In my lifetime, technology has gone from landlines and phone booths

to cell phones, Atari to Xbox and Wii, desktop computers to IPads, floppy
disks to flash drives, cassette players to IPods and dial-up to wireless.
According to Moores Law, technology advances at exponential rates every
few years. In order to keep up with this technology, humans have to
advance as well. We have to change our beliefs and ethics and we have to
educate, the young and old, how to use these technologies. As a nation, it is
critical that our citizens be computer literate so we can be economically
competitive. Where does one go to accomplish this on a large scale?
Schools. How we teach our children in school and what we teach them must
change. But when is it ethically sound to begin using technology in schools?
What are the ramifications of introducing technology too soon or too late?
Where is the balance between education through technology and hands-on
experiences?
Originally, computers were used for research in laboratories, aircraft
companies, and the federal government. The Internet, designed in 1969 for
research, education, and government organizations, provided a
communications network linking the country in the event that a military
attack destroyed conventional communication systems. Then in 1989 the
Internet became available to the public. Now almost every home in the US
has at least one computer, several TV sets, a play station, and handheld
technological devices like IPods and cell phones all connected to the
Internet. By 1998 schools were spending $113 per year per student on
technology, with only $22.50 of that for teacher support services, about $8
for software, and the remainder for hardware. The Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development reports that in 2012 schools were
spending $400 per student annually on technology education. That's a 250%
increase in spending! Computer labs, computers in the Library, classrooms,
and offices, assessment tools, smart boards, software programs, wireless
connections, and so on. At every turn, students are seeing, working and

playing on computers. The 21st century education system will prepare

students to live, learn, and work in a global, digital age.
While some believe the earlier students become familiar with
technology the greater their depth of understanding and effectiveness in
using it will be; others feel that these skills can be learned in a year or two
in high school. I believe that young students should be learning with all
their senses: taste, smell, vision, touch, and hearing. Learning about
something by looking at pictures and reading about it cannot compare with
physically interacting and experiencing it, especially for young children.
Humans do not have the ability to really understand something until we
actually experience it and have that aha moment that creates a concrete
neurological pathway in our brains. As experiences happen and new
information is presented, new schemas are developed and old schemas are
changed or modified. Technology can be part of this process, but it cannot
replace the authentic experience. As students develop concrete knowledge
and personal experiences, they will be more apt to connect abstract
information presented through technology to arrive at a meaningful
cooperative understanding. Teaching a child basic math skills using pencil
and paper, manipulative, and play teaches the concepts, facts, and methods
to problem solve, then, when students have mastered the basic facts,
support that knowledge by teaching them how to use a calculator. If a child
is taught how to use a calculator first, they will never have the desire or
capabilities to solve basic math problems in their heads or on paper. They
will never be able to figure out how much they could save during a 25% off
sale or how much they would have to pay someone for 1 hours of work
without having to use a calculator. Taking students on a virtual tour of the
Redwoods can fascinate them for a short time, but walking among these
ancient giants, joining hands with ten friends to encircle the base, smelling
fresh moist forest air, and holding a small pinecone in their hand that will

grow into the tallest tree in the world, will give them an experience they
will remember forever!
Technology, on the other had, has been a blessing for Special
Education. Speech generating devises that help autistic children develop
spoken language, E-readers help students turn book pages without applying
dexterity, personal FM systems to assist hearing disabled students, and
voice adaptive software can help students answer questions without
needing to write. These technologies can help special education students
reach their potential because it allows them to capitalize on their strengths
and bypass areas of difficulty. Technology can help close the achievement
gaps between regular education and special education.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed concern about the
amount of time children spend in front of various types of screens, and
several experts in eye development have stated that computer use is
creating problems in childrens developing visual systems. Computers pose
other health hazards to children as well. The risks include repetitive stress
injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term
physical, emotional, or intellectual developmental damage. Cell phones may
have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems
as well. For these reasons, I believe young children should have limited
exposure to technology. As students grow, their availability to technology
should be commensurate with experience. Technology needs to be
presented at optimal times during development and growth in order to
provide the highest level of achievement and success.
Optimal times during development is a debatable issue in itself.
Google launched Cromebooks at School, an old idea that was never able to
take flight due to high costs, by mass producing the inexpensive
Chromebook. Now, with Google Chrome, schools can issue every student
with a gmail account and personal Chromebook. Because technology like

this is so new in public education, each school is dealing with the pros and
cons differently. I interviewed two 4th grade teachers about the
Chromebooks in their classrooms.
Demographics:

Suburban MN, 4th grade class, 26 students

Small Town WI, 4th grade class, 17 students

Each student has been assigned an Ipad as part of the districts

technology initiative. They are free to grab it upon entering the classroom
each morning, keep it with them all day long and return it to the docking
station to charge again overnight. Students can choose to stay in for recess
to play on the Ipads. At the beginning of the school year parents had to sign
an agreement that if the Chromebook was damaged they would be held
liable for fixing it. There are, of course, positive and negatives about having
computers at the fingertips of every student 4th grade and up. The following
are observations of the 4th grade teachers I spoke with.
Positives:

Literally having the world at their fingertips

Incredible opportunity for extension of curriculum standards. Movies,
music, virtual tours, learning apps, to enhance learning.
Increases knowledge of/use of/ comfort with technology.
Ease of submitting work, communication with the teacher.
Each teacher at the grade level have created Schoology courses that
coincide with current curriculum.

Negatives:

Students didnt seem developmentally able to handle the

responsibility of having/using this tool as a supplement to their
education. I witnessed students being irresponsible with the care of
the unit. I saw kids pounding on them, dropping them, handling them
roughly.not taking careful care of them.
Students were also extremely tempted to simply use the Ipad as a toy,
taking wacky pictures, videos and watching Youtube videos instead of
the directed use of them. In my time there, I found I could never be
sure that the students were doing what they were supposed to be

doing. So many times, several of them, both boys and girls, would be
doing other things than what they were supposed to. (Watching
Minecraft videos, music videos, emailing each other jokes or creating
goofy videos or photos of each other)
While there is a wealth of incredible uses for the Ipad, the teacher
needs to set strict boundaries for usage and be vigilant about
monitoring the students use.
Also, lots of time would need to be spent beforehand, for the
classroom teacher to find and access the materials to use. Links
would need to be created, passwords, accounts, copyright issues, and
constantly checking to make sure that what was used previously is
still available and appropriate.
As technology becomes more central to the education system, I

believe more universal boundaries will be set. Just like curriculum becoming
more uniform, so will technology use and etiquette.