James Langan, Social Studies Teacher
Technology in the classroom
It seems that much of the discourse surrounding the cutting edge of education revolves around technology in the classroom. Often, this discourse describes digital technologies that are available for teachers to enhance learning in and out of the classroom. My experience has been that whenever a new technological innovation is presented it is viewed as a learning multiplier by its mere presence in the classroom. This is troubling to me for a few reasons.
Firstly, I am reminded of the introduction of television in education. Television was heralded much the same way computers and the internet are today as a resource of incalculable value. Massive amounts of resources were poured into complicated closed circuit networks to connect classrooms to the plethora of information that television brought into the classroom. However, after years and the significant amount of resources had been expended, there was relatively no measurable improvement from the televised classroom. For all the doomsayers predicting the end of the professional teacher (who television threatened to make obsolete) and for all the vanguards of the technology there was little to see for all the luster and controversy. I am cautious when looking to the latest version of televised classrooms, the internet equipped. I believe that without understanding what went wrong with television in education the latest trend may find itself folly to the same end.
Secondly, when something such as digital technology is viewed as an end by its mere presence I am more than skeptical. The skepticism stems from a belief that any tool, whether it is a hammer or sophisticated computer system, requires a qualified operator to use it correctly. As my wife can attest using even a simple tool without knowing how it should be used can lead to disastrous results.
Lastly, there is a hidden narrative underlying most discourse on technology integration that students are digital natives. In other words, students are assumed to possess the skills required to use technology prior to entering the classroom. Undoubtedly in our increasingly connected world student experience with technology will be more and more common. However, experience with technology and possessing the skill set to use technology properly for educational means are two different things.
If you have made it this far you may be starting to think that I am a staunch protectionist of the disconnected classroom. I am, in fact, the opposite. I welcome the presence of digital technology in the classroom, I just think that we should be realistic and purposeful about its use. My classroom integrates technology into my instruction to enrich the learning environment. It never becomes more than a tool or resource, no matter how powerful a tool or resource it might be. I also aim to develop my students' digital skills through practice. The notes on technology I have listed above are to be addressed through a curriculum that seeks to overcome these challenges. As a high school teacher it is paramount that I equip my students with the digital skills needed to navigate the world outside of school. Specifically for instruction in social studies, the digital medium can open a massive amount of information and resources that would otherwise be difficult to access. Take for example Google Books, tens of thousands of books are scanned daily into the archive. Books, manuscripts, and other primary sources that would have been inaccessible or even lost to time are now preserved in the digital environment. Social studies instruction can only be enriched by such resources thanks to the digital medium. Across the spectrum of learning types encountered by every teacher as students come and go there lies a digital means to meet each student's needs. In sum, when used by a teacher correctly the tool that is digital technology can lead to the powerful new age of education that has been promised as long as that teacher is using it correctly.
