Oakton has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, wholeheartedly adopting new techniques for properly educating students. Blackboard is a necessity, and in ever more classes, teachers are having students use their phones and computers. The old attendance system was phased out, being replaced with the new SIS system (renamed from ISIS for obvious reasons.)
Yet what should the role of technology really be? Is there really such a large advantage given to education that makes up for the hours lost getting uncooperative computers to function, or coping with barely functioning or non-functional Wi-Fi?

Don’t get me wrong — there are advantages to be gained by using technology, and they shouldn’t be forgotten. On the other hand, how many assignments have been eaten by spam folders, lost in the labyrinth that is Google Docs, or swallowed by Blackboard?

Laptops have almost become a necessity, and there is no almost with smart phones. Not having an iPhone or Android these days makes an average school day exponentially harder, and not just because you can’t use Twitter. The sheer amount of work done electronically these days highly disadvantages those who either cannot afford, or don’t have, smart phones, laptops, or other electronic devices.

I don’t claim to have a solution — it’s impractical to turn back the clock, but we can’t ignore the negative implications. Something has to be done.