The key is to teach them how to be safe with technology, because ultimately, we want our children to be in charge of technology, rather than feeling technology is in charge of them.  – Elaine Halligan

Technology isn’t going away.  We aren’t going back to landlines, handwritten letters, or chalkboards.  I don’t see a time when we will take rolls of film to CVS to get them developed; I don’t think we will see the typewriter making a comeback.  Technology will keep infiltrating our way of life and permeating our homes.

Educating students to use technology as a tool is a core component of our role as public schools.  Part of this education is instilling in students the importance of interpersonal communications and real, human relationships.  Technology can enhance, but it can never replace, human communications.  We are social beings; we thrive on community.  We must teach students to look people in the eye and have a real conversation.  We are required to prepare students to work in groups, to embrace the power of teamwork.

The tools of technology are going to change.  The proliferation of computers is sure to continue – especially as artificial intelligences enables analytic process to be fast and more accurate than ever-in history.  The ethical and moral questions will continue to grow.  Technology should never be in charge of us, as humans.  We teach our students to be in charge of technology; we teach them to use technology as tools for great good.