People love to talk about the future. We love to imagine what are lives could be. We ask ourselves “How will we discover the secrets of life and what will we need to discover them?” But wait, aren’t we in the future of past dreams? Hasn’t the human race discovered what was unimaginable one hundred years ago, today? The answer is yes and these discoveries were found through the use of technology. Technology influences our lives every day. Technology has given humans the power to do more than what was ever imagined. The world is having a technology revolution; but is our school being left behind in the past?

There is no denying the influence technology has played on our lives today. It gives us a resource on every imaginable topic, as long as your fingers have enough energy, within seconds of search. It has led us to discover the smallest secrets of the human body to the largest secrets of our universe. Technology has enhanced human performance to discover things that were unimaginable just a century ago. This question remains, is our school taking advantage of this human performance enhancer we call technology?

Technology at Blaine High School is very evident. Blaine has hundreds of computers that are available for any student; with your own profile to save documents. Most teachers have SmartBoards. Blaine has a nifty way for you to pay for your school lunches with an online account and pin number. You also have access to our own grades on AHconnect. Of course, the online newspaper, the BLUEPRINT, is trying to bring you the inside stories on students here; and the latest piece of technology is the CISCO room (which you can read more about on the website). But are any of these pieces of technology advancing student learning? Are students really being empowered to go above and beyond human limits with the technology provided?

Interestingly enough, when you walk the halls and visit the classrooms of BHS the most advanced pieces of technology seem to be the devices that the students are bringing in. What does this mean? It means that the school is falling behind. Students bring in their own devices in an effort to keep up with this technology revolution while Blaine High School is being left in the past. Just ask some of the students.

“I don’t even check my grades anymore, it’s just such a hassle” says Matt Cook, an academically top ranked senior here at Blaine. The school website is so out of date and checking grades is a long confusing process. Here’s an idea, a Blaine High School App. The app would be personalized for every student with their own account. It would connect every class, teacher, and afterschool activity to give each student instant information about their personal schedule, grades, and class assignments, projects and upcoming tests. Good idea? Of course you think so but how could we afford this? The school can barely afford to keep the physical parts of the school renovated, like the lights and carpet. The answer is advertizing. Not only would ads, within the school app, make up for all the money spent to make the app, the school would continue to make a profit and use that money for more updates, more renovations, and more technology for the good of the students. We are in the future of our ancestor’s dreams but it’s sad because our school, the first place you would hope to be up to date, is being left in the past.

Students in this day and age have grown up with technology for as long as they can remember. They view it solely as a good thing, as a tool of empowerment. Is the school hesitant when it comes to using technology to enhance learning because they are afraid of it? Are they afraid that it would become a distraction and hurt the students rather than help?

When it comes to technology, humans have complete control over how it is used. The school needs to use it in a way so that students can’t get distracted, so that the technology’s only option is to help them. Not only will it help them, it will allow them to be more engaged in classes; but most importantly it will empower them to be committed to continuing the Bengal tradition of excellence.