The education experience that most children have today is vastly different from what existed even as little as twenty-five years ago. Technology has changed the approach of nearly every urban and suburban school, from kindergarten right through high school, as it is incorporated more and more into the classrooms. There is a problem with educational imbalance, however, when it comes to the use of technology and rural schools. Many rural areas of the United States simply do not have the same type of availability and access that other areas may have, causing students to miss out and potentially fall behind. This is why it is so important to find more ways to incorporate technology into the rural school experience.
Getting Better Access to Technology
For many rural areas, simply getting access to newer technology can be the largest part of the issue. There are still many areas in the country today that do not have faster broadband access to allow for quality connection to the Internet at school or at home. Many rural school areas simply cannot afford to have the technology in place either, making the process even more difficult for them. In order for more rural areas to have greater access, allowances need to be made to expand the availability of broadband access to these rural spots and make affordable for schools and those in the area so that students have the opportunity to make use of the Internet access and technology that goes along with it to help in the learning process.
Bringing Teachers up to Speed
For many rural areas, the problem may not even be having access to the right equipment and technology to use in school. They may have the equipment but do not have the training for the teachers or the right type of staff in place to use the equipment properly so that students get the greatest benefits from all of this technology. Better education needs to be put into place so that quality teachers and staff are available to help train and educate students so that they have a greater chance of succeeding, particular those at the high school levels that may have aspirations for college and need to know the best methods available and the devices to use in order to have a chance to succeed in higher education.
In order for the education plans in rural schools and areas to keep growing their will need to be changes made to the current ways rural areas are funded for education. Greater allowances may have to be made for rural areas so they can have access to all of the technology available so that students can have these devices and learning aids integrated into the classroom more and more. More funding will also be needed to allow for greater training and educational access for staff so they know how to use and teach the use of devices properly as well. Once these changes are made rural areas will be able to reap the benefits technology has to offer in education as well.