Here me out… I think that when it comes to education, teachers tend to ruin the fun in things for students. I’m not saying that all teachers ruin all the fun in everything for all students but, often, teachers with good intentions end up having a lesson or unit backfire because they have made something that students genuinely enjoy backfire by turning it into work.
Back in 2011, iPads were all the rage. I was the new Teacher Librarian at my school and I had heard about the benefits of using iPads in the classroom. I was a strong supporter of technology in the classroom for the next few years. I led my school through learning about apps, screen time, technology contracts, BYOD, using Pinterest, Twitter, Skype, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, vlogs, Google Classroom, SeeSaw, and more. I was very vocal about the importance of integrating technology, thinking “Well, they are on it anyway, we should show them how to use it correctly.”
That feeling of accountability hasn’t changed. I still believe that it is very important to teach students about responsible use of technology and how to leverage technology as a tool for learning rather than using it only as a very expensive time-sucking-never-ending stream of random videos and memes.
My concern is that, in our enthusiasm to connect with the interests of our students, we can inadvertently ruin the fun of an app or website. This in turn makes students less eager to use the platform we are teaching with and they find something new, thus starting the cycle all over again.
As a Librarian, I have seen this many times with novel studies. Teachers choose a novel that is trendy and think that by turning it into a novel study, the students will be engaged because they already have an interest in the novel. This almost always backfires. In my own experience, I have seen this happen with books such as Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, Hunger Games, Hatchet, City of Ember and more. It breaks my heart when a student stops reading for enjoyment because of a bad experience with a novel study (I have many thoughts about this topic, but I will save those thoughts for another day).
In recent years, I have seen the same phenomenon with technology. Minecraft EDU is the most prominent example that I can recall. For a few years, Minecraft was everywhere! Kids couldn’t get enough of it! Then, once Minecraft EDU was launched and teachers started using it in their classrooms, suddenly, students were not as interested. This happened with Coding as well. Students loved coding on Tynker, Scratch Jr. or Blockly but as soon as it became part of a class through code.org, students quickly lost interest.
Of course, I am not saying that integrating technology into the classroom doesn’t have its place. Most students can run circles around me when it comes to learning a new app or remixing content to show their understanding. There are wonderful, exciting ways to authentically use technology to enhance learning.
I know that there are great opportunities out there and many teachers do really amazing things with technology – please share the amazing things you are doing in the comments!
Hi Carol, thank you for sharing your perspective when you were the teacher librarian. It’s sad that the teachers efforts to engage the students results in them losing interest in the games, books etc. However, it is not surprising! I am looking forward to hearing about some of the ways teachers are using technology
Hi Carol! Thank you for sharing your experiences.
As a student (in high school, university), I can remember specific times when this was the case – the fun was taken out of an otherwise interesting readings/assignment because we were instructed to interact with it in a particular way.
As a teacher, I know the well-meaning behind many reading/assignment decisions. Most teachers just want to engage their students and are hoping to do this by integrating something the students enjoy with the curriculum.
Personally, I’ve found that students are most engaged when they have some degree of choice. For example, when teaching about series and parallel circuits, I let students design and build their own circuits on PhET rather than following a strict set of instructions. This open-ended approach encourages creativity and deeper understanding.
Hi Carol, I didn’t look at this week’s topic from this angle…but you’re totally right! As a teacher, I often feel caught between trying to inspire joyful reading AND fulfilling curricular expectations. In my division, students must document their independent reading every day, whether through stop-and-jot notes or a reader’s notebook. I understand the importance of metacognition and reflective practices, but I also believe these constant requirements (to analyze and respond) can drain the simple joy of reading for my students.
I love to read – but if I had to write a summary or reflection every time I picked up a book, I’m sure I’d find myself reading (or enjoying reading) a lot less.
It’s such a fine balance. I try to build opportunities for students to engage in conversations about what they are reading – book talks, peer recommendations, and just casual chats. It’s nice to hear you provide your students with choice – I think that’s the best solution.
Great title, Carol! We DO ruin all the fun! I love your example of this happening with novel studies – last year I finally made the switch to literature circles to get kids back into reading for the fun of it… I wonder if it’s because we feel like we need to constantly be collecting formal grades.
When I started lit circles I was stressed about assessing and needed to be reminded that having meaningful conversations with my small groups was a great assessment.
As far as Minecraft EDU, I agree with you as well. I wonder if, as teachers, we find one thing that the kids enjoy and then overdo it to the point that they don’t care anymore. It’s important to try new things and come back to them to keep the joy alive!
Thanks for a great read
Carol,
I loved reading this perspective of technology being used. I can’t agree more with everything you have said. Moving from Grade 3 to Grade 6/7 has really given me an eye opening experience in how technology is used and how different tools can be used and how fast students grow out of interests.
I personally used Scratch Jr as part of our Daily 5 stations when teaching Grade 3. I use Minecraft in art and many other subjects – all of my students still being VERY interested in it, which makes me want to find newer and cooler ways to use it, which in turn makes me a better teacher (and one more spot higher on the cool teacher list lol)