Dear Teachers, We Need Technology by Brooke

Dear Teachers, We Need Technology by Brooke - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

In a world filled with and practically run by technology, we need to be submersed in it as much as possible. I am not saying I would rather have students hanging on social media over talking with friends, or playing video games instead of playing on a sports team. What I want students and teachers to realize is that technology in schools is a must!

Information is changing and evolving every day, and we as students need to learn with the most updated facts. A 20 year old, dusty textbook will not help us in that aspect. There are many credited sources online that students can do adequate research through and great resources for teachers as well!

The ultimate goal of school is to get students prepared for the work force. Looking through job descriptions these days you see a common requirements: technology skills. Whether it be programming, knowing how to utilize the tools of a spreadsheet, or being able to simply communicate over computers properly, technology knowledge is so important. The more we can get today's students hands on computers, the more excelled the future of technology will be. When we restrict students from searching online for information, we are holding them back from their knowledge potential.

At my school we have had a 1:1 initiative program in place for 2 years now. Every student has a laptop and the teachers are encouraged to use them everyday. Using spreadsheets in my classes has helped me at my job, and I have even helped my boss learn new formulas and functions for the program. We now use scholarly search engines for research, and I know how to get the most updated information for my essays, and I know this will help me in college. More and more learning opportunities have come from this technology push, and I would recommend that every school try to get computers available for their students.

Teachers, if your school does not have an initiative like this yet, please push your school board for one. If your school can allow it, let students use their pocket technology in class. Have a question? See which student can look up the answer first on their phones. This will build internet searching skills, which phrases and words to use to get the most precise hits. If a computer lab is available, reserve it and take students in there for a research project or to use online study tools. There are so many ways to incorporate the latest and ever-growing technology into teaching. We need experience in this technology.