Your child’s education and technology

InMaricopa.com is pleased to be bringing you, on a regular basis, timely, useful and informative articles by a wide variety of local experts. This is the first in a series about integrating technology in education.

I remember the day my dad brought home a television with a remote control. Oh the joy! I didn’t have to get up and switch stations for him. Then along came Atari. Very few kids had one, but I was one of the lucky ones. Everyone came looking for me just to play my video game. There was also the microwave. I wasn’t allowed to cook on the stove, but I could, however, make my own rubbery, scrambled eggs in a Styrofoam cup. Then, in 1989, Microsoft Word hit the stores and doing my schoolwork was never easier. I was one of the few to have such advanced technology of the times. Not everyone was so fortunate.

Today, however, is a whole different ball game. Kids have cell phones, I-Pods or other MP3 players, computers, PSPs and WII, to name a few. Facebook and My Space are a way of life to them. My daughter once told me, “If I can’t get on My Space, I’m gonna die! I need to know what everyone is up to.”

The difference between then and now? Technology wasn’t readily available back “then” and so, when someone had it, it stuck out like a neon light. Today, however, technology is so prevalent in our lives that it is virtually invisible…especially to our kids. They unconsciously expect it to be there for them to use. For example, I once had a student tell me that he couldn’t do his homework because his home computer broke down. It really never occurred to him that he could have written it with a pen and paper.

There are several ways to integrate technology into a student’s life and education. The first to come to mind is the standard Microsoft and Mac software. There are also several free, web-based applications and open source software that help make learning fun while developing technological skills. These free applications include blogs, Twitter, Protagonize, Voki, Xtranormal, Open Office, Google Earth, Stellarium, Alice, Audacity, Gimp and many, many more. Social networking will also be an important component to the future of our students since it is becoming a rapidly increasing component of business around the world.

The point? We need to start taking advantage of the available technology and teach our kids how to use it efficiently, effectively, appropriately and responsibly. Technology is changing so fast that half of what students learn about technology today will be obsolete in less than two years. This change is difficult for much of the over 25-age group. Our kids, however, adapt to the change seamlessly and without thought. It is second nature to them. It is my job to train teachers how to integrate such technology, but I always feel two steps behind the evolution of technology. Our kids, on the other hand, are always, at least, two steps ahead. They have to be since they are the ones that make yesterday’s technology obsolete with their creations of tomorrow.

In the 21st century it is important to encourage your child to start exploring the many ways they can use technology in their education. Have your kids teach you what they know. I can guarantee that you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Shannan White is the Technology Integration Specialist for the Maricopa Unified School District.

Submitted photo

Have a topic you’d like to see addressed by a guest expert? Please email it to [email protected] for consideration.