Computers in the Workplace

    The industry I have chosen for this discussion is education, specifically in the military. I have spent eight of my twenty-three years as a trainer in the military, and a significant portion of my job entails scheduling Soldiers for military schools that will help them advance in their careers. Computers play an integral role in scheduling and tracking upcoming courses. The Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS) allows me to search a course database and find upcoming class dates, locations, and the number of available seats. After locating an open seat for a course, I can then schedule a Soldier by typing in their social security number and filling out an online application. When I first joined the military in 1997, this reservation process was much more complicated and involved contacting the schoolhouse to find available seats. Tracking upcoming courses for Soldiers has also been made easier by computers. A military trainer can run a simple report in a matter of minutes to view all upcoming reservations. Twenty years ago, these all had to be tracked by creating manual tracking systems such as spreadsheets, which were unreliable.

    Information technology and computers also allowed Soldiers to attend courses virtually while most military schoolhouses were closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Blackboard, Zoom, and many others, teachers connected with their students without putting themselves in danger of contracting the virus. Soldiers were able to continue advancing their military education levels without taking a year or more off.

    COVID-19 has shown us why it is essential for everyone in the education industry to be computer literate, not only in the military but also on the civilian side. Teachers need to know how to troubleshoot computer and network issues or risk their students missing class time. With the advancements in information technology, a lot of learning is done on laptops and tablets instead of textbooks and notepads. Over the next ten years, I expect to see more education departments moving towards virtual training, especially in the military. While there are disadvantages to not attending a course in person, there are many advantages, such as eliminating travel costs and time spent away from home.