If we can conclude one thing from R2-D2 in Star Wars and the transporters in Star Trek, it is that technology will play a major role in our lives. How should we prepare ourselves for this technological world towards which we are headed? How will incorporating even newer technology into education impact student learning? These are the questions for tomorrow that we face today.

Computer technology has become increasingly prevalent in classrooms around the country as some educators have taken experimental leaps in incorporating technology-based programs into their school curricula. The Kyrene School District in Arizona is one such school district that has introduced many new technologies into its schools, according to the Sept. 3 article “In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores” by Matt Richtel in The New York Times. “Classrooms are decked out with laptops, big interactive screens and software that drills students on every basic subject,” Richtel stated. “The digital push (in Kyrene) aims to go far beyond gadgets to transform the very nature of the classroom.”

This raises the question: does revolutionizing education with new technology actually improve students’ ability to learn? Kyrene’s test scores have shown little improvement since instituting $33 million worth of changes in technology, despite the recent rise in test scores of other Arizona school districts, according to the article. Some argue that test scores can’t fully measure the impact of technology on students, yet the hefty price tag raises expectations that have not been met by a noticeable improvement in education in many schools.

But the incorporation of new technology into school curricula is not necessarily unsuccessful, especially when a school has clear plans for its use that tie into teacher curriculum. Technology has taken an increasingly prominent role in our school as well. We have multiple computer labs, and SchoolLoop helps keep students up-to-date on assignments and grades. Just this year, the Technology Committee purchased new Dukane multimedia carts (each includes a document camera, LCD projector, DVD/VCR player, sound system and outlets for laptops, all stored on a transportable cart), Clickers (handheld electronic devices with buttons that allow students to answer multiple choice questions asked by teachers in class) and iPads. A school-wide Wi-Fi network that would give students Internet access across the campus is also in the works, according to Technology Committee chair and chemistry teacher Bryan Marten.

If used correctly, innovative technologies have the potential to benefit students, and the school’s teachers are already exploring the possibilities. For instance, the online textbooks and homework that have been implemented in Advanced Placement Calculus BC classes reduce the number of heavy books and excess papers students need to carry around.

Additionally, the new multimedia carts are making it easier for teachers to integrate movies, film clips and Internet sites into lectures and class activities. “The media carts allow for more material to be used in class, and the images are crisper and clearer than they used to be,” senior Geneva Lovett said. “It makes classes a lot more fun.”

However, while the use of advanced technology in classrooms can often make lessons more dynamic and accessible, a computer cannot replace the personal connections teachers forge with students. We should always consider the importance of teachers’ roles in education and be wary before making any drastic changes to our technological status quo. In Kyrene, advancements in technology have eroded such teacher-student relationships, “turning the teacher into a guide instead of a lecturer, wandering among students who learn at their own pace on Internet-connected devices,” Richtel states in the New York Times article. “Even as students are getting more access to computers (in Kyrene), they are getting less access to teachers.”

But when technology is used to supplement education rather than replace teacher instruction, it has the potential to greatly enhance students’ learning experience. The new iPads offer applications such as iMovie, which will give students access to video recording and editing programs for class projects, and various alphabet keyboards for world language classes such as Chinese, Hebrew and Korean, according to Marten. Such opportunities allow teachers to provide a more dynamic class experience, not by altering the curricular vision, but by enhancing it.

We look forward to taking full advantage of the technology at our school district’s disposal because it has the potential to effectively improve students’ learning experience, as well as make them tech-savvy. But entirely replacing the traditional role of the educator will only degenerate students’ ability to learn.

A version of this article first appeared in the Oct. 7, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.