Dearest Dylan,
Wow, you would not believe what is happening with technology in education now! The resources and opportunities are SO different than what I had back in college. For one, we are completely paperless! In an effort to conserve paper, every school in the US has converted to one-to-one devices that are connected to each student. Not only are they able to access all their academic work, but their device goes with them, interacts with them through video and speech, allows them to video chat with teachers and other students, and they can virtually go inside a text book or video in order to get a full on 3D, virtual experience!
Do you remember when you tried the virtual goggles in the special room in your ED Tech class? Well, imagine being able to enter into your favorite book or movie and see the action with your own eyes! That is what we can do now! Also, the entire classroom is virtual so the teacher can create documents, diagrams, and models with their own two hands and their words; it is similar to the 3D printer but anyone can do it (including students), which allows for a truly hands-on experience and the students have benefited greatly from having the best technology every created that allows them to access information and data in ways I (back in the day) never could have imagined!
A note to you from your future self: get excited about technology! There are so many amazing things coming and you could be part of setting it all in motion! Listen to your kids ideas–many of the fantastical ideas that the kids drew on paper with a pencil in your class, have become the reality for students of the future! Technology in educational settings has the ability to change how we learn, what we learn, and how we are able to do it! The future is yours!
Much love and best of luck,
Dylan