The Questions Technology Brings

I have to admit, I am not a big technology person. It's not that I don't know how to use technology, I'm just not sure how much technology I want to use in my future classroom. As stated in the introduction chapter of our textbook, "Using technology is the way today's students learn outside of school because they are comfortable with the tools" (Solomon 3). At first, my initial thought was "wow, technology could really be beneficial in a classroom, especially at the secondary level!". However, as I began to think about this simple fact, another thought occurred to me: is it possible to overuse technology?

I absolutely think we can overuse technology. Think about it. Not even 50 years ago, students idea of fun was going out with friends to get a soda or maybe even sitting at home reading a book. Now, students idea of fun is being with friends and watching completely pointless YouTube videos, playing video games, spending time on Facebook and Twitter, and of course using their iPads, iPhones, and iPods. If we as educators put a book in front of students and tell them to enjoy the wonderful work of literature before them, students don't exactly look excited. However, if we tell them to read the book and make a video from the point of view of a character or analyzing the theme, that could possibly help students understand the material better. My point here though is could constantly using technology in the classroom ruin its appeal to students?

While some students love to use technology, we also have to consider that there will be a handful of students who hate using technology. As educators, it is up to us to engage students using other outlets besides technology. While some students may want to create videos and podcasts, there will be students who would rather compose a musical selection, paint a portrait, write a poem, or even choreograph a dance. The other question we have to consider as educators is what about those students who don't have access to a computer or other technology? This is the one question I can't seem to find an answer for. We cannot expect students to always go to the school library on their off hour or even make their way to a neighborhood library just to get one assignment done. What do we do for these students? How can we make sure we do not overuse technology in the classroom?