The relationship between education and technology has been complicated. New technologies helps us all work and learn more efficiently, yet without proper direction these advancements can squander our resources. Continued learning that happens while pursuing a masters degree in education can help assure that students and teachers learn to respect the role that technology has in education so that it can be a positive force in our future.

Like so many students, technology has tremendous potential, but many believe that it is the classic underachiever. The vision as Patricia Paugh, educator and Library Media Specialist, outlines in her blog post, Educational Tech Realities Fall Short of Vision, is that computers, tablets, and ereaders, such as the Nook and Kindle, dominate each child’s learning experience and are integrated into their everyday experience. While this is becoming more true for many students, there are still many who do not have the access to these resources. The reality, she says, is that several students huddle around a single computer or borrow the teacher’s computer. Even when students all have a computer in their home, their access to it may be limited, as well as their connectivity to the Internet. They may have no access, dial-up, and various levels of reliability even with high speed service.

Ideally, she believes as many do, each child and teacher should have access to their own dedicated laptop that belongs to them personally. This is the core idea behind the current educational ubiquitous theory, however this access is far from universal. If the educational system, or life for that matter, were fair this would happen sooner rather than later. But she points out that when Time magazine named the computer the machine of the year over 30 years ago, she would like to see more. Don’t we all.

The technology curve is wide, and understandably frustrating for both students, parents, and educators. This is nothing new. Even decades ado when the idea of having access to a computer was bizarre, even having the right calculator in a math class could make all the difference. Of course, that calculator is still important, but far fewer students have an issue obtaining one. It’s become a baseline of what educators should be able to expect from students when they walk into a classroom.

Can we develop this expected baseline in our classrooms when it comes to having a laptop and high speed Internet to go with it? That could take a while, but it doesn’t mean we should stop and wait. The ubiquitous theory states that educators and students both teach and learn better with the aid of a computer. But the definition of ubiquitous, according to Merriam-Webster is “being universal and everywhere at the same time.” Quite frankly, few things are.

So, are we to “throw the baby out with the bath water?” Of course not. This wide technology curve means that it is more important than ever to continue to educate our educators. Teachers with Bachelors degrees need to look into obtaining a Masters in Education where they can explore various teaching methods and discover how to help students learn and advance based on the technology they can access — not on the access they hope to have, or even “should” have. The reality is that you have to deal with the reality, whatever that may be.

Take something as simple as being able to load textbooks onto an ereader or tablet. Doing this holds tremendous potential, even in saving the backs of the students who carry heavy backpacks everywhere. But not every student has an ereader or tablet, therefore no one gets this benefit. The logic is flawed. We should all be encouraged to do the best we can with what we have without having to apologize or wait for others to catch up. Even if it is only a few kids that have that technology available, they should be able to utilize it.

But things are moving in the right direction. As of the fall of 2008 the ratio of Internet connected computers to students was near 3 to 1. A far cry from the days where a single outdated computer lurked in the corner of the classroom. Well over 90 percent of classrooms have access to a computer in the classroom that are used for instructional purposes and have Internet access. Yet with less than 40% of public schools having wireless network access for even part of the school. Clearly there is still room for improvement