Technology has become a staple in the way we function as a society. Almost everything we do relies in some way on technology: driving, grocery shopping, health care, farming. While technology can make lots of things easier and more engaging, I feel there are also some challenges that arise from being so dependent on it.

1) It doesn’t always work. And when it doesn’t, you have to have a plan B. As teachers, I think we have this pretty much figured out, but not all parts of the education system do. (See also: that day I couldn’t buy lunch from the cafeteria because their “system was down” and they could not access teacher or students accounts.)

2) It’s expensive and becomes antiquated quickly. A prime example: When I started teaching I was fortunate enough to inherit a classroom set of iPads purchased with grant money. It was amazing for the first few years but then the Generation One iPad was quickly updated and replaced by new, faster, shinier technology. Now, because the hardware is too old, it no longer can handle system updates and therefore many features and apps are no longer working as smoothly. Aside from that they are in fantastic condition, but they are depreciable inventory and won’t be useful much longer.

3) Because of #2, it’s very limited. There is always a waiting list for the laptop carts and unless you want dirty looks from the english teachers (no offense) don’t even THINK about  trying to reserve the computer lab. Therefore, it requires very careful planning to incorporate technology into a lesson, and even then there’s the chance you’ll get “bumped” for a higher priority need (like testing. Woo.)

4) Personal technology is also somewhat limited. Though many of our students do have their own devices, some still do not. So if, for example, I wanted to use Kahoot and have the students access the quiz from their own devices, some students would be left out. Often, those students are from a low income background and are already very sensitive about that. So drawing attention to the fact they don’t have a cell phone can be embarrassing and cause the student to shut down.

5) We’re turning into Zombies. I had a student who, when I asked him what he was doing this summer, told me he was going to play video games. I laughed, because I thought he was kidding, and asked him about going to the beach or hanging out at the community pool. He answered that he didn’t need to do any of that, he could just hang out with them on the game. We live in a generation where digital interaction is more desirable and common and if we aren’t careful this is going to have a negative impact on our students. In the race to incorporate technology and keep up with the times, our students (and probably some of us) are losing real world skills that are necessary for success. Written and verbal communication takes a back seat in the lives of most youth to texting, snapchatting and other forms of impersonal (and lazy) communication. This may be fine for social situations (if you can call them that) but it does not prepare students to be comfortable and successful in professional situation. If our job is to prepare students to be productive citizens, then we must stress to them the importance of real world skills in addition to technology skills and teach them to balance and value both.