Chapter 7

What Should Teachers Know About Technology and Its Impact On Schools
By: Stephanie Grimm

Remember back in your childhood when your parents or even grandparents talked about, “Back when I was in school we had to…” I remember my comeback would always be, “What? Back when you still had to use the hammer and chiseler?” Boy! Were we stupid or what? Now that I am in college I now know the technology that we students used in high school are much different than the technology used in college. I’ll be the honest one and say I was amazed when I first stepped into the introduction to education class. I remember me thinking, “Why is the class monitored? Where is the other class that was not mine? I better pay attention to myself so I don’t look stupid on camera!” I already knew that most schools were behind on technology but I never knew just how much. If schools improved their technology up to junior college standards;I wouldn't had complained about going to school in the first place.

Technology has helped improve our lives; especially to those students with special needs. I can now see how technology has changed within those classrooms. Back when I was about seven years old I remember a boy in my class. He was smart but he couldn’t speak well and it was often difficult for teachers to understand what he was saying. To help him improve on communication skill he learned sign language. Since I was in the same resource class with him I learned some of the language. Then in high school, when I was allowed to be and aide for the severely special needs children; the girl I worked with also had communication problems due to Autism. Unlike the boy who used sign language, she had a device that would speak for her. Now-a-days, with technologies rapid movement, students with special needs can be more independent in their work.



But when thinking about all the wonderful things that technology can do, there are students and even teachers who will abuse the privilege of technology for their own personal reasons. Such as communicating with friends and escaping school work. I would skip out on the time that the teacher has assigned us to do research and just played on the internet.