What's the Point?

This year, EP enters the school year with a new 1:1 initiative, providing Google Chromebooks for middle school and high school students. One of the questions I've heard most frequently since this technological advancement's inception is, "Whar's the point?" Teachers old and new alike regard most, if not all, new pedagogical initiatives with wariness. We are well-versed in notions that come and go in education, and we typically do not expect most concepts to stick around very long. We always find ourselves wondering what purpose these new ideas, programs, requirements, and tasks have and how they will truly enhance the learning of our students. Often, we believe our tried and true methods will prevail when all is said and done, and in many cases we prove our initial assessments correct.

Today's world is a far cry from the world in which most teachers grew up. We remember our educational institutions in a different light than most of our current students. Let's face it; we even (most of us) remember life before cell phones. Gasp! How did we ever survive in such archaic times? While we all acknowledge that times are different, we must also realize that the skill sets necessary for success in the workplace have also changed drastically. Prospective workers in almost any field must display some degree of technological savviness; otherwise, employers will expend time and resources attempting to acclimate new employees to industry standards. Because our ultimate goal, as educators, revolves around molding students into individuals who succeed in and contribute positively to society, we must accept the challenge to step outside our comfort zones, so we can create experiential learning that provides students the tools that prepare them for life outside the walls of academia.

Even though the uncharted waters of our upcoming educational and professional adventure seem daunting, we must approach them with a positive attitude. Someone one said that, "attitude is contagious." If we do not commence this journey with the mindset to actively use our latest tool effectively, our students will follow our example and disregard all the exciting opportunities we have before us. Do not fear the inevitable changes that technology brings. We can take small steps together. Everything evolves, including us! The point of this initiative is to help our students, which educators have committed themselves to doing for years, decades, and centuries. We should incorporate our new technologies because they can improve students' learning and abilities. What other reason do we need to explore the possibilities of Chromebooks?