Technology has dramatically impacted the way schools operate over the past 30 years.

The introduction of smartphones, internet access and more recently open artificial intelligence (AI) have brought sweeping changes to classrooms and the way instruction is conducted. Former teacher and principal Richard Dunning participated in this time as an educator and recognizes the potential of these new tools as well as the drawbacks. 

In November 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT became available to the public for free. The generative AI allows students to receive completed work via prompts typed into the interface of the software and has forced schools to adapt again to new technology. 

Dunning was named principal of South Meadow School in Peterborough in 2000 after more than 10 years as an educator in the Monadnock region. During his career in education, Dunning saw the internet, home computers and cellphones integrate into the fabric of daily life from the perspective of a school instructor and later as an administrator. He recalls early introductions of technology being of lesser impact than those in recent years.

“When I first started out, it was the early Apple computer and the floppy disks and so way back,” said Dunning. “Those impacts were minimal (compared) to the rocket of technology taking off in school from those early days. It's pretty phenomenal.”

Dunning emphasized that despite the changes being “overnight in many ways,” the quality of education is still largely determined by the educator. 

“Instruction is always related to the instructor; the quality of the teacher is directly connected to the quality of instruction,” said Dunning. “The classroom teacher is the key to that valuable instruction, and having qualified teachers is the most-important thing we can do. So it's not technology. It is the classroom teacher.”

According to Dunning, internet connectivity is important for students in rural districts such as those in the Monadnock region to keep in touch with their classmates when not in school. Dunning also said that his main concern with the internet has been to “safeguard” students and their information. Even with new means of plagiarism, he said it is still a concern of the classroom teacher to be up to date with their knowledge of the technology. 

“Plagiarism has been around for a long, long time, whether we had the internet or not,” said Dunning.

Despite the dynamic nature of education in the digital age, Dunning sees students as a vital resource to educators as they navigate this time. 

“I think kids are a great resource in the classroom; they always have been,” said Dunning. “You can learn a lot from your kid by giving them the opportunity to share with you their knowledge. You know, it would be great as a teacher – you had this crystal ball you can look into and find all the right answers. And for me, that crystal ball was either the kids in my classroom, or my colleagues I work with and getting their insight and their view on things. It was so valuable. It just provides you that sort of that crystal ball view about what's happening. So you can get a better understanding what's going on around you. And, you know, the more the more the environment feels safe for kids to share, and for adults to share with administrators, the more likely it is that you're going to glean that kind of information.”