BY RICHARD K MUNRO, MA

“How many advances, liberations, revolutions, hailed as new epochs in human affairs, are really progressions from Scylla into Charybdis? …There are no clean revolutions….We may count it an axiom, which leaders of mankind unfortunately ignore, that in every great movement success means failure, popularity is corruption, the triumph of purity is the end of purity.” —Oscar Mandel, A Definition of Tragedy

I call excessive reliance on technology in eduction THE SCANTRON GOD. Quick, easy but ultimately corrupt and superficial. In my schooling, professional life, and career as a full-time classroom teacher I have experienced a sea change in my work, schooling, and writing due to technology.  I began with paper and pencils and chalkboards and NO PHONES  NO SMART WATCHES NO COMPUTERS almost no electronics or audiovisual and ended my teaching career with Smartboards, YOUTUBE, Smartphones, Laptops, and ZOOM classes. Some of the changes have been very beneficial. Others much less so.

For example, access to the internet, X, FB, and my blog has made it very easy to read news highlights, get access to shared articles and book reviews, and write. I have edited several best-selling books (for well-known authors) completely online all via WORD and email. In high school, I studied languages with tapes, 45 records, and textbooks. Cassettes in particular were very inefficient and fragile; I much preferred 33 or 45 records.  Now I can study multiple languages on Duolingo on my phone with my Bose Microlink almost anywhere. I can listen to my audible books on my phone wherever I go and at any time. I can do my taxes electronically. I can read on my Barnes and Noble Nook on my PC, on my phone, or on my NOOK e-reader (Like a Kindle). I still like real dictionaries and real books but I rarely if ever buy paperbacks today (because the print is too small for me and on my NOOK I can adjust it). But I would say 90% of the books I buy are e-books the others are hardbacks. Similarly, I still listen to my CD collection but mostly to ITUNES or SPOTIFY (often via my phone).  I long ago donated my 33 record collection not because the sound was inferior but because it became too expensive and difficult to have the necessary tuners and needles.  

I still subscribe to paper copies of two magazines and one local paper but read the WSJ online on my pc or on my phone. The main reason I gave up on my paper subscription of the WSJ is because I could not count on it arriving on time if at all. One month 16 times the paper did not arrive! The WSJ offered to mail me copies but what good is that? I wanted to read TODAY’S NEWS, so I switched to online only.  I have the added benefit of LISTENING to articles and reading comments from others. I still print out book reviews and articles that are interesting to me or of enduring interest. I read articles in magazines but almost always send letters to the editor via GMAIL. I enjoy reading physical copies of colorful illustrated magazines like SAN DIEGO ZOO , ANCIENT WARFARE, OR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. But I have noticed the young people in my life do not subscribe to newspapers or magazines and rarely read anything serious. It seems to me that they are mesmerized by video games, TICTOK, and Instagram.

I learned to type on a manual Remington typewriter in high school in the early 70’s. There were no PCs then nor any internet. I typed all my college and graduate school papers myself. I did a lot of reading of periodicals and paperbacks. When I lived in Europe I had an entire suitcase with a private library of dictionaries, and some hardcovers but mostly paperbacks. I did a lot of writing and re-writing, but I was never late for an assignment and learned to type proficiently at 50, then 60 then 70 wpm in Spanish and English.  Being an efficient typist makes correspondence and writing much easier even with a PC.  I prefer a full sized keyboard for serious writing.

All of my tests in high school except for outside tests like AP tests or SATs were handwritten with number 2 pencils or pen. No multiple choice. In fact, in my entire career as a Spanish student 1970-1991 I never once had a computer test or a multiple-choice test. I remember my high school Spanish teacher used to say I want to know what you know, how you know it, and not what you can guess. I kept vocabulary notebooks with quotations and grammar notes.  I made study cards from 3 by 5 index cards.  We had to do dictations, long exams, essays, and oral reports.

One result was the AP Spanish test and Achievement Test in Spanish (SAT II) were, frankly easy for me. Later I was an AP Reader for ETS in Spanish and was one of the best-ranked scorers of essays and short answers. My knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, orthography, and accentuation was highly developed due to my highly qualified Spanish and Cuban teachers and their traditional instruction.  I studied in Spain at the university and worked as a Tour Guide. My first class at NYU in 1974 was Don Quixote and all the other students were native Spanish speakers including a Spaniard (a soccer player) I got an A.  In college and graduate school all my Spanish classes were civilization or literature classes. All my finals were in blue books done by pen or pencil.

