Technology plays a more significant role than any other activity in your school. It’s critical for instruction, operations, and even extra-curricular activities.

I’m about to speak heresy, but it needs to be said.

Football and Friday night lights may be a fundamental component of American high schools and higher education, but it’s not the backbone of any school. The real backbone of education is technology.

Technology is critical to instruction and operations in PK-12 schools and higher education. It’s the ultimate sport requiring both offensive and defensive moves. Without out educational technology, learners won’t keep up with their tech-enabled peers. Teachers will not be able to manage the data and record-keeping required by federal and state agencies. Schools won’t remain viable and relevant in the 21^st century.

Hands-on learning everywhere

Technology also keeps students engaged in learning. There’s never been a time your students haven’t had access to technology, so there’s no reason to exclude them from edtech.

Students benefit immensely from online collaboration, virtual simulations (including football plays), and individualized lessons. Robust technology infrastructures allow for quick access to an infinite amount of resources, all of them accessed through mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

Students are no longer passive learners. With this technology comes a personalized responsibility for learning, which is one of the components of digital citizenship. Students are expected to take ownership of their learning by accessing course materials, researching on their own, and practicing lessons.   

Exclude these edtech tools from your classroom at the peril of holding learners back. Students won’t remain current in the tech trends they’ll be expected to use in the workforce, and they lag further behind.

Ever-expanding access to academia

Because of technology, learning is no longer relegated to a specific location. Teachers can flip instruction, requiring students to do more work outside the classroom. Being a life-long learner is more of a reality than ever before. Students can learn anything, anywhere, anytime. Technology in schools provides greater freedom to the students enrolled there and the faculty who work with them.

Technology provides everyone with a seat at the table; it’s both accessible and extensive. Students with disabilities have access to curriculum and instruction because of assistive technology that gives them equitable access to the materials their peers have. This omnipresence of technology is having a tremendous effect on how, when, and where we learn.

As a result, we see a rise in high school graduation rates. Learners are eager to continue their studies. More students of all ages seek continuing education through MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).

Can you teach without technology? Of course, you can. However, you may be left behind if you opt out of the many opportunities to incorporate technology into your classroom. Technology is so deeply embedded in American education that many schools can’t operate without it. It assists with data management, instruction, behavior, daily routines, resource allocations, and more. As edtech continuously evolves, so do the ways we incorporate it in our classrooms.

Schools will never be without technology again.