This article reflects on how a high school in Napa, California views technology as an essential element to education. The New Technology High School encompasses laptops into their curriculum by assigning project-based challenges. Students are also encouraged to have a social media presence in which they are taught to tweet and comment in a responsible manner. Negative connotations that are made in the digital world are treated as a valuable teaching moment.
I feel that this is one of the important aspects of the school, "in addition to the group work that mimics companies (students can fire someone on a team if they aren't pulling their weight), seniors at the school wrap up their final year with a required project: a Web page they build themselves with their rÃ©sumÃ©s, letters of recommendation and links to work they've done at school." Resume building, creating an online portfolio and centralizing recommendations are traditionally done in college. These students are at a significant advantage when transitioning into the real world.
My high school did not allow cell phones or laptops to be seen anywhere inside the building. My education at that institution did not embrace technology in the classroom and failed to prepare me for the real world. I hope in the near future that I may witness schools like New Technology High as the standard for K-12 education.