George Mallory was part of two expeditions to Mt. Everest in 1921 and 1922. When asked by a New York Times reporter why he wanted to reach the summit, he responded, "Because it's there."

While this may be an admirable motivation for climbing a mountain, it has unfortunately become the reason many schools integrate technology into their classrooms. At Paul Duke STEM, we do not use technology because it's there; using technology for the sake of using technology is ineffective and a waste of time. Our mantra is students learn with and through technology. This means that not only do the tools students use help them learn the content more deeply, using those tools help prepare them for the college and career experiences that await them after high school.

The use of technology at Paul Duke STEM manifests in many ways and at many times. Walking into a classroom, one might see students proving mastery of content through formative assessment tools or gathering data using professional grade science software. Students could be designing and creating products using 3D printers or computer numerical control machines. When school ends, drones are flying outside and robots are roaming the halls. No matter the time of day, meaningful technology use is pervasive throughout Paul Duke STEM High School.