On the 70’s television show The Jetsons, a robotic teacher commands the class, doing arithmetic and collecting papers. For most people, this is an almost alien concept, but in reality, it is not that far off. Technology is making its way into classrooms, immersing the students in their lessons and familiarizing them with computers for more than just leisure time. These new upgrades in education have pros and cons, but are exciting for all.
    

Mark Twain for the Gifted and Talented, a middle school in Coney Island, was one of the first institutions to take this idea head on. Although many school in New York City now have iPad carts or computer labs, Mark Twain gave all of their eighth grade students iPads. They are one of only two schools in NYC that has done this. Peering into a classroom, students can be seen participating in an interactive slideshow with their teachers. Further down the hall, some children might be working in groups, doing research on the devices. Other students might be reading from a textbook or answering questions from the iPads. Teachers and students are learning to use this as a tool, not a toy.
    

Principal Karen Ditolla says the iniative was worth it. “You can do more interactive research than just reading,” she says, “You can give feedback and instantly access them and their classwork.” She then explained all the benefits of having the technology integrated into the curriculum, like having less turnaround time and eliminating the paper involved. As a result, none of the students in the iPad programs have physical textbooks anymore, and they can submit work electronically. Some teachers use applications like NearPod to give a lesson with questions everyone can respond to during the presentation. All of this advancement is much more efficient, and brings far more options for learning to the classroom.
    

The iPad has many positive effects, but the notion of taking computers to the students does have its cost. The initiative is expensive, and the total doubles and triples as the iPads are distributed to the rest of the grades. Within the first few months of the program, the school experienced countless problems with the iPad’s software, and almost every student had to bring it to the technology director to get it fixed. The school also had to ensure the safety of their students online, which is critical with programs and the internet in any setting, especially on a mass level. “Many of the students might find it distracting,” said Ms. Ditolla, “Instead of annotating, they might go online.” Some teachers do not use them at all in the classroom because they prefer a more traditional way of teaching. The iPad initiative has its drawbacks, however, the assets of the program make it worthwhile.
    

But of course, Mark Twain and schools like it could not dive right into the program. The school has been slowly introducing more and more technology into their building so that the transition would not be so sudden. They began by bringing in Smart Boards- which are projecters that can be annotated on directly- and then introducing new Mac computers to all of their computer labs and libraries. In addition, one of the computer labs was given a 3D printer this year. Teachers were supplied with iPads, instead of common grade books, to help them plan their lessons and grade the students quickly and with organization. Then, they brought in the iPads for the eighth grade. The school’s goal is to supply every student with an iPad by 2016.
    

The idea of technology becoming an everyday experience in schools may seem daunting, but it could dramatically improve the way that children are taught. Many schools have started engaging their students in this type of tech, and the levels of immersion and schools involved are only growing. This generation values technology far differently than any other. The youth of today won’t be learning how to draft, cook, or sew, they will be using computers in ways we have never seen before.