I knew people who tried to cheat their way through Spanish but most of them dropped out after two years because the more advanced the work the more difficult it was to cheat and fake. With phones, cameras, and the internet it is easier to cheat and fake than ever. I never cheated in Spanish and tried to learn honestly because I enjoyed Spanish and wanted to learn. It took me a while to learn how to study and practice efficiently. I began to study verb paradigms and made color-coded study cards. I listened to Spanish-language commercials and sporting events.  I learned the concept of the comparative study of cognates, partially false cognates, and false cognates.  In my first two years, I averaged a B. But by my third, fourth, and fifth year, I was getting A’s on everything. Spanish became my favorite and my best subject even more than history, English, or biology.

Getting certified as a K-12 teacher in Spanish, Social Studies and English was easy for me because I had had many AP classes and was an avid reader. I always corresponded with my friends and family via letters. It is not an exaggeration that from 1966-1980 I wrote and received hundreds if not thousands of letters some of them twenty pages long. I had to study seriously to ensure my passing my CBEST (California basic tests for teachers) in the Math and English proficiency but I did it the first time.

I took the GRE in 1989 with paper and pencil and did well. Later, in 2004 I had to take it again online. I was working full time so didn’t have a lot of time to practice the computer format. Writing was easy because it was like email and word processing, which I did all the time. But Math was awkward because I was used to answering with paper and pencil skipping the ones that were harder and returning to finish the test and double-check my work. With the computer test, this was not possible, and I had trouble timing my test. I finished too fast, being afraid not to finish, and was sent down “pathways” and was unable to skip questions or go back. I was never a genius at math, but I got a 690 on my SAT in 1972. When I took the GRE in 2004 my math score fell over 200 points. It made me very aware that computer testing and ZOOM classes were an affective filter that threw curveballs at students not accustomed to electronic tests.  Clearly the elite “laptop class” of the middle class and upper class have a considerable built-in advantage over poorer students.

I got my BA in 1978 and it was a disadvantage to miss out on the PC revolution. It took me a few years to catch up. But I couldn’t afford a PC or printer. I didn’t have a cellphone either (a flip phone ) until 2004. I carried dimes and quarters and a calling card for emergencies!

In the mid-1980s I got a job with a bank. At first, they had handwritten files but gradually they were transitioning to computers and computerized customer service. So that was my first introduction to the regular use of computers.

One change I saw right away with new technology was the ability of management to erase past histories and fake credit histories. I had a VIP in my portfolio, and he was a chronic collection problem. He would charge way beyond his limits and not pay for months at a time. I knew this because we still had files and paper advices. His file was as thick as an old Yellow Page phonebook (now also obsolete).  But he never charged off and the bank NEVER reported any delinquencies for him on his lines of credit and credit card. The credit line was over $100,000 a lot of money to me today and in the 1980s even more. Mr. X who was a local celebrity who owned sports teams and billboards always paid off eventually but as far as I could see, he never had his interest rates increased or paid late penalties. The bank always corrected his delinquencies.

Yet little old ladies would find their VISA accounts closed if they were past due 30 days THREE TIMES. They could not have their credit reports revised very easily. When you included late charges they were charged 40% interest. Then our regional bank was bought out by a national bank and customer service went down to almost zero and interest and penalties skyrocketed.  Technology made banking easier, but it also made it easier for people to engage in wire fraud,  credit fraud and theft.  This appears to be the case in the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal where, apparently his translator accessed his accounts to pay off gambling debts unbeknownst to the slugger.

 I know someone who lost over $10,000 in one afternoon after losing her debit card in Las Vegas.   Somehow someone had accessed her PIN.  This can happen easily if someone uses a camera to record your finger movements or a telescope to spy on you.  And of course, as a debit card does not have the protection of a credit card; she lost all that money.   So technology gives us great convenience but it makes theft and fraud easier.  Especially for older people not as familiar with the technology.

I myself have LIFELOCK and have frozen my credit just to be safe.  Someone accessed (via an insurance hack?) my social security number which puts me at risk for fraud.  Some years ago I bought a $16 breakfast at DULLES AIRPORT in Washington DC.   I used my credit card as I wanted to save my cash for the trip.  Somehow someone stole the front and back of my card.   By the time I reached my destination, the crooks had charged me $49.99 every hour on the hour and I only became aware of the problem when my card was dead -frozen. (fortunately, I always have a backup card and backup cash). I didn’t have to pay of course but the bank had over $5000 in losses.    Sometime afterward someone applied for an Autozone card in my name and began charging up to the limit.  Fortunately, by this time I had LIFELOCK and was notified and nipped the problem in the bud.  They did not use my home address but an address I had never heard of. Once again, I did not have to pay anything but spent hours on phone calls and business letters to Synchrony Bank (Autozone was a private label for Synchrony Bank). Shortly afterward someone applied for an American Express card with my name but due to LIFELOCK this application was blocked.  So technology is convenient but also has its vulnerabilities    I never use a DEBIT card and have my accounts isolated from each other.   I do not activate PINs for most of my accounts.  I also monitor all my bank accounts and credit cards closely.  I only use ATMs at major banks and pay cash for many casual purchases especially at airports or when traveling.

