Social Technology or .......

Technology in the classroom is a topic that comes up more and more as technology grows by leaps and bounds. The issue to me is not whether we use technology in the education setting but how we use it. Having computer access alone does not address the social issues of access to information outside of the classroom. It is my opinion that technology is not the issue alone, it is in-depth understanding of our students that will push or pull them out of their respective deficiencies.

The articles Social Justice – Choice or Necessity? by Colleen Swain and David Edyburn and Who Are Today's Learners? by Christine Greenhow discuss the issue of technology in education very similarly to other articles I’ve read. I understand that getting into specifics would make the article long and tedious, but they always seem to give generalities of how to fix things or what to do. I believe, like technology itself, the integration of technology into education will happen organically. And not as a forced-upon tool to prepare students for jobs.

It is a disservice to any student anywhere to limit anything to them because some do not have access to this or that. Technology is just another means of information reaching us. Limiting any information to our students goes against our goals of building students up. Our job is to use all the tools available to us to enhance our students’ bodies and minds. And the use of any technology should not be limited, when appropriate.

My goal for my students is to increase the access to critical thinking beyond the subject I teach. How the information gets to them is not as important as what they do with it when they get it. Providing encouragement to students will help them overcome any boundaries that may be in their lives. Technology is an immensely useful tool for educating, but the power to persevere is a tool that will carry a student further in their life.