Education

Modern Classrooms Are Technologically Advanced

As little as a decade ago, most students carried paper notebooks, pens and heavy tomes of knowledge in backpacks. They learned the old-fashioned way, and electronics were toys relegated to the home. There has been a major shift in how children are educated, and even young children now have access to desktop computers and tablets for their school work. They do not leave their books at home, they now carry them inside their portable electronic devices.

School notices used to be printed and distributed by teachers, but email has become the way teachers and school administrators now communicate with parents. It saves time and money, but it also helps keep the connection between adults dynamic, and students can no longer toss out vitally important papers before their parents have a chance to read them. They might not appreciate it, but it gives the adults in their life a better way to exchange information that will help them learn.

There is a downside to the proliferation of electronics, and cell phones are now carried by even the youngest children. Many teachers have found their lessons interrupted by ringing phones, and many of them have taken them away from students who would rather play games than learn. This is a continuing issue, and some parents have resisted the notion their children should have their phones taken away during class time. It is a major pitfall that will have to be worked out as society adjusts to the modern classroom.

Any new technology always has an adjustment period before its usefulness is fully measured, and electronic devices in all classes will continue to have an impact on today’s students. Young children, taught how to use them at home by parents and siblings, will have the easiest time making the adjustment. They see them as an integral part of their life inside and out of school.