Computers are an important resource that can majorly help students. As technology advances, students will need to have this experience to succeed in whatever career path they choose. Why would we want to put our next working generation at a disadvantage by not giving them this great resource? Computers are extremely useful resources that should be encouraged to be used in schools.
Some might say that researching using books is a tried and true method, but computers can be even better. Computers have access to a world's worth of knowledge and lots of things you can't find at your local library or bookstore. Also, what would you rather carry around? Five or six textbooks each weighing about two to five pounds, or one computer that weighs two to five pounds. The computer sounds like the obvious choice. With the intense wear and tear that textbooks can go through in a classroom setting, they have to be re-bought with updated information every 3-5 years, whereas a good computer can last 5-7 years if handled and used properly. Plus, giving students computers can teach them responsibility if they are going to have the same computer for the rest of their school career. Students could have the option of an insurance plan for if they do break it, or they could just pay for the fix upfront.
Experience with the equipment is important to any job. Whether the job is as a welder, or a software technician, you have to know how to use the equipment to get the job. Most jobs these days require at least a little experience with computers and technology, so why not get our students ahead of the game? Computers in the classroom can give kids experience with technology and the programs that people might use in the future. Some might say that technology is advancing so fast that when our students grow up, their experience with technology will be completely outdated and useless. These future technologies will have to grow out of somewhere, and that somewhere is the technology of today. Our next working generation will have the experience to grow from and evolve with the technology.
A large question mark in the quest for technology in the classroom is how to pay for it. The obvious answer is to tax, but nobody wants to pay more taxes to the school district. If people feel like getting new technology in the classroom isn’t worth paying a little more for your taxes, then they are just saying that they don’t want our students to succeed. They are saying that they want unemployment rates to rise because our students don’t have enough experience to get the jobs they deserve. They will make our economy suffer just because people don’t want to pay a few more tax dollars to give our students an advantage. Having the computers could allow the students to access more information to widen their field of knowledge. The computers could allow students to get more used to the world of technology that is today and the future.
What do the teachers think about this technology change? As of 2013, A national survey of teachers says that 68% percent of teachers said that they would like more technology in the classroom. Most teachers say that technology enables them to share things with students that they couldn’t before. Lots of teachers enjoy using this technology and think that is a benefit to the students education. So the question is : why would we hold back on something that the teachers recommend?
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