Hermleigh ISD superintendent warns against over-reliance on technology in classrooms

HERMLEIGH, Texas — Technology has been incorporated into nearly every industry and education is no exception.

The Superintendent at Hermleigh ISD said he is keeping a close eye on the integration of technology in the classroom.

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“When technology fails it makes it to where, in the classroom, we almost don’t know what to do anymore,” Jessie Ellerbe said.

Ellerbe told us the reliance on technology has really come to light after a crisis just last year that caused the school to enter a code-red.

“We were giving the STARR test and our wifi went down so here we are giving a standardized test and the kids are already stressed out on and then scrambling to try to come up with a plan for what to do when technology fails,” Ellerbe said.

“I don’t think technology can replace good teaching,” Ellerbe said. “When the technology takes over the classroom it pushes the teacher to the side and makes that computer more important and the most important thing in the classroom, or what has the most influence in the classroom is the teacher.”

While Ellerbe agreed technology has a place in education, he has concerns about its limits.

“If you go in the classroom, not just in Hermeligh, Texas, but in Texas, across the United States, if you go into any classroom kids are on a laptop or on a tablet or on a phone,” Ellerbe said. “Kids are more engaged with a device than with a person and I think we need to take back or teachers take back the classroom from technology and to put those human interactions and relationships back in.”

Ellerbe said he’s taking steps to do just that.

Something I personally like to do is once or twice a week, you’ll see on my desk I’ve got a stack of uno cards and you know I’ll go play cards with the kids at lunch,” Ellerbe said. The kids want and need that interaction with people and sometimes they don’t get it just by being engaged with whatever device that they have.”

While Ellerbe understands that technology has a place, he said it will never replace good teaching and is keeping a close eye on the role it is playing in educating the next generation.