In the early 90s, I got a used IBM 286 with floppy disks and this helped me edit letters to the editor and free-lance articles. However,  due to the Internet, the market for free-lance articles has almost dried up.    I used to make $800-$1000 a year prior to 2005.  But not anymore.   Perhaps with YOUTUBE and substacks there are new ways to make money but there is no question the market has changed irrevocably. 

In 1997 I finally got a phone (landline), PC, and internet in my classroom. So I began my teaching career without any phones or whiteboards but just a mimeograph machine and chalkboards. One advantage was one of total tranquility, especially before school and after school. No emails, no phone calls, no interruptions no announcements. I used to have to call the parents of my students at home in the evening or write them notes to request a personal meeting. My grades were private and done by hand in a grade book. We kept attendance by turning in absent sheets. Students more than 20 minutes later were considered cuts, not tardies.

I think it is much more difficult for students to cheat when none of the tests or quizzes are multiple-choice. Students had to clear their desks of everything including hats and could not have any phones or electronic devices out.   Students had to respond to dictation and make class presentations.   Whenever possible I quizzed students individually.   I also required that students keep notebooks and do assigned homework.  This was for practice but also as a way to see who was cheating on exams and quizzes.  Usually, cheaters were greedy for perfect scores and had no classwork to offset their grades.

Essentially, I was completely in control of my classroom and classroom discipline.  Students without passes who were late had to knock on the door and ask permission to enter.    I often would let them stand outside a minute or two and would then open my door and spend of moment or two interrogating the students as to why they were late.  Students who were not in their seats at the bell were marked tardy.    In the first half of my career, I had few discipline problems.   I went seven years without filling in a single referral.   With technology and distractions and delays and declining respect and civility in part due to problems associated with technology, the last five years of my teaching career were much more stressful and saw serious fights and discipline problems.   But most importantly academic standards have, overall, in my humble opinion, collapsed especially for average and poor students.  (I realize there is an AP and laptop elite -they are doing as well as ever).

In my opinion, k-12 students should not be allowed to have or use phones during the school day.    The phones should be collected and locked up at the entrance of the school.   There is no need for every class period to be via computer.  Every classroom has a phone for communication and virtually every teacher and school employee has a phone for emergencies.   With smartphones everywhere you meet new pathologies.    Such as

1. Instrusions in class.   Students find out Mr X or Ms. Y is absent so they cut their class and intrude on another class.   Substitutes have a list and photos of class lists but don’t recognize these students who are , usually, disrupting the class for fun.   Often the teachers have to call security to try to establish order and of course the perpetrators can easily slip out of class.  Most never get caught or punished in any way.
2. Groups and gangs can communicate to organize a fight during lunch or after school or a theft via smartphones.
3. Smartphones are a distraction as students are constantly sharing pictures, and answering messages.    It goes without saying they use them to cheat.  Students take pictures of exams and share them via the internet.   A good classroom teacher has to stay one step ahead.   I caught a lot of cheaters but I don’t fool myself to say I caught every one.  I could tell when students were not engaged and not progressing in learning.   This is when one individual quiz or a one on one interview were helpful.

4) Just like there is credit fraud there is also grade modification and fraud. This can come from students adult aides or even in some situations the administration. I always printed out my grades and kept them in a secure place in folders for three years.   One has to be very security conscious.  I never communicated with students EXCEPT on school email and or on the school phone.  I never texted students though occasionally parents texted me when were were on a class trip or  Saturday sports or events.

5) Zoom classes and zoom zombies.   No question zoom classes are better than nothing but they are a very poor substitute for live classes.   Zoom teaching  favors laptop elites who respond well. In my experience, AP students behaved almost like college students or adults and concentrated during presentations and communicated with teachers.  They completed all their assignments and tests.   How ever the middle and bottom collapses. We have ZOOM ZOMBIES.   Students are not required to turn on their camera.   The only requirement is respond for daily attendance.   Then many students just vanish from the face of the earth.  They don’t participate or answer emails or complete any work.  In my entire 34 year career SOME STUDENTS would REFUSE to take tests or show up to take tests but a very small minority.   With ZOOM ZOMBIES  25% 33% 50%  would not even attempt to answer one question.   I had one student “with perfect attendance” who did not complete one sentence, one paragraph or one definition the entire academic year. Zoom classes are OK for highly motivated students but they are no substitute for face to face learning and teaching.    Universities that switch to Zoom classes should be required at the very least to refund 50% of their tuition.   80% would be more like it.  The worst thing about ZOOM classes is that unless I knew the student from before I had no relationship with those students.    Tutoring (I used to tutor students at least 5 hours a week or more outside of class) dropped to almost zero.   

