To appreciate, one must be deprived. In all fairness I can't say that I was deprived of technology when I was a youngster in school. Technology as we know it today didn't exist then. We entered the first day of school with a huge stack of text books, and by the end of the school year had memorized and regurgitated enough from their pages to earn that 'P' for Promoted to Next Grade on our report cards. I was fortunate to have earned that coveted 'P' every year. Some were not that fortunate. Seems that no matter how hard they tried, their efforts fell short of their goal. I remember seeing the pain and disappointment on their faces turn to hopeless expressions with each 'F' that shouted at them from their attempted assignments.
Somewhere deep inside my heart I know that the tech tools we have now would have made a big difference for them. They could have been measured for mastery by means other than a pencil and a piece of paper. Somehow those hidden strengths would have surfaced reducing the odds that were stacking higher against them. Some would have mastered the use of these tools and would have found successful ways to use them when they were no longer in a classroom. I'm not sure exactly what transpired in my life that has made me appreciate and believe so strongly in the use of technology in education. Was it knowing what a difference it could have made with some of my classmates, or perhaps knowing what a difference it has made for me? Guess it is both.
