Back to Basics in Education – Can our kids thrive as adults without Ed-Tech?

I want to explore whether it is necessary for students to integrate technology into all subjects, especially in the early years of grades 3-6.  I’m not going to dissect whether reading from a screen is good, or whether the kids will have trouble taking tests on computers here.  I simply want to talk about whether kids need tech integrated into core subjects to be successful adults in a technological world. 

I grew up in the 80’s when computers were just taking off.  I remember our first home computer.  My dad brought home an IBM which looked something like this for those of you who can’t imagine the dinosaurs we used back then.

 I used to play a video game called “Tapper” on this computer which involved me pressing the space bar to serve beers. Remember, it was the 80’s and we were much more laid back then and it was perfectly fine for a 10-year-old 😊 I honestly don’t know what my dad used the computer for.  He owned a small business, and I know he was not keeping his books on the computer because my grandmother did them by hand. 

In high school, I do not have memories of using a computer often.  I suppose maybe I typed some papers, and the only time I recall using a computer in school was during typing class.  Fast forward to college and it was more of the same – textbooks, note taking on paper, and likely using a computer simply as a word processor for nicely presented papers. 

My children had a similar upbringing in the early years of school at Charles Carroll, Ebb Valley Elementary and East Middle School.  Of course, computers and online resources were relied on more heavily in high school for all three of my children.  They rarely brought home textbooks and often just used worksheets in class.  Sometimes if they did not understand something the teacher was trying to relay, I encouraged them to use their textbook.  It did not seem to me they were used often.  My daughter, now 24, eventually went on to college where she majored in mathematics and minored in computer science and now works for an insurance company where she uses computers and had to learn an entirely new computer system.  This was not an issue for her whatsoever.  The lack of technology used in the classroom in her formative years has had no bearing on her ability to be a proficient adult.  Both of my sons work in the trades and use technology somewhat in their roles, although not like my daughter with an office job. 

Looking back to my personal experience, my first heavy introduction to computers was at my first “real job” where I was an intern at Mercy Medical Center in the finance department.  That is where I learned all my computer skills that have served me well throughout my adult career.  I learned how to use Microsoft Excel with pivot tables and VLOOKUPs.  I had to learn the computer system used at the hospital for analyzing and creating new reports.  The computer was a tool that I could use to apply the knowledge and skills I had developed over my educational career.  And it was wonderful! I cannot tell you how much I love creating a good spreadsheet today. 

Later I went on to work as a bookkeeper for a small private school.  I had a firm grasp of accounting concepts but had never used QuickBooks before.  I easily taught myself how to use that program, like many do, but besides knowing what buttons to push, I understood what was going on with every transaction I posted.  I understood what the reports were supposed to say and could pick up if something was not correct.  No computer taught me that, it was all my basic accounting knowledge which started with drawing T accounts repeatedly and an amazing teacher at McDaniel College.                                                  

Now I’m almost 50 years old and still learning new computer programs for preparing tax returns, sharing files, filing court documents, and more. Technology continues to evolve, and we adapt along with it.  And I’m thriving in a world full of technology.

Which brings me back to our students.  The kids will be alright.

What they need most in their early years is not constant screen time. They need strong foundations — reading, writing, mathematics, critical thinking, and the ability to struggle through difficult problems.

If we give them those fundamentals, technology will simply become another tool they can master when the time comes.

Let’s give our students the opportunity to build strong minds first.

When they eventually combine those strong minds with modern technology, our next generation will be unstoppable.