Technology is a Tool, Not a Teaching Technique

I love to talk.

Oh I can talk about any given subject at any given time. I know a little about a lot of  things, and if I don’t have an opinion or a reasonable amount of background, I ask questions. I play devil’s advocate and try to gain perspective.  The conversations that can happen when you are open to them are awesome, sometimes even life-altering.

What I find truly interesting is the amount of resistance when it comes to technology in the classroom.  Recently my administrator went over some of the practical applications of iPhone/iTouch technology in the classroom and suggest we might look at bringing in some to test. The resulting discussions were outstanding. During the PD, some practical questions were asked. After the session, during lunch and at a staff function is where the real opinions came out.

Now, let me start by saying I am truly on the fence. I have a Smartboard and one to one computers in my classroom. My students have school provided email addresses and blog space. I know that I am limited in my Smartboard use, but we use the computers daily. The ability to access information is amazing. A great deal of my teaching when we are using the computers is about deciphering what is true and important from what is not.  I don’t know if having more technology available to us will help or add to the pile of stuff we need to figure out.  I truly don’t know how I feel yet.

Even when I don’t know how I feel, I don’t want to rule it out. I like a challenge. Some others are not so inclined. Once we took the money and logistics (Why wouldn’t we pay for more teachers and EAs instead? Who will provide tech support when our district won’t?)  out of the issue, it seemed to become a generational thing. Kids will never learn to communicate, just tweet and blog! What is wrong with face to face? Is a pencil so offensive? Just because technology exists, does that mean we must use it?

Did my grandpa think the same when the telephone became common place? Did he figure we would become lazy just because cars replaced horses and walking? Did he think we would become illiterate because we could watch the  news on t.v. instead of  reading the paper? Makes you wonder…

For me technology is a tool, not a teaching technique or strategy. If iPhones, iPads or the next best thing makes its way into my class I will try to make it work for me and my kids. I will NEVER give up on the conversations and the learning that comes from them. I will make sure my students understand the connections they create with others, both in person and using our tech tools are invaluable. If my team goes from seven people in my classroom to hundreds using the tools available to us, I won’t resist because in the end it is about what’s best for kids.

 Thanks for the post topic George.