Freshman government and politics and international business major
When I came to college, I thought I was technologically well-versed. People from our generation have grown up with technological advances that have been integrated into our lifestyles.
However, upon further reflection, I have found I am still lacking in areas that will matter for my future. While I can use my cellphone and laptop with finesse, I cannot say the same about other applications such as Microsoft Excel that will matter a lot more to me in the career field. The problem is, I do not think I am alone in this situation.
The issue is established when we are young. This past spring break, I went to the exotic destination of “home” for vacation. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was a shiny new iPad sitting on the counter, compliments of my little sister’s public school district. She was happy to have it but claimed she never used it because applications such as Pandora were blocked, and it really did not have much use in the classroom. From what I could see, the school had spent thousands of dollars on this new technology without much forethought about how it would impact students down the line.
In college, it gets slightly better, but issues still exist. For example, the student-athletes at this university received iPads, but for what educational purpose that a laptop wouldn’t already satisfy? It all comes down to the fine line between adopting new technologies to stay ahead of the curve and relying on already-established technologies. It is oftentimes a trade-off, but overall the latter should be preferred unless there is substantial reasoning for new, flashy technologies.
The argument for new technology stems from future application and usefulness, but adopting new technology comes at a risk. Will it really catch on and become integrated into society, or will it fall by the wayside? Then there are the technologies that have staying power — those used in the world at large every day, be they Excel, PowerPoint or Google Drive. These have been established across industries and practices and therefore merit the attention of educational institutions.
Before schools decide to spend precious budget dollars on these new platforms and technologies, they owe it to all stakeholders to thoroughly assess the future validity of the tools before they are implemented. They should look into technologies that are currently being used in industries students will eventually enter, and how applicable their strengths are to students’ curricula and career development. Not only will this allow schools to move forward with confidence, but it will also better integrate technology into courses.
We, as a society, have so many tools at our disposal, but it takes time to fully integrate them. With budgets getting slashed in Washington through sequestration, efforts should be made to ensure schools are putting the right technology into the hands of students, technology that will help them in the classroom and better prepare them to excel in their future careers.
Danny Dvorak is a freshman government and politics and international business major. He can be reached at ddvorak@terpmail.umd.edu.
