[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]With the implement of technology becoming a prevalent platform for classrooms, school systems across the country are changing the direction of the education system for new generations. The introduction of SmartBoards and iPads as a teaching tool has brought about the concept of a paperless system as a means to show advancement. However, this scheme to display technology as “education for the future” will only create a generation of dim-witted teenagers, staving off of the Internet as a source of information and less motivated to aim higher.

House Bill 5, introduced last year for all Texas high schools to include an endorsement plan for freshmen, already poses a problem in itself. Allowing mere 13 to 15-year olds to decide their path for the future is absurd, as even college freshmen at 18 to 19 years cannot decide. The execution of this plan seems like a good idea in hindsight, but there are more chances for failure and mix-ups than success.

Students may find the new system “easier” or “less stressful,” but there are no real benefits to having less requirements. Soon, students will be faced with a deteriorating motivation to have a passion which could evidently lead to less focus on school or a lower number of graduates. Simply having the opportunity to learn something new expands one’s knowledge so greatly and could come in use in the most unexpected of moments, which is taken for granted by many students.

Some people may argue that technology can be adapted, just as the current generation has. Students can also have the freedom to learn subjects they are interested in rather than wasting efforts in classes they struggle in. But, simply being exposed to different subjects has often proved to change students’ mindsets on their interests. It can also help them to explore areas they’ve never delved into before which only provides more knowledge for the future.

While technology is indeed advancing it’s important that the education system lives up to it, instead of trying to make things more “easier.” Something that is more accessible means the information is readily available and should not be dumbed down. The cost of trading experience and knowledge for easily handy information will only prove to bring a downward spiral of the upcoming generation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]