Hayley Hagerman

My name is Hayley Hagerman and I am currently teaching 5th grade at Dilworth Elementary School in Cupertino Union School District.

The advances in technology over the last three decades is almost unthinkable and because of these advances we've seen our lives take new shape. No longer is it common for us to hand write a letter, or have a newspaper delivered to our porch every day. Information is ready at the drop of a hat. To put things in perspective, it took me less than one minute using the Internet to find the origin of the idiom "at the drop of a hat". When I was in elementary school, the Internet was just becoming popular and by the time I was in high school it had replaced the necessity of going to a library to do research for a paper.

What does this mean for today's educators and students? Technology is changing at a rate that is next to impossible to keep up with. Students in elementary school are coming to class teaching their teachers. Although the idea of not being one step ahead of the students may frighten some educators, I believe this is something to be embraced. I don't mean to suggest that educators can start slacking off, leaving the Internet to instruct children. The way I see it, the advances in technology creates buy-in with the students; it promotes creativity, innovation and collaboration. It is now easier than ever to guide our students into thinking critically.