In 2019, why is technology still a class kids go to to learn to use a tool and not an integrated part of the lessons we teach?

Technology is a Tool 

Technology is a tool and there are some practical reasons why it’s still offered to students as a class. For example, students need to learn keyboarding. Which apparently now is being taught to 3^rd and 4^th graders so they can be more proficient in word processing when they get their own school-issued devices in middle school. (Regardless of the fact their hands are too small, and their pinkies can’t even reach the keys.) The goal is by 6^th grade, these students are using two hands and proper keyboarding techniques. Technology class is also necessary for teaching students to use software applications on the computer (or their device) like Microsoft Office and Google products so they can complete their assignments and homework online thereby streamlining the grading process and eliminating the stacks of paper teachers used to lug around in their bags.  

     What I’ve written above may sound trite because I’ve described technology as simply a productivity tool – albeit a very useful productivity tool. The problem with the question proposed is that it segregates technology as a tool from technology as a resource for learning – but the reality is, it is both. Technology is so much more, and it’s disrupted our education system in so many ways that attempting to answer why it’s not an integrated part of the lessons we teach can be likened to watching Allison in Wonderland trying to navigate her way out of the rabbit hole. Bewildering, frightening and wonderful things are occurring right now with technology in education.

     So, let me take you through my “looking glass” and tell you what I think students need in order to benefit the most from technology.  I believe the Internet is becoming the source for all information. And as Alan November wrote, many teens believe, “If it’s on the Internet it’s true.” Searching the net has become more than a means to research, it’s an everyday occurrence for students (and teachers).  What Alan November wrote in his article, “Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning” sheds light on a disparity between students and technology when it comes to their skills in accessing and assessing information on the Internet.  

     “We have a sixteen-year-old who has the technical skill to use the Internet but doesn’t have the validation skills to understand the structure of the information he finds on the Internet. We usually want to know whether they have the technical skill to do something like getting on the Internet, but in my view, the technical skill is trivial compared to the critical thinking skills that are needed.”

     As the Internet and digital media continue to evolve and penetrate all aspects of our lives, it’s ever more important that students recognize media bias and can validate sources and information. Students need digital and information literacy skills. Performing research requires new capabilities and skillsets that high school students lack. It’s no wonder only 30% of first-year college students today are prepared with college-level research skills (Williams, "Only a Third of Students Enter College with ResearchSkills"). 

     So where does a student learn digital and information literacy skills? In technology class or in the classroom?  The onus doesn’t fall on one person or with a designated technology class. Teachers must first acquire a level of research and information fluency themselves in order to teach students foundational skills to prepare them to perform more rigorous academic research as they age and progress in school. Students will only truly acquire these skills if practiced over and over in the context of a lesson.

     The fact that teachers are reluctant to use technology in their teaching reflects heavy on the reality that districts need to provide more professional development on and coaching with technology for staff and teachers. As Sir Ken Robinson said, "Investing in professional development is not a cost, it's an investment." Districts have been quick to invest heavily in the shiny equipment but are missing the mark when it comes to giving teachers the support, they need to capitalize on the learning that technology can stimulate.

      Ideally, technology is a tool that teachers integrate in a lesson to help their students get knowledge in order that they may create new knowledge. However, technology is not always needed to facilitate the learning process. But without certain fundamental technological skills (including keyboarding), students will never benefit from the power of technology. And without preservice training and coaching on how technology can be integrated in the content they’re teaching, teachers will never feel comfortable nor confident in utilizing it as more than a word processor.

To quote Neil Postman from his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, “For every new technology there’s a new way of thinking”. It’s time we 'create a new culture of teaching and learning' with technology. It will be tough. But not impossible.  It’s nice to reflect upon the past to see how far we’ve come.  But it’s more necessary that we start examining how to pave the way for the future.