Tech: Am I Enthusiastic or Skeptical?

Am I a tech enthusiast or skeptic? I reckon I’m an enthusiast these days. Over the past twelve months, as my wife and I study for Masters degrees and work in a tech-reliant school, I have been introduced to a wide variety of exciting online tools for students: Canva, Piktochart, Screencastify, Mindmeister, and Animoto to name a few. I have introduced my students to these tools and, with some trepidation, the students are starting to leave their comfort zones and explore them. The great thing is that I don’t need to be an expert- I just tell the children to explore (something advocated by Peggy Ertmer here).

         Let’s look at a few articles exploring both sides of the tech argument.

Collins and Halverson’s Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America gives an efficient summary of the advantage of tech in schools, though some of the research cited is a bit dated. Here are my thoughts.

         The world is changing and we need to equip young people with the skills to thrive in it: agree. Tech use isn’t going to slow down. It’s going to accelerate.

         Tech improves learning: agree, with the caveat that it should often be collaborative in order to provide opportunities for social constructivism. This is also advocated by Cullata.

         Students need to develop and use higher order thinking skills to access and filter the almost infinite amount of info out there: agree. The use of tech in schools provides a great opportunity for students to hone their critical thinking skills, in student- centred ways.

         Communication now takes place via multiple forms and students need to become proficient in these: agree. Emails, webinars, blogs, Tweets, online learning, multiplayer games, infographics, podcasts- young people these days have the potential to develop communication skills in more forms than ever before.

         Teens are leading the way in tech skills: not sure. Yes, they seem more savvy; however - at least in my experience - the average 13-year old who can Snapchat one-handed and rule supreme at Fortnite still needs teacher guidance on how to make the borders of a table invisible when using Google Slides.

Tech promotes just-in-time learning (using tech to learn skills and gain knowledge as and when needed): I engage in this type of learning frequently. However, I still think there’s a place for learning skills at school just in case they are needed later. What if there’s an apocalypse and the planet goes offline?

The development of the Internet makes it possible for student work to become much more widely available to the rest of the world: agree. This can be hugely motivating to students, with the caveat that we must ensure confidentiality.

         Some interesting examples present a compelling case for the use of tech. Michael Wesch bemoans the “strategic learning” culture (“how many words does my essay need to be?” “What do I need to do to get an A?”), while using tech to promote the value of play, collaboration, and a sense of wonder. Wesch encourages us to use play as a means to motivate, broaden perspectives, build a growth mindset, and develop empathy. He cites his own example of using tech tools and collaboration in his teaching to simulate a world of ancient people.

         Finally, Kim Cawkwell works with younger students to use tech to design solutions for, and communicate with, the local community. This approach enables Kim’s students to develop perseverance, and provides an enriched learning experience.

         Collins and Halverson also provide some counterpoints. They remind us that for every technological advance, and excitement about it, there is always a skeptic who questions its value in schools. Also, they argue that it’s very difficult for educators to change their school systems to meet the requirements of new tech. Educational leaders can circumvent this barrier somewhat by using sound strategies for implementing change- such as involving all stakeholders in the process, transparently espousing the what, why, and how, and by listening to opponents with empathy.

Let’s now look at some more of Collins and Halverson’s stated disadvantages of tech.

         Loss of teacher control is a cost of tech: somewhat agree. Several times I have had to correct students for playing Fortnite when they should be, for example, constructing an infographic on non-fiction text features for the class website. Yes, the IT office then shuts down Fortnite, but another variation rises in its place. Collaboration with parents and some non-directive teaching strategies can help mitigate this problem. This “tech as distraction” problem is also touched on by Wesch.

         The human factor can’t be ignored: agree. We can inspire, challenge, and encourage alone. Tech can’t do that. A human educator must facilitate and guide. We must allow tech to give control of individual learning to the students. Cullata makes the prophetic statement that tech will evolve to become more a way of connecting with people globally- in particular, to experts. This has really exciting potential for the classroom. Imagine being able to connect your Grade 6 science students regularly, efficiently, and in real time, with astronauts aboard the International Space Station? That’s something for the (near) future, possibly?

         Confidentiality can be compromised: agree, unless we practise due diligence. This is an aspect also discussed by Cullata. Let’s be robust in our systems here- after all, this is the confidentiality of children we’re talking about. Let’s provide them with opportunities to develop the skills and attitudes to keep themselves safe.

So, after all that, am I still an enthusiast? Yes, I am. I love tech and its potential. I’m old school in many respects, but it is clear to me that my old-school 1980s schooling in the values of resourcefulness, self-reliance, and resilience were key factors in my successful adoption of educational tech today.

         I leave you with this question: how can we get our tech dissenters “on board” in our changing world?