The Digital World: Moving from Society into the Classroom

In Vineet Monahan’s article “The Digital Transformation of Education: A 21st Century Imperative,” Monahan discusses Apple’s partnership with McGraw-Hill, one of the major suppliers of educational material, to introduce textbooks especially designed for the iPad. There are many pros and cons to this notion and whether it will help students in grades K-12 to learn material. Critics to the collaboration examine the monetary problems affecting many school districts across the United States, as well as how this new technology will change students learning habits and whether students will take learning seriously if they are being taught through this new medium. On the other hand, supporters of this new partnership recognize that today’s children have been introduced to technology from a very young age; therefore, bringing technology into the classroom only reflects this exposure.

Monahan is in support for bringing technology into the classroom, and I agree. Over the past fifty years, society has made a dramatic transformation, yet our school systems continue to rely on outdated teaching strategies. If we want our younger generations to develop and society to expand, it is important that our nation changes the classroom dynamics by introducing aspects of modern day life. Monahan states that “One thing I’ve learned throughout my career in education is that students thirst for connections between what they’re learning in the classroom (and how) and what they see happening in the real world. Bringing technology into the classroom helps them draw these parallels and keeps them interested in what they’re learning.”

If the future of our country is in the hands of the youth, the cost for integrating new technological advances in the classrooms shouldn’t be an issue. As a society, we need to exhaust every possible solution to the dwindling education system that is failing our country.