Expanding Classroom Technology by way of Laptops

West Deptford School Officials Change Strategy in Expanding Technology Education

     Although this article does not have much substance to it, as it only explains how a certain district is preparing for, as they put it, “21^st century learning,” which they define as learning through more technological means than as of late, it provides a thought-provoking argument. Although I believe they have the right intentions of wanting their students to become acclimated with the technological ways of the 21^st century that are quickly taking precedent over previous, non-technological means, I also believe that perhaps they could do a little more research and not be so quick to convert every aspect of their curriculum by way of new up to date technology.

     As I was reading the district’s argument they presented as to what their technological scenario in the schools would include, it sparked in me a concern. Why is it that grades five, eight and nine through twelve are bestowed new technology in the form of up to date laptops while grades six, seven and teachers are stuck using the laptops that they already have, although they claim them to be up to date? Even leaving the teachers out of this argument, what is the logic behind doling out new forms of technology to certain grade levels but not others? I’m genuinely confused as to how they decided that every grade except six and seven would receive the new laptops. Granted, they did not have enough for every grade but I still do not understand their justification of completely skipping over these two grades. Yes, they still have access to laptops, but why introduce an updated form to a younger grade level and then expect them to use an outdated form for the next two years if the laptops are not updated within this time period?
     I understand the district’s want of the teachers and students to become “tech savvy,” however, I wish they had given more of an explanation as to what else they plan on incorporating in the classroom. Yes, it is understandable that standardized tests may be issued online in the future, but how does this justify the use of Twitter in the classroom? It seems as though many schools always throw around the idea of using Twitter in the classroom, but it doesn’t ever seem as though they can support this idea with a logical explanation. I do absolutely believe that allowing students to have access to websites for academic purposes, such as a site like BlackBoard or Edmodo, and teaching them how to properly use them to communicate with teachers and students is beneficial. I also believe that allowing students to use laptops for academic purposes will prove to be beneficial in the classroom as well. However, I have yet to be convinced as to how social networking such as Twitter can be useful in an academic setting. They discuss how technology should be the curriculum as opposed to it being just “an add on” within the curriculum. However, I believe that it still poses challenges to have technology take center stage within the classroom setting. It worries me that having technology become the center of the students’ curriculum, it might prove to be more of a distraction than a useful tool. While incorporating technology into the classroom is important, solely relying on it for each and every lesson plan seems a bit excessive. I think it might teach students to become too dependent on technology if that is all they are expected to know. Yes, we do live in a society where technology takes precedent over many other things, but could it possibly be detrimental? Am I just being old-fashioned and unwilling to accept the fact that our society is ever-changing to adapt to newer forms of technology? Perhaps. But I stand by the fact that teaching students to write with a paper and pen is just as important as learning to type on a keyboard.