How to Misuse Ed Tech
Musings of a Disgruntled Sophomore
In September 2006, a man in a modest white button up stood in front of Dingeman elementary school, shaking hands with parents and eagerly asking for computer donations. Enter his third grade classroom and you’d find walls lined with a myriad of half-disassembled monitors and laptops, along with various test-stage gadgets. The archetypical elementary school motivational posters and flashcards were noticeably absent.
Prior to Mr. Anthony’s class, computers were almost exclusively in libraries and used only during bimonthly “field trips” across campus. Shaking hands and hoping a handful of parents worked for tech companies was Mr. Anthony’s only chance at giving technology a real presence in the classroom, and luckily, Mr. Anthony was successful. Computer use became routine. New programs were introduced to us weekly, with one request: play with it until you master it. We began to autonomously research topics that piqued our personal interests, typically leading to lengthy discussions with our peers. He pushed us to look further, deeper… uncover off-the-beaten path explanations.
By January of 2007, he had an army of eight year olds who could type sixty words per minute, throw together PowerPoint presentations on environmental issues in a matter of hours, and analyze iPhone unveiling videos like they were nothing. He was able to place real-world problems in our laps and get a dozen viable, well-thought-out solutions in return. From eight year olds. He showed us that technology was a tool, a way to absorb and share information on a new level. It was purposeful, powerful.
Eight years later, after Silicon Valley redefined the twenty first century, schools are finally attempting to catch up to Mr. Anthony. Distributing laptops/iPads, requiring classes to use smart phones in certain activities, and providing wireless access is starting to become common practice in US schools. On paper, this seems to be a brilliant transition. In practice, however, educators stumble over one vital detail: integrating that technology into the learning environment.
“No amount of technology will make a dent” — Steve Jobs, Godfather of game-changers, lamented to Wired Magazine after years of donating Macs to schools and universities.
Jobs is partially correct. Technology won’t make a dent by itself. The power is in the hands of educators.
Mr. Anthony’s model worked because, in 2006, there wasn’t any model at all. He taught us the basics and seamlessly integrated them into our curriculum, kick starting our curiosity and allowing us to take the next step on our own. In 2014, the requirements set forth by school districts often result in uses of technology that seem unnatural and, frankly, unproductive. Schools are losing sight of real-world application in favor of meaningless activities, just so they can check the box that technology was involved.
Grooming the game-changers of this century is going to take much more than handing kids the latest device and setting them off on QR code scavenger hunts. We need more Mr. Anthonys. We need more educators willing to equip their students with basic knowledge and allowing them, inspiring them, to run with it. Show them that the computer placed in their hands is a tool for communication, collaboration, and creativity. And, most importantly, sit back and watch what students can do when they are left to explore. The same principle, applied in the corporate setting, has proven successful time and time again when employees are given “white space” to work their magic on personal projects (best exemplified in Apple’s Blue Sky project, Facebook’s Creative Labs, and the famed Google 20% project.), and yet it rarely reaches down to students.
