Technology in the Classroom, and Beyond

     Looking back at my own education, it is sometimes difficult for me to remember that technology was not always a part of it. I still remember the first time a computer appeared in my classroom. I was in fifth grade, and this strange and giant device took up an entire corner of our classroom. Whenever our teacher was setting up our activities for the day, we all held our breath, hoping that she would hand us the coveted "Oregon Trail" floppy disc, allowing us to type the .exe command into DOS. Now, I take for granted the level of tech skills my students possess as they effortlessly switch between Google apps, juggling a dozen websites during research on their individual iPads. I am only in my sixth year of teaching, and new technology has already drastically altered the way I teach at least a half-dozen times. Who knows what the tech-ed component will look like when it is time for my retirement?
      Two different articles sparked this trip down memory lane. In his article, "How Does the Introduction of Technology Affect Children's Education?", Benjamin Jesse cautions that the use of technology in the classroom should not be considered a way to revolutionize education, in itself. Technology, Jesse asserts, "should be used to ‘compliment existing teaching methods’ and can ‘enhance but not replace’ them" (2018, para. 6). Using technology in the classroom should enhance the current curriculum in ways that would be impossible to do without it. More importantly, "it is essential to learning that children are taught the ways in which technology aids us with modern life, while also being capable of understanding how and why it works" (Jesse, 2018, para. 7). Thinking back to the technology in my own classrooms growing up, I was fortunate enough to own a laptop at home. I was able to explore DOS, and even experimented with some programming of my own. This would have been an excellent use for the technology in my middle school and high school classrooms, as my classmates and I would have seen these devices as more than just tickets to the Oregon Trail. We would have understood how they functioned, how to command them, and how to create. Who knows how many computer programmers could have come from central Maine, if only our educators had taken the technology use in our classroom a few steps farther?
     This thinking tied directly to Nacho de Marco's article, "The Growing Role of Latin America in the Technology Industry."  de Marco points out that Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, while once considered too dangerous or underdeveloped for corporate investment, are now seeing a boom in the computer service field. "Through government initiatives, private investments and the drive of local citizens, these countries got involved in the technology race and now produce IT talent that matches the level of those in first-world countries" (de Marco, 2018, para. 3). These governments recognized an opportunity in computer programming and service, and their citizens are benefiting because of it. If we use technology in our ELL classrooms as more than simply translation tools or for paperless essays, we will be teaching them more than English language skills. If we teach our students skills like programming and innovation, we will be giving them lifelong skills that will provide them with tools to compete and be successful in a rapidly growing and evolving technological world.