Technology has never been a huge part of my education until recently. My elementary school was a higher-end school, but did not really focus on the use of technology. Lake Wylie Elementary had computers in the library, the school computer lab, and one or two in each class. In the classroom, the computers were used during free time or time when students were participating in station learning. Computer class once a week was always what my classmates and I looked forward to. There were games we could play that would also help us learn.

In middle school, the available technology was basically the same. Gold Hill Middle School used over-head projectors much more than my elementary school, especially in math. Each teacher had his or her own computer, and the library had computers as well. Like elementary school, we also had to take a computer class, but it focused on learning how to use the computer and different computer programs such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.

High school is where things began to change. Fort Mill High School is considered one of the better high schools in South Carolina. Due to funding, SMART Boards became popular and slowly more and more classes had them. Teachers would type up notes before class so we could write them as we went through class. We could also watch relevant video clips or movies pertaining to what we were learning at the time. The only negative effect I had due to technology was in my AP U.S. History class. The teacher taught solely from the PowerPoint shows he made. Each day was copying down up to 30 slides and then being tested on the material. It was the hardest class I had ever taken.

There were also business and advanced computer classes provided for students that wished to focus their future education around technology. The school had a television broadcasting class that produced weekly "TV shows" that the whole school watched. The Buzz provided information on all aspects of the school. Students would report information on athletic and volunteer events, school announcements that needed to be made, as well as upcoming events that others may be interested in participating in.


Now, in college, technology is a huge focus. I use my laptop for almost every class, from typing notes to making blogs to typing papers and sending emails. Technology is becoming more and more prominent in education. Although teachers see this and try to make education more interesting to the student, they cannot avoid how much society is advancing. In the future, I think school will become extremely dependent on technology, to the point where the computers will be doing more work than the teachers and students.