Technology has seeped into every part of our lives but the one place that technology seems to be discouraged is in the classroom.

With technology constantly advancing and becoming more common, it’s time schools embrace the technological revolution.

PowerPoint presentations and online homework are a poor reflection of the learning experience as constant improvements to old practices are pushed aside in favor of ancient teaching methods.

The use of technology today appears as a shortcut, as searching on Google dominates our studying, and texting acts as a primary form of communication. Even ordering food is simplified by an app on a smartphone, eliminating the need to ever leave the house.

Except it’s not technologies fault for how we use it. It’s the fault of those abusing technology rather than appreciating the power they have at their fingertips. People need to be trained in how to use technology properly to their advantage, not for their sluggishness.

This training all starts in the classroom, where learning is supposed to have an emphasis. Research has shown us that when technology is used appropriately, better results in student performance follow.

A survey done by the Pearson Foundation showed that six out of 10 college students study more efficiently and perform better when using tablets. This coincides with another study from KIPP academy that showed that the number of students who scored proficient or advanced was 49 percent higher when the classroom used iPads.

It’s not just the students who think technology is assisting them in the classroom, as 75 percent of parents believe that technology can play a good role accommodating to each individual student’s learning experience, according to EdTechReview.

Around 86 percent of people in the age range of 18-29 own a smartphone. This means that nearly all young adults have a device in their pocket that has more computing power than the computers used for the Apollo 11 to land on the moon.

The smartphone is one of the most incredible achievements to come from science and technology. The problem is that people aren’t using them for anything other than Youtube videos and Facebook posts.

If the technology behind the device had more focus in the classroom, people may gain a greater appreciation. If people could gain a better insight of what their smartphone is capable of, they would use it more efficiently.

Rather than focus on using our smartphones to check Facebook or grades on Blackboard, we should be integrating it into the classroom more effectively.

The endless stream of data at our fingertips could be used to solve societal problems or conduct research on recent studies in class, rather than texting or checking social media.

Jeff Guzman can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter