By Steven Chen
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In this time of economic need, schools must manage their dwindling budget like none other. However, much of the teaching in schools is still based on the age-old traditional manner of using the obsolete overhead projector or the dusty chalkboard. It is time for the school system to play catch-up with the rest of society by investing what little money it has left to provide new forms of interactive learning.

In the hallways of every high school, there is at least one teenager either plugged into his or her iPod or texting. According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research organization, 54 percent of all teenagers text and 75 percent of 18-28 year olds possess an mp3 player. While the ramifications of this type of behavior are debatable, one conclusion is clear: We students are the new generation of learners; the 21st century guinea pigs for the educational system. Wake up, baby-boomers.

With all the technological advances engulfing mankind in its grasp, a new medium of information and communication has become the norm. Forcing students to pay attention to the whiteboard just makes it worse. This wake-up call for all schools emphasizes a necessity to integrate all the gizmos we see every day and into the classroom.

However, these items need to be specific for an educational purpose. Think about it: mindless purchasing of tech products would lead to utter chaos. Sure, college students bring their laptops into class, but the transition stage between middle school and secondary education would seemingly vanish. As Spider-Man has taught us, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Harvard University recently reached out to neighboring high schools in Boston and Cambridge to become the forerunner in using technology as a learning tool. The university will share its high-speed Internet network with all 148 public schools along with Cisco’s TelePresence equipment to a few schools. TelePresence incorporates real-time video and audio interaction along with other technologies to link classrooms to teachers, experts and other students across the globe. One notable use is access to science experiments held in university laboratories. Not only does this innovation allow students to connect with others, but it also introduces real-world situations and learning not experience inside the tangible classroom.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan pointed out an unsurprising fact at a speech on the topic: “Right now, many students’ learning experiences in school don’t match the reality outside of school.” He argues that educators should strategically integrate technology into students’ daily academic lives. Many colleges have already begun to do so. The trend needs to pick up speed so that it can permeate into high schools.

Technology is on the road to student success. One note of caution: technology does not mean more movies or more PowerPoint slides. It means fully incorporating every new advantage Silicon Valley has to offer and bringing them to the aid of America’s best and brightest–us students. Some change has already occurred here–overhead projectors have been installed in almost every classroom, but some teachers are not utilizing them as much.

Students have a variety of learning styles and it is up to the teacher to figure them out. The hard part about this task is actually going through a process to decide which style(s) are best. But perhaps what all teachers can and should do is tap into how we students communicate with each other outside of class – something that we are familiar with – and turn that into a tool to facilitate learning.