In the last twenty years the entire realm of technology has changed in leaps and bounds and this has never been more evident than when it comes to the education of our children. Almost every child today has their own smart phone to be able to look up facts in a split second while in the classroom. Actual paper textbooks are a rarity due to popularity of eBooks and our typical library is now a thing of the past because no one wants to check out "real" books anymore. Technology has changed our world and the way we educate our children forever. .
Twenty years ago children and teens didn't have the Internet, email, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, Xbox, iPods and they weren't able to download anything. They weren't able to download music, movies or books. Today, however, almost every child you see has a smart phone. Approximately 80% of kids age twelve-seventeen has a cell phone according to CBS news. Those same smartphones are used for almost everything in that child's life, but in school, they can be used to pull up facts in a split second. And passing notes in class has gone the way of the dinosaur because kids can just text each other. Also, forget about needing a calculator, that's why they have a smartphone. They also use their phone for numerous other things such as reminders for assignments, calendar agenda and an alarm for classes. .
The traditional chalkboard and overhead projector are no longer used in most classrooms thanks to the introduction of the Smart Board. Smart Boards are electronic devices that have grown more popular over the years due to the ability to be interactive. According to the Professional Learning Board, "The digital screen allows images from the computer to be displayed on a board. It can also be modified on the screen itself, using a pen or a highlighting tool. Its touch screen feature allows teachers to run programs directly from the screen simply by tapping the application with her finger and even makes scrolling easy.
