Teaching And Technology

Fair Grove High School has been open for quite some time and the ways of teaching have changed over the years. 

Technology is always growing and developing. This has changed many things over the years when it comes to teaching. According to High School Math Teacher Michael VanCleave, “things like google classroom and google drive have made staying organized and sharing information with students a lot easier.”

In the world we have today, there is and has been a virus that has put more trouble and caused more problems with teaching. VanCleave also stated, “the Covid-19 pandemic forced us all to be able to teach and learn virtually, and that would not have been possible without the advances in technology we have had over the last 10 years.”

The days of having everything in a textbook that you have to bring to class every single day have definitely been left in the past. Now, students and teachers of today heavily rely on computers, chrome books, laptops, and other things for daily classes. “I used to use a whiteboard, pull-down maps, and an overhead projector. Technology has changed everything. Things like Google Classroom, Powerpoints, and Youtube have changed my world,” High School History teacher Jeremy Faubion revealed. 

High School English Teacher Michelle Wahlquist explained, “Technology has been the biggest change in education since I have been involved with it. Even in recent years, we used some technology but nothing like we do now since the pandemic.”

Wahlquist also voiced, “I think kids need to be entertained a little more than in the past due to students using technology more and lowered attention spans. Fortunately, there are more options for teachers to use now, and even submitting papers is done differently now.” With that being said, technology has definitely influenced how teachers communicate with students and the ways they choose to teach. 

Many teachers have different opinions, perspectives, or thoughts on how technology has and continues to affect the teaching of today from the teaching of the past. “Teaching with technology today is so much better.  You don’t realize how much you rely on technology until the internet is down or the server is out,” Faubion shared. 

Wahlquist explained, “I would prefer technology. It makes everything easier – student research, grading tests, no “lost” papers, even communication through email. I could go back and function just fine, but it would be tough.” VanCleave also commented, “I definitely believe that technology improvements have made teaching easier.”