Last week, with little fanfare, the Sony Walkman turned 30. To celebrate the anniversary, the BBC gave the device to tech-savvy, 13 year-old, Scott Campbell to see what he thought about it. Campbell criticized the devices “size, appearance, functionality and the hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises,” but the real money quote comes at the end of the article where Campbell asks “Did my dad … really ever think this was a credible piece of technology?”

It’s easy to laugh now, but many educators are still using technology that makes the Walkman look modern and that is a problem. If we want to connect with students we can’t expect to use technology from the past. Students have Xbox, PlayStation and iPod and use interactive websites and HDTVs every day. Students aren’t interested in technology for technology’s sake. Student’s merely expect that technology in the classroom will live up to the standards set by technology they use in their personal lives. Students don’t necessarily criticize outdated technology because it is old, but they do get frustrated with technology that does not function correctly, has limited capabilities or is substandard to another technology they are familiar with. Why would Campbell be excited about a Walkman when he already has an iPod?

The same logic applies to technology we use in our classrooms. The challenge for us as educators is to find ways to use modern technology in the classroom despite our limited budgets. One thing is certain, though, using a Walkman won’t help.