Technology and its evolution in the classroom.

I was asked the other day by a colleague about the role technology should play in the classroom.  As one of the members of my staff who use classroom technology every day in some form, I had to think about it as my next words would have an impact on how the others in the conversation view the usefulness technology plays in education.

There are some who feel that modern technology is too distracting to what the students are expected to learn.  These people feel that students will not remain on task and the "traditional" way of learning, reading a book, copying notes and listening to a lecture, is the only way to teach.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who all they do is set the students up on a computer, tell them where to find the instructions and then merely make themselves available only when students ask for help.

For me, my position is in the middle.  Technology is there to be used as a tool to complement learning.  Nothing can replace old-fashioned teaching, but instead of using the books, the pencils and the 8mm film, students can be engaged in the ways that are familiar to them outside of school.

Resistance is futile, but people will
often fight to the bitter end

The situation with education is coming to a crossroads.  For a long period of time pretty much up to the mid 1990s, the traditional approaches to education worked.  There were no cellphones, limited access to the internet, no iPods or personal devices, and there certainly were few needs to students to use technology as it was expected you would learn only what was needed for your career choice.  All of a sudden, however, here comes the largest game-changer since the invention of the printing press, the Internet.  For the first time in history, anyone could contact anyone else instantaneously, seek knowledge at the click of a mouse, and bring their lived with them wherever they go.

I no longer have a Diskman or a Nokia, I have an iPhone.  I don't use traditional cable or satellite, I stream from the internet.  I rarely call family on the phone, I Skype or text.  So, when it comes to education, why would I follow the same approaches my teachers and my parents' teachers used? The students today have grown up in a world that even would have been foreign to me when I was their age at the turn of the millennium.

The big push that's needed in Ontario education is showing people how technology needs to be implemented for engagement purposes.  People for Education in a recent report found that 79% of all Ontario students were first introduced to computers as a part of their education as early as kindergarten.  (People for Education)A further 17% will have the same exposure before the end of Grade 3.  That means 96% of all Ontario students will have more exposure to technology in their schools than most teachers had by the time they were 20.  This creates the "anytime, anywhere" culture that exists among the younger generation. (Ontario Public School Boards' Association)

It's important therefore to find way to engage the students in their learning.  EduGains has come up with a list of way in which educators need to respond to changes in technology and culture while also ensuring students gain the proper skills necessary for 21st century learning and beyond:

• Harnessing the capacity of technology to engage learners and to optimize and amplify student learning and achievement

• Emphasizing and teaching important higher-order skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity and entrepreneurship

• Supporting educators in preparing our students for a rapidly changing, technology-driven, globalized world. (EduGains)

There are great resources available in the classroom to complement learning.  iPads or Chomrebooks are available and affordable.  Some schools have implemented a BYOT (Bring your own technology) concept.  SmartBoards are gaining popularity for their interactivity with what is on the screen.  Blended learning and access to course material online ensures students have access to instruction and resources no matter where they are.  Games for reinforcing learning and content are available free of charge often on the internet.

So, where does that leave the question I was asked on my position?  I provided the best answer I could with respect to all present.  Technology is here to stay, there is no doubt, but teachers will always be needed.  What we as teachers therefore need to do is learn to grow our abilities and adapt our approaches to education in a way to engage students for the world they live in.  Students are connected to their friends at the hip now and work together to fix problems.  The education system needs to do the same to ensure all understand that while the system and approach may look different from the one they knew only a few years ago, the end goal will always remain the same.