technology. I use technology. I advocate for technology. But like all tools, it clearly has its place. There are clear reasons for my stand, however. We don't restrict the child from the tool just because the tool "could" be distracting. If such were true, no student would be granted pencils, paper, or those vicious tools: erasers. Can you imagine denying your child the use of the phone or learning how to drive a car? To be without such knowledge would restrict them from finding success in the everyday world we live in. However, there are those who would deny students the use of technology. (Or choose not to use it themselves for the same reasons.) What we all have to remember is that technology is a tool to make us work faster, smarter, and more efficiently. It has changed HOW we learn and WHY we learn that way. The content is still important. What we do in the classroom is still essential. However, we cannot deny its existence or our relationship with it. Embrace the technology. It is your friend. Oh, and I love my iPhone. ;-)