At what point did you get your first online assignment? When you were given a chromebook for school? For many it was not until middle school that they started having classes using exclusive technology but now kids even younger than middle schoolers are now in a full tech teaching environment. What about the adults witnessing such dramatic changes in teaching, what does everyone notice?
In the 1990’s schools started incorporating technology into their classrooms, during the 2000’s nearly every school had at least a computer lab from elementary schools to universities. By the 2010s many schools within the US, if not all, gave out school mandated chrome books to each individual student; these would soon then replace the cost of textbooks.
With the ongoing rise in addiction to screens as time goes on especially in younger generations is it wise for schools to give out computers for their younger students? Are we losing the art of physical work and teaching not only for our younger students but what about our older students?
Coach Swain who began teaching in 2016, a time when personal computers were already instated, says they were already “1 to 1, meaning all students had ipads or google chromebooks.” Coach Swain understands that the world is moving in a direction that devices are becoming a need more than just a luxury item as he believes, “Students have to start working with devices before they get out of grade school. Device Literacy is a real thing.” That this is no different than any other form of learning as time has gone on “In my lifetime we have always had access to some type of technology… Calculators, desktops, etc.”
Learning to adapt to the times is not necessarily a crime. All new innovations in a classroom have a learning curve whether good or bad “I believe it is its own literacy that all people need to learn how to use. I believe you can learn without it but it helps. Similarly you can learn in life without being able to read but it helps.” Maybe instead of disregarding technology altogether we work to better understand it and the dangers that come with it, even if you believe technology should not be relied on while learning you might be able to compromise with classes having both physical and technological learning as all students do learn differently.
A senior at Kenwood understands that as well as, A’nya Debose, who received her first device at 11 believes, “Children should be about the age of 11-12, just about the right age of learning the responsibility and how to take care of it.” You can not just thrust a new form of learning onto a student without easing them into it, as online learning will become a skill as they grow older. She saw that these new adjustments brought more freedom for learning and teaching. Although she understands the new needs she herself “…prefer paper because everything is being provided spot on instead of me having to search for all my materials.” Which we may all agree on as the endless possibilities may leave students at a standstill of what to choose with so many options abound, as well as teachers when it comes to ensuring academic integrity.
Mrs.Evans, an English teacher and has been teaching for 30 years , and she can corroborate that there was a “stiff learning curve” when they were originally instated but kids were quick to understand much to the detriment of the teachers. Although it did help make grading easier at the time she also saw students taking advantage of the later systems for “cheating and plagiarism”, understanding the high and lows needed to understand any new forms of innovation not only how they can be used but exploited.
She has also noticed students becoming lackadaisically with deadlines as “students…really wait to turn things in because they know they can just hit submit” She also highlights because of the many exploits of technology recognizing students “skills have gotten weaker” as the reliance on technology to do the work for them. As a more veteran teacher she believes that “It’s appropriate for high school…and middle school” to have technology but not having much of an understanding for younger students herself.
During covid times she does remember there being a problem with online schooling for younger students as “kids didn’t know how to use them” but she does understand the nuance between what the younger grades are capable of, agreeing with the county going to “third to fifth grade” on when students should be given devices. To her there should be a balance between technology and physical work now that times have changed or “give students options” between the two, as it’s more effective and to “find ways to help students be honest so that they’re really learning more and not just getting by”.
Although we may all agree to disagree on when students should switch to tech, we all must understand that barring them from technology all together might do more harm than good. As technology becomes more of a necessity as time goes on.
Source:
“History of Computers in Education” Old Dominion University. 2021. Web Accessed 13 April 2026. https://www.cs.odu.edu/~tkennedy/cs300/development/Public/M06-HistoryOfComputersinEducation/index.html
