The first week debate was truly a battle. I’ll be the first to say I was in favour of the debate topic- Technology in the classroom enhances learning. How far our classrooms have come, and how quickly we can access and share information, truly has revolutionized our way of teaching.
Out of the gate, Will and Mike were able to bring some strong arguments for the enhancements technology brings to the classroom. The copious amount of tech tools they shared in their opening statement video barely scratches the surface on what is out there and the benefits they have for students. As Ed Tech further advances into everyday classroom practice and programs continue to evolve, the benefits that they give teachers is incredible. Instant feedback on tests, less papers to be spilt on, the engagement fun factor can’t be duplicated. Class, Take Out Your Tablets: The Impact of Technology on Learning and Teaching in Canada was a insightful read. It reminds us that we are building 21st century learners in our classrooms and that the skills they learn now with tech, may only be stepping stones into their future occupations.
Pg. 7 Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) article
I find this question very hard to argue with. The fact is our students will be working in jobs and using tech that may not even be invented yet or as the article states, ” Most educators believed that technology would continue to grow in importance for different careers, including ones that have not traditionally required it” (Pg. 8).
On the other hand, Catrina and Janeen made strong counterpoints 
against the argument. In the below video, Mary Jo Madda presents an all to common story in education, jumping on trends that have big financial implications. In this case, the Los Angeles Unified School District spent $1 Billion Dollars on an initiative to put an iPad in the hands of every student. What did they find? Well, first of all they didn’t consult the people who would be leading this initiative (the teachers), which with any large financial expenditures surely you would think you’d lay a little more groundwork with some feedback. Let’s say that’s strike 1. The 2nd strike, not providing those very same teachers with the professional development and training on how to use this new technology. We’ve all been there, here’s a new idea, app, device (think smartboards back in the day) and try to figure out how to teach with it properly or is it just used a novelty item to throw bean bags at with math games. The 3rd strike then was the end result, students not learning to their full potential.
The heart of the issue with incorporating too much tech, is the loss of the role of the teacher. Teachers play a far bigger role than showing cool apps or providing a multitude of toolsets for their classrooms. Technology DOES enhance learning in the classroom, the big issue is how is enhancing that learning. With all of the new websites, and innovations happening with AI, technology isn’t going anywhere and I don’t think you would find anyone who would argue that. It does however need to be carefully examined how it is being used as a tool in the classroom, because it will never be able to replace the interactions students have with one another, or relationships formed between classmates and educational staff.
Now I can honestly say, my vote did move more to the middle ground of the debate. Do I see some flaws with using technology in the classroom, of course. The distractions, hours spent learning new media or programs, only to find out they don’t serve any benefit to my students. Is there a lot of good? Of course! New found ways to assess students through Mentimeters, Kahoots, or Flip responses, have allowed my students some real lightbulb moments where traditional pen and paper have only left frustration. Teaching drafting and designing through CAD software was game changing. Having students be able to visit virtual art galleries around the world, have inspiration at the click of a few buttons provided ample inspiration for many visual art assignments. The Google suite software has streamlined most of my classes, even PE! Would I go back to 14 years ago and barely any tech in my classroom, no way. Is it a struggle to find the perfect balance of tech in the classroom, I would say that’s probably more the issue. What tech or programs were you ever tossed your way only to find out they were never going to work in your class?
Check in next week where we will be discussing if Social Media Is Ruining Childhood.
Thanks for your thoughts, Graeme! I was considering the answer to your question, what programs/tech did you have that would never work in your space? I actually think back to March 2020, at the beginning of Covid. All of a sudden we were learning about a million new platforms, and it was all very exciting. Some of those platforms – Zoom, Screencastify, Jamboard – I still use, and have been super beneficial in the classroom (even though I was arguing the opposite :)). Others, though, have not stood the test of time, and specifically, time back in the classroom. For example, a few teachers shared some gamification tools that I thought would be so cool and engaging. However, I learned that in my high school ELA class, this just doesn’t work. I needed a longer time frame and cross curricular outcomes in order to use the gaming tools effectively. Another tool that surprisingly did not work? Online texts. We had access to a series of online textbooks that I thought would be awesome. It was not. Why? I think a few reasons: 1) tech glitches – inconsistant internet at school, and inequitable access at home. 2) Tech distraction – lots of kids could access the info on their phones, but a quick walk around the classroom clearly showed the phone in the hand was a distraction as we were reading longer stories.
Hey Janeen, I couldn’t agree more with Online Texts. I find in my 5/6 ELA class, short texts or excerpts are fine but for the majority of my students if it is much longer than a couple pages, they are way to distracted by the rest of the online world. There is something to be said for the physical text or book that’s for sure. For me it was the SmartBoard. Never really fit my needs in the classroom but there I was with this piece of tech that was worth thousands of dollars and was not being used to its full potential at all. Most of our schools have actually just been moving towards incorporating smart tv’s into classrooms in place of SmartBoards and projectors. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you, Graeme! You wrote about both sides very well. I want to say that I agree with you. Firstly, I was strongly on the agree side based on my experience, especially after Covid-19 that we were dependent just on technology. However, there are some drawbacks as well such as tech glitches, tech distractions, or minimizing the role of teachers in the classroom. Therefore, having a balance in terms of using technology is a must in the classroom.
Hey Graeme! Great post. It’s the funny things about these debates is I think we’re always going to end up somewhere in the middle. It really does come down to thoughtful teacher planning. I think it’s safe to say just like the ICTC article that tech isn’t going anywhere. So I guess the question becomes something more along the lines of what tech is beneficial in the classroom and for who? I think we can see tech benefiting teachers in terms of lessons, prep, communication, etc. I think when used properly we can see it benefiting students in terms of inclusion, engagement, alternative ways of displaying understanding, etc. So I guess it’s a bit of a debate over what technology we use and how it’s used. But when I think about that quote from the ICTC, and the digital citizenship piece it makes me wonder if we are at risk of reverting to a bit of a factory model of education in terms of how we think about shaping students for a future career if we spend too much time teaching them about how to use specific tech and not enough about how to be functional in a digital world. Great post!
Graeme,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post regarding our first weeks debate. I too flip flopped back & forth and found myself right in the middle of the two sides many times. Both presentations did a goof job of catching our attention and providing us with helpful information. For me personally, I came to the conclusion that balance is important and when it comes to technology, absolutely necessary. We cannot have too much of it, but I don’t think we can take it away altogether. It has ups & downs, along with pros & cons, just like anything in life. We just need to find that balance!
Kennedy
Great post Graeme. Even after debating this topic, I think I fall somewhere in the middle as well. The role of the teacher and sound pedagogy is key in relation to this debate topic. Technology isn’t the magic wand that’s going to fix teaching and learning. As you said, connections and relationships with students are important, and once we make those we can plan the best ways to incorporate tech into the classroom based on our students’ needs. We know tech is not going away anytime soon. If we want to support our students and their appropriate use of technology, it is our responsibility to teach them the skills needed to use tech appropriately.
*Just a note on smartboards. When I was in my second year of teaching, I was moved into a classroom with a smartboard. I had no idea how to use it (other than as a projector) and there was definitely no training provided. I felt so much guilt every day knowing I was letting that tech/money go to waste. Thankfully I only spent a year in that room.