There’s no doubt that our society has become saturated with technology.  The increased use of tech gadgets has increased exponentially over the past few decades in both personal lives and the work environment.  One place where we have seen this dramatic increased usage is in the classroom. Various statistics prove that technology is being widely used in classrooms across the United States.  From as early as kindergarten, children are exploring learning through computers and other digital devices. The real question is whether this incorporation of technology is helping or hindering the educational and mental development of kids in our schools.  Currently, the debate is fairly evenly split.  However, while computers and technology undoubtedly aid in the building of skills that today’s children will need in our modern working world, they cannot replace the benefits of human interaction that students need in order to mature into healthy and socially comfortable adults.

Some of the questions that professionals are asking themselves prove that technology is only effective if used correctly in education.  Some wonder if kids have the maturity to hold the power that computers hold.  Others wonder how technology affects the essential school experiences that children need to grow and mature.  Yet there are equally as many reasons why computers and the internet enhance these experiences, including building bridges across the world, providing extensive information in various forms and topics, and the continual evolution of what is available on the web and in software.  It would be naïve to even consider removing technology from our schools as our world essentially runs on computers.  However, we must ask ourselves this:  Are we doing enough to make sure that technology only compliments the extensive teacher-to-child interaction that is so necessary for our kids or we allowing teachers to take the easy way out and leave all the work to technology?

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