Elementary schools are instituting anti-cell phone policies. More and more high schools are now boasting free laptops or tablets in exchange for enrollment. Thousands of people every year receive college degrees without ever having to set foot in a classroom. As the world changes and becomes increasingly technologically centered, the ways in which students engage in material, interact with their peers, and process information is becoming progressively centered on a screen of some sort.
As my mom often liked to point out to me as I did my homework, “When I was in school, there was no Google. We had these bulky things called an encyclopedia and when we went to the library, we had to actually ask a librarian for assistance or try to wade through something called a card catalog.” As a 21st century student, we have access to millions upon millions of articles, journals, videos, and scholarly research literally at the touch of our finger. How is this increase in technology changing schools and higher education?
As a university student, I am often exposed to groundbreaking technology in the classroom. My professors use an online tool to upload homework, grade assignments, dispense reading materials, and offer advice. If I have a question, I, unlike my parents, do not need to resort to office hours. While some argue technology is a burden or a means to an end, I know that the use of technology has many positive uses as a means to success.
Hands-on, creative, and efficient are words that to me speak to the many benefits of technology within the world of education. Technology gives students the tools they need to succeed in the professional world and allow hand-on access and experimentation. For example, with access to online databases and technological instruments, I have been able to get my hands dirty and measure and record patterns of migratory species in the field and upload them to a classroom portal within minutes. Without the tools to quickly and efficiently track and locate wildlife, my course on conservation would have lost precious time and energy in the fields of Colorado. When students are given access to programs and pieces of technology that mimic professional tools, students are truly given a glimpse into the future and are more prepared for life after graduation.
In regards to creativity, technology has allowed students today to be more imaginative than ever. With access to professional grade software, I have personally succeeded in turning ideas on paper into film scenes of sensory enjoyment in quite a few classes. With technology, I am able to bring my ideas to life for others to access and enjoy in the future. Most academic fields have been changed for the better in result of access to networks of connectivity. Technology allows educators and students to more easily share ideas and collaborate-simply with the touch of a button. Technology in turn is creates an accessible platform to discuss fresh and innovative concepts, which allows for the imagination to reach greater heights with endless possibilities.
Unlike the students of my parent’s generation, I no longer have to whip out the encyclopedia next to my bulky typewriter to research information for a paper or project. I do not ever have to worry about a card catalog or confusing archives. Technological innovation is beneficial and necessary because it creates efficiency among students. With an abundance of information available online, the world of academics has never had so much potential. We as students have already begun to shape our world, through our thoughts, discussions, posts, assignments, videos,online activism, blogs, film projects, and social media involvement. With an abundance of technological resources, students are afforded the ease of cooperation, collaboration, and innovation with other students and teachers. As the world continues to develop, I know that today’s students will be able to shape the world into a better place through the triumphs of technology.
