Why Technology?

"Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time."

Hebrew proverb

Turn on your television. Or your radio. Or simply open a magazine or newspaper. What do you see? Over and over again, advertisers, radio or television stations, cities, states, government agencies and even individuals telling you to "check out our web sites." This is the Twenty-first century. This is the Age of Technology. And anyone who is not familiar with that technology gradually falls farther and farther behind, allowing valuable opportunities, advantages and, most of all, information to slip away and vanish. Why use technology? Because if you want to be part of the future, technology is the highway that will lead you there.

Just what this vaunted technology that pervades almost every aspect of our lives today? Technology what runs the new new systems like "On Star" that are appearing in new vehicles to supply maps, directions and information for travelers. It is technology that has produced cell phones that not only can fit into your pocket, but also can connect you with the internet. Technology has given us electronic thermostats that automatically control the temperature of our environment. From technology come VCR's, video games, the special effects seen in both photography and film, compact discs, DVD's, digital cameras and video cameras, printers, faxes, and copiers as well as remote controls and timers for almost everything . And yes, technology is the computer, the machine that, more than anything else, defines our society today. Technology is unavoidable; it touches our lives every day in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.

So why should we teach our children about technology? Why does technology need to be a part of the educational environment? According to the Arizona State Technology Standards, "The goal is to help students live, learn, and work successfully and responsibly in an increasingly complex, technology-driven society. . . . Education's role is to help students meet the challenge of the future." And while it is true that many children learn about technology in the home, there are also many more who do not have an equal access to technology. If all of our children need to become competent in dealing with technology, if , as written in the vision statement of the Glendale Union High School District, we truly need to "prepare our students for the choices and challenges of the Twenty-first Century," then technology needs to be an integral of every school's curriculum. Technology is not separated into a separate compartment of our daily lives. We do not say, "Today, I will use technology from 9 to 10 AM." Neither should it be a separate class for our students. It needs to be woven seamlessly into the daily lessons of every teacher. And therein lies our last challenge.

How do we incorporate technology into our schools? First of all, we need to train our teachers. While it is true, as Seneca said, that "Men learn while they teach," this is one of the slower methods of making technology a part of our curriculum. According to Education Week's 1999 survey on technology, 43% of Arizona schools have a majority of teachers who are only at the beginner technology-use skill level, and only 2% are at the innovator/instructor technology-use skill level, where they need to be in order to best incorporate technology into their classroom. The same survey states that the typical teacher has only 12 hours of technology training. Clearly we need to train our teachers, not just in how to use the technology itself, but also in how to incorporate that technology into their daily lessons, whether it be in old-fashioned skill and drill practices or in more creative uses of technology to research and synthesize or produce and publish student work.

But we cannot stop there. Teacher training is not all we need. We also need more technology. According to the Education Week survey, in Arizona there are currently 5.8 students per instructional computer, 11.7 students per multimedia computer, and 11.3 students per internet-connected computer. Only 25% of 4th and 8th grade students use a computer for schoolwork once or twice a week. This is hardly enough to achieve competency in a society where technology saturates every aspect of our lives, where it can make the difference between a well-paying career and a subsistance-level job. Clearly, our students need more. And that leads to one final question.

How can we pay for all this training and advanced technology? We must begin to look outside the boxes for solutions. Involving our parents and communities and building business partnerships will help to increase the use of technology in our schools. We can also apply for grant monies available from many sources. And yes, increased state funding is needed, for no one method will ever provide all that is truly required. In addition to in-district training, requiring knowledge of technology for certification and recertification of our teachers is another way to ensure their ability to incorporate technology into the curriculum. We can find solutions. More than that, we must.

In 1943 Thomas J. Watson, Chairman of the Board of International Business Machines, is attributed with saying, " I think there is a world market for about five computers." In 1977 Ken Olson, President of DEC, told the World Future Society Convention that "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home." Today, not only do many Americans have computers in their homes, but many more use them at work on a daily basis. And an increasing number of workers make their livings, in one way or another, from technology. Why should we incorporate Technology into our school curriculum? For the same reasons we teach Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Because these are the basic skills we need to survive in our world.

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