6) AI  computers and smartphones can be used for cheating.   I feel personal phones should be restricted during school hours and prohibited absolutely during formal testing.   I remember discovering GOOGLE TRANLATE.  Students would turn in short essays that were merely pasted on translations from Google Translate. The problem was they could not read them aloud and did not know the vocabulary of their essays.  I knew the students were cheating but I ignored this and thanked them for their work. I then said that was merely step one of the assignment.   Step two was to create a glossary of the vocabulary in the essay.   Step three was to use at least 15 new words in complete original sentences (in class).   Students could use hard-cover dictionaries but no electronic devices.  Step four was to make a presentation of examples of vocabulary to the teacher or to the class.  

7) Teachers must have some oral questions and answering, oral presentations, dictations, and written exercises with paper and pencil in class.   You cannot rely entirely on scantron tests or take-home assignments.   When classes are 100% online as in some Canvas Zoom classes in my opinion one must schedule exams over a week and orally test each student.   Otherwise the testing has no integrity and no validity.

Yes, in my life and career I have experienced great changes in the home, workplace and school. There is no going back to a world of ONLY pencils, chalk and pens. A world without phones, TVs, Internet, electronic statements and credit cards.   But I don’t always want processed food and I sometimes want to use CASH and USE CHANGE. I enjoy podcasts but sometimes I want to listen to the radio alone or play the piano by myself or sing in the shower. I don’t want to go in my motorboat I might like to swim in a pool or at the beach.

 In addition,  I would argue that chalk, pencils, and pens are still valuable tools for learning and entertainment.  Every day I read and study languages.     I use colored pencils to fill in composition books.  One page is for grammar notes or vocabulary.  The other page is for sentences, paragraphs and translations.   The target language is in BLUE PENCIL (red for important or spelling or pronunciation prompts. English notes are always in #2 pencil.  If I make notes or comparison to other languages I will use other colors for example this word is similar to German or Spanish or Greek or is a false friend (false cognate).    I also draw pictures of vocabulary -happy faces, sad faces,  mountain peaks, sailboats, fruit,  animals, furniture houses cars etc.  I draw action words (verbs), colors, antonyms and synonyms.  I know physically writing in COLORS and repeating words and keeping notebooks helps me learn and remember the Greek alphabet and new vocabulary words.

When I play with my grandchildren we use playdoh, magnetic letters and numbers, picture books. We look at maps.  We still use colored chalk to write on the sidewalk and play games.   I have sets of 8 by 10 color photo cards and I asked them questions.    What color is it?   What is it in Spanish?  Do you know the English word?  Usually they do.   They have been introduced to Portuguese,  French, German, Latin and Greek.   For fun, orally I will quiz them on animals in different languages (and the sounds they make).   I , explain that most scientific words and animal and plant words are the same in western languages because they are Greek or Latin in origin.   PROBLEM or  RICE , TIGER OR LION OR COCA COLA TEA or COFFEE or AUTO or COMPUTER  are virtually universal vocabulary words.   They have toy animals and toy dolls and toy kitchens.  They enjoy the colors and physicality of this play and create their own stories and games. 

 As Mandel wrote “How many advances, liberations, revolutions, hailed as new epochs in human affairs, are really progressions from Scylla into Charybdis? “ Technological change is inevitable.  We have cars and electric motorbikes.  We have machine guns. Semi-automatic pistols.  We have videogames.  We have vaccines and antibiotics. We have birth control and abortion pills (RU486).   We vote via computer.   But we should be aware that every change is not necessarily for the better and when it comes to living healthy and happy lives.  In learning and voting INTEGRITY and HONESTY are very important values perhaps the most important of all.   If technology breeds theft and fraud and cheating and makes us less healthy and less safe we should be aware of it and limit it and control it for the good of the individual and society. Carl Sagan wrote “Many of the dangers we face indeed arise from science and technology—but, more fundamentally, because we have become powerful without becoming commensurately wise. The world-altering powers that technology has delivered into our hands now require a degree of consideration and foresight that has never before been asked of us.” One thing is certain technology is just a tool. It will not make us happy healthy or wise unless we lead balanced lives. A balanced life is not entirely dependent on drugs, chemicals, electronics and computers.