In almost all the things that mankind has accomplished in fulfilling our command to subdue the Earth, there has been a common denominator: the technology he developed in order to do so. I am unaware of anyone who argues against the efficacy or benefit of technology as a means for people to more easily accomplish tasks, or even make previously impossible feats possible.
But what role does our technology have in education? In Classical Christian education? In this article I'll seek answers to these questions along with a few others like:
What ought to be technology's role in a student's education?
How should Classical education be different? Should it be different at all?

Defining our terms

So that we are understanding our words together properly, let's define a few terms.
Encyclopedia Britannica provides the following definition of technology:

Technology, the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life—or, as it is sometimes phrased, to the change and manipulation of the human environment.^[1]

This is interesting, but not as interesting as their follow-up:

The word technology is a combination of the Greek technē, which means “art, craft,” and logos, which means “word, speech.” It first appeared in English in the 17th century, and it has evolved through several meanings to its present-day sense.^[1]

There is of course, a stand out word there: Logos. As classical educators and Christians, we see this word quite frequently. Using that etymology, I think we can understand the original intention of the word to mean something approximating:
an expression (word, speech) of human art and craft.

There is a different Christian understanding of the word Logos, though. In Scriptures Logos refers to Christ, the very word of God. Here is a wonderful article explaining the word Logos and its understanding from a Biblical standpoint.^[2] That said, let's update our understanding:
an expression of the image of God in man through art and craft.

Now we're getting somewhere. If we understand that human expression is laden with meaning thanks to the image of God we bear, then we have to accept that the technology we create is one such expression and itself bears meaning. It's difficult to imagine that a piece of technology that we often regard with so much consternation ought to be seen with the same respect as a beautiful symphony or work of art, but here we are.

With this understanding behind us, let me share a great and concise definition of technology that I found while searching on this topic:

We can define technology as a distinct human cultural activity in which human beings exercise freedom and responsibility in response to God by forming and transforming the natural creation, with the aid of tools and procedures, for practical ends and purposes.^[3]

I believe this to be:
1) A good representation of the world's understanding of technology ("...tools and procedures, for practical ends and purposes.")
2) Respectful of the etymology: ("...distinct human cultural activity in which human beings exercise freedom and responsibility...by forming and transforming...")
3) Properly recognizing the Biblical reality of the Christian worldview: ("...in response to God...the natural creation...")

This is the definition I use with my students in computer class, and this is what I mean by technology moving forward.

The Actual Problem

So let's consider the actual problem at hand:
What amount of technology use is best in view of the goal of education?
Uh-oh.
Now we need to agree on what the goal of education is. Has that ever been agreed upon? I mean sure, we all want our kids to be successful, but is that why we educate? This question (what is the goal of education?) is the single most important question to answer when it comes to determining what the proper use of technology is in our schools. The answer to this question is found in what a person values, and for simplicity (and time) I will separate our values the way scripture does: Worldly Culture vs. Biblical Culture. Let's take a side by side look at some relevant considerations:

Society says:
1) Your value to society is quantifiable.
2) Your higher earning potential increases your value to society.
3) Education is a means to an end that helps you increase your earning potential.
4) Therefore, the goal of education is to increase your earning potential because this increases your value to society.

Lately, within the past decade to twenty years or so, we could replace the phrase "value to society" with "happiness". American culture has shifted from one that recognized the value of a prosperous society, to placing happiness above all else. I encourage you to reread the argument above, replacing "value to society" with "happiness", and see what I mean.

Scripture says:
1) Your value is inherent in your person as a created being, bearing the image of God.
2) By becoming a more capable person (educated), you are honoring God and recognizing your inherent value to Him.
3) A more capable person can be used by the Holy Spirit for God's will in ways they couldn't be used before.
4) Therefore, the goal of education is the betterment of the person in pursuit of the furthering of God's will.

God's will for man is found in the Westminster Catechism^[4], stating that:
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

So favoring the Biblical understanding of the goal of education, we can say:
A person's education is important because the person is important to God.

