The latest technology is now at the fingertips of teachers and students in the US run public school system. Laptops are not particularly new anymore, but are nevertheless becoming the new “green” form of homework desktops. Assignments can be given through an online database, students can keep up with what’s going on in their schools using social networking sites such as Facebook, and cell phones equipped with calculators are becoming more acceptable. Some classrooms still require traditional calculators, or one calculator at a time, but nevertheless, the portability of applications on Apple’s iPhone, for instance, is making learning and reviewing new concepts easier in all subjects.
Power Point presentations are replacing the old projector screens as students and faculty become more technologically savvy in their lecturing skills. Most schools are in favor of these changes, in part because of power efficiency, less paper, less cleanup and preparation time before and after class, and the like.
Laptop computers can often be purchased through the schools, or in some cases, be acquired through programs for disadvantaged families. This is one of the ways the US public school system is helping families in today’s rough economy. Math exercises and grammar exercises for kids who are struggling in certain areas, for instance, are some of the ways in which laptops are saving paper and helping students to develop the mental framework to “go green.”
During study hall or free hours at school, Amazon’s Kindle is a popular device which gives students instant access to a full library of books, from genre fiction to popular literature, or even educational books. Reading is now being encouraged at young levels, and at a sweeping rate, because of the accessibility of books through this new technology. Of course, paper and glue books are not going away, but there will be fewer of them, and that means more trees, which is better for everyone.
Take, for instance, the way that subjects used to be taught. You had to use chalk for every teaching moment, or whiteboards with erasable markers containing toxic chemicals, but with new computer multiple-screen technology, this is beginning to become a thing of the past. All of us should be encouraged by these new developments.
This planet should not be taken for granted. With the advent of new technologies, and the dedication of hardworking scientists, we all are going to benefit now and in the future from these new applications.
