School closure forces teachers to adjust their use of technology

Technology has become increasingly more prevalent in schools recently; because chromebooks are available to the majority of students, it is an important aspect of the daily lives of students. Teachers are able to watch students navigate the technology based education system and to work with and experience all kinds of new technology.

Science teacher Dr. Teresa Stone commented that “Technology is both good and bad but also a part of our evolution.” Schools need technology now more than ever to keep up with the rapid advancements of the world and now that people are forced to stay home, technology allows them to connect with other people.  

School librarian Mrs. Michelle Hunsicker-Blair cares deeply about the technology being implemented into schools. She stated that she “[loves] technology. It is a large part of our society thus it has infiltrated education to a great degree.  It, however, does not replace the face to face communication with a teacher.” 

Having such easy access to this technology has allowed teachers to keep closer contact with students. For example, Blair keeps “digital office hours until 9pm daily… because students often need assistance with finding or accessing information for homework which they typically do past the 2:30 bell.” Especially now that students are left to create their own schedules and complete work at their own pace, being readily available has allowed for Blair to become a valuable asset for students whenever they are in need of assistance. 

However, Stone commented that “I am working harder to find balance and boundaries, this is always a struggle for me because I am passionate about my students.” Technology becoming much more available in people’s daily routine and their work environments has decreased the barrier between work life and home life, causing some problems for teachers’ time-management.  When teachers are expected to be available for students at all hours of the day it breaks down the barriers they have separating their home lives from their work lives as they constantly have to be checking on and sending emails, grading randomly sent in papers, and monitoring the progress of their students online learning.