The Real Question

There are no lack of articles written about the great benefits of a student's usage of computing technology throughout the learning process. As an example, they site the ability of students to research the seemingly never-ending well of data available on the world wide web. They mention a student's ability to more easily collaborate with others on projects, allowing for a more communicative environment through emails, video calls and messaging. Then, most articles will throw in that children have many different learning styles, and a computer or related technology (tablets and the like) can provide a better learning opportunity and experience for them.

The core issue here is not one of efficacy. That all sounds wonderful. In fact, for the sake of the argument, I'll let them have all of their claims about the wonders of computers and technology in the classroom. I'll even ignore the deluge of drawbacks and potential risks and harms that can come to a student over time. We'll ignore all the research studies done on the effects of becoming addicted to screens and the dopamine we get when using them. We'll ignore the research done showing the harms of constant blue light intake.

Those are all very important considerations, but are ultimately a moot point when the goal of education is or is not being accomplished. Those drawbacks may even be acceptable if the technology affords us a wonderful increase in our ability to educate and learn!

So then, the real question regarding technology is: What role does technology play in accomplishing the goal of education?

Or put more simply, when determining whether a student ought to be using technology in their education we should ask: For what purpose?

The Real Answer

If I'm asking a student to research a historical event and to write a two page essay on the cultural impacts of the time, am I expecting a perfectly formatted, completely accurate, high quality piece of work? For what purpose?

Society would say: Your end goal is the perfect essay, because it's that output that matters. It's that output that people see and it's your output in life that can make you money, so it must be perfect. So, you can use any tools necessary to make it perfect.

In Classical Christian education, we are strictly not concerned about the paper being perfect. In fact, the only time I want a "perfect" paper, is when some particular student has organically reached a level of thought and rhetorical skill that allows them to produce such a paper with no assistance from any devices whatsoever. (Except a pen and paper of course!)

Now of course, there are objective standards we must hold our students to. However, if all I manage to accomplish as an educator is to teach my students how to produce the essay, then all I've done is tell them that they must produce this content by any means necessary; that what matters is what they turn in, not the journey they took to get there. By that metric, students should be allowed all manner of technology and tools in order to produce the perfect content.

The real answer to the question is centered around one idea: Transferable Skills.

When I allow the student to use a million tools to generate, correct, format, and package their work, is that education transferable? Can they take the skills they've learned in using those tools and apply them to any other area of their lives? The last time I checked, I can't autocorrect the way I speak. I can't spellcheck the form I had to fill out at the DMV.

Do you know what skill is universally transferable? Hard work.

The purpose of that assignment was never the final result; the essay itself. It was always about the journey (the reading, the assessing of information, the writing, the presentation) on which the student had to embark in order to produce their best work. It took time; it took effort; it took hard work.

We understand that an educated person is someone who knows how to do hard things, because they've endeavored to do so in their papers and research. An educated person is not someone who can simply regurgitate facts and opinions, but is someone who is careful and thoughtful, and knows how to properly research and vet sources. An educated person cares about what they believe, because they understand that what they believe guides their lives.

More to the point, a properly educated person will see challenges as overcomeable, and as opportunities to become a more capable person. It's that work we do that shapes us, and makes us better. The challenges will always be there. I want my students to learn how to learn from each challenge, not just to simply get past it.

Conclusion

As long as we agree on the purpose of education, we ought to be able to agree on the role technology plays in it. Culturally, technology is a tool to be used to glorify man and his ambitions. Biblically, technology serves as a tool for man to use and master for the furthering of God's kingdom.

A student who has practiced hard work will have no trouble at all learning how to use tools and technology. Conversely, a student who has learned only to use tools and technology will be bound by them, only ever able to do whatever the tools and tech allow them to do. Without those tools, they will be almost helpless.

A student who has practiced hard work will discover more time for considering the "why?" and "what for?", because the "how" is the easy part. Conversely, a student who has to spend all their time on the "how" (because the tools they've trained on can't help them) never has time to ask "why?".

So, let's teach our kids how to spell, then teach them how to use spellcheck.
Let's teach our kids how to write well, then teach them how to use a word processor.
Let's teach our kids how to use a screwdriver, then teach them how to use a drill.

If we can do this, not only will our students be capable no matter what particular tools they reach for, but they will ultimately learn gratitude and appreciation for what the tools and technology do.