Some people are weary of the role of technology in our schools, especially at the elementary level. Some fear technology will replace the teacher. Not so, say current educational administrators and principals. Technology will be reshaping the role of the teacher, not replacing the teacher.

In a day when technological advances seem to move at lightning speed, today’s modern teacher must be comfortable with teaching material that is initially foreign to them. The goal is to close the gap between what is taught in elementary and secondary schools and what colleges and employers expect students to have mastered. To do that, schools all over the country must have the funds to deliver the technological infrastructure to meet these goals.

Teachers will still need to be creative thinkers as they will still need to foster innovative thinking in their presentation of technology topics to students. To meet these goals, the status quo will must be challenged. Schools will have to design educational programs that result in graduates who can pass standardized tests and also engage in critical thinking. Schools must learn to reward teachers who are bold enough to try new things that might be considered “shaking things up” in their quest to meet these new educational goals.

Meeting the dual goals of technological mastery and innovative thinking is going to require a certain amount of risk-taking, probably more than most teachers and administrators have ever embraced.