Letter to the Editor: Vote 'Yes' to Support Tech Upgrades in Northville Classrooms

- The following letter to the editor was submitted by Northville resident Jennie Patterson

As a member of the Northville community and a two-decade Informational Technology professional, I strongly encourage you to VOTE YES on the upcoming Northville Public Schools Technology Bond. 

Throughout my professional career, I have always been intrigued by the endless explosion of high tech tools that improve day-to-day tasks. It was my passion for using technology that motivated me to obtain a Masters of Information Systems Technology at George Washington University 13 years ago. At the time, it was clear that technology had invaded the workforce. Companies were desperately trying to update their information systems in terms of data, processing, research and reporting in order to keep a competitive edge. 

Fast forward to today, and I am amazed at how this trend has now exploded into our day-to-day lives. Wherever you go, people are on their smartphones getting the most up-to-date news item or taking advantage of the latest app to improve their lives. What amazes me is that this exploration and leveraging of the latest technology seems to stop when our Northville Public Schools' kids walk into their school doors. I have a son in middle school, who was in a technology class last year. I was aghast when I discovered the outdated versions of the software and the types of programs the class was using. 

The good news is that this year my son came home all excited about how his math teacher was able to improve the environment in a crowded classroom to teach concepts more effectively using a Smart Board. Simply stated, we need the Technology Bond funds to make more purchases like this. We can’t let our classrooms fall behind….if they do, our students, our schools and our community will too. 

For more information about how the Technology Bond money will help our students and teachers, visit www.voteyesnps.org. As an aside, this website was built using volunteer time and resources from my Northville-based business Sites Built Right. We felt it was important to use valuable company time to help communicate the importance of supporting this bond.   

Please VOTE YES for the Technology Bond on Nov. 6th!

Interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor? Email it to nancy.kelsey@patch.com.