Adoption of Technology in School

By Reagan Caron

In school, have your fingers tapped impatiently on the library desk as you have waited for the school computer to buffer? Waited on teachers who were fumbling with their SmartBoards?  Technology has been a struggle for schools, with only a small portion of the schools budget spent on tech. A greater portion of the Florida schools budget needs to be spent on technology, faster computers, faster Wi-Fi, good software, tablets for students, and e-text.
Upgrading the Infrastructure of the schools will allow for easier connection to e-texts, and educational sites that teachers commonly use, without lagging and technical difficulties that will disrupt class time. The infrastructure can include the computer itself to software, tablets, teaching programs, and all of the 
technology can that the school has.  
Upgrading the system will although cost a lot at first, will ultimately have a positive impact on schools. Getting e-textbooks will cost less than regular ones, and the students can download them on their own tablet or phone. What do we do about students who cannot afford it? Set up a plan with the family, and let the student borrow a tablet from the specific school they are attending. If the tablet is lost or broken, the family will pay for it, just like with a regular text book. While some textbooks are already virtual, most are not. Getting textbooks virtually will save schools money and allow for updated textbooks to be integrated more frequently. 
With all of the new upgrades, some teachers and students will be left wondering how to operate this new technology. Coming with the upgrades would be classes to help teach the teachers and students on how to use the new infrastructure. These classes will limit the technical difficulties in the classroom and maximizes class time. Students could also get service hours by teaching teachers how to use the updated technology correctly. 

 Technology can be a powerful tool in education, from faster internet speeds to interactive learning. It all depends on how it is used.