As a future teacher and a young person born at the crossroads of the digital age I have begun to think deeply about the role of technology and the internet in the classroom. While the digital revolution began in mid-20th century, the digital revolution really exploded at the dawn of the 21st century and has become known as the digital age or information age.

In a digital age, more and more of the kids I will teach will have grown up using technology from infancy, and many will be better at it than I am. On top of a higher level of proficiency in technology, the upcoming second and third generations of the digital age will also confront the problems my generation has suffered as the first generation of adolescents to have really grown up with few restrictions on our access to touch screens, smartphone apps, 1040p quality video and the internet at our fingertips. As time progresses I think it will be more and more necessary to incorporate some level of technology into the classroom. For better or for worse, whether it’s a step of progression or regression, the kids I teach will have almost every part of their lives connected to technology. Given this, even those opposed to the use of technology in the classroom should consider it an opportunity to teach discernment.

One of the challenges of this information age is in its name: information. What is learning supposed to look like when anyone can answer almost any question with a simple Google search? I argue that this tool is a double-edged sword. This incredible access to information can serve to further self-directed learning, skill-building, communication and a whole host of other benefits, but it can also serve to weaken and create a dependent mind that cannot properly function without a regular stream of digital information. The risk of low knowledge retention is a real one that the teachers of the digital age are now tackling head-on. The Calvin Education department has been confronting these questions aggressively with their teachers-in-training.

Having been handed this double-edged sword, education must change in some capacity. This digital era is forcing a transformation upon the world of teaching that will likely bend some of the traditional styles in education. This transformation will not just occur in elementary and secondary education however, but for higher education as well. The world must and will change when a 20 or 30 year old is able to take online classes and learn a wealth of knowledge, both practical and theoretical, for an incredibly low cost. At the same time these millennials often have the chance of interacting with other students across the country or even the world. I think the opportunity for collaboration with those outside our geographical confines opens a door for 21st century, digitalized learning that has me optimistic. Conversely, it also questions the value of institutions of higher education. Why go to college if you can learn everything related to your interests online for free or little cost? Why would philosophers spend tens of thousands of dollars on college when they have access to the same information at their fingertips for free? Is it the degree? Is it the status that comes with having a college-education?

I believe that higher education is very important and it has helped level the playing field for many who historically haven’t had access to quality education, but will this level the playing field another level? What higher education looks like in the future is anyone’s guess. I’m not sure myself, but I do know that this digital age has prompted many questions and challenges to teachers, and we must rise to the test.