You can’t blame the Wall Street Journal for setting up a classic debate between Lisa Nielsen, director of digital engagement and professional learning for the New York City Department of Education and José Bowen the president of Goucher College and author of “Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning.” Nielsen argues that technology can personalize learning, increase collaboration and access to to content and subject matter experts, and prepare learners for the work environments of the future. Bowen argues that technology can be a distracting and that our classrooms need to be places of mental stillness where we (teachers) promote reflection and deep concentration.
The are both right! If used properly and in the right context technology can increase collaboration and access to information enabling learners to do things in ways that they could not do without technology. Used improperly and in the wrong context Jose Bowen is right because technology can distract and if you need to do something face2face that requires great concentration and reflection then technology can get in the way.
The problem is that we all too often focus on the technology itself, assume that it can provide a quick fix and keep on asking the wrong questions when we look for its impact. If we focus on the learning and the learner first, consider what learning outcomes we wish for the learner and then look for strategic activities and technologies to help us achieve those outcomes we can then use technology as a tool to help take the learner where they need to go. Technology should serve the learner and their purposes. Not the other way around.
We still are not getting our priorities strait if we are asking if technology belongs in the classroom. It is not an “if” question it is a “how” questions. Technology is not only in our classroom it is all around us and we use it every day. This simplistic either or thinking and debate over whether or not to use technology in the classroom must stop. For advice on how we can stop this simplistic thinking and debate refer to the post How to Patch “Hole in the Bucket” Thinking
What are you doing to move from an “if” to a “how” discussion?
