Technology In The Classroom - A Teachers Point of View

Technology has become integrated in the classroom in so many ways, that we often don't even think about how we are using it. The Education World Tech Team offers lessons and activities to help educators make better use of technology tools for instruction, and to help students improve their technology skills within the context of the regular curriculum. Included: Integration activities that utilize the Web, PowerPoint, Excel, digital photography, SMART Boards, and more.

We know that networked technologies can provide youth with powerful social, educational and democratic opportunities yet there are a number of significant barriers when it comes to capitalizing on these opportunities in our classrooms. The teachers we spoke with identified some of these obstacles and offered some solutions, including the need to: 

Teach students how to think about technology – not just how to use it 

Our teachers spent little or no time teaching students how to use particular technologies – most were able to pick this up as they went along. Instead, they focussed on the skills needed to find, understand and use what they encountered through these technologies. They also cautioned about not “using tech for tech’s sake”, keeping the focus on pedagogy as opposed to bells and whistles. 

Position teachers as facilitators and co-learners, instead of “drill and kill” experts 

Technology has shifted the traditional classroom paradigm where the teacher is the expert. Our teachers agreed that in a constantly evolving technological world, we are all teachers and learners, and educators who are willing to share this with their students are more likely to be comfortable – and effective – in a networked classroom. What works best, they told us, is when adults assume the role of trusted guides and lifelong learners alongside youth. Said one respondent: “…I tell my students that there are 23 teachers in this classroom.” 

Train teachers how to use technology to support and enhance learning 

One interesting finding was that the teachers who are doing the most innovative things with technology aren’t necessarily the younger ones who have grown up immersed in digital culture. This could be attributed to older, experienced teachers having more confidence in their ability to manage the potentially disruptive mix of students and networked devices in a classroom. However, the need for better pre-service instruction and mentorship for newer teachers – and for more in-course and PD training to help teachers, young and old, learn how to use technology to meet curriculum outcomes – was touched on by all the teachers we spoke with. 

Create reasonable policies and less restrictive filters in schools 

Our teachers told us that good judgment and citizenship are central to digital literacy. They want to help their students develop these skills, but are often hindered by school filters and policies that ban networked devices and block the websites and activities that are so central in the lives of their students. As one teacher puts it, “It’s not like all of a sudden you hit 18, and now you can have autonomy. Students don’t learn to make good choices by being told what to do and follow instructions… they have to be given the opportunity to make bad choices as often as good choices. And they need adults to be the saving, caring allies that we need to be to help them make [good choices], to learn from their mistakes.” 

“The biggest skill [students] need” notes another, “is a moral compass.” 

Our teachers believe that technology can enhance learning and build character, but only when students have opportunities to think critically about the media they enjoy and to reflect on the ethical consequences of what they do online. Giving teachers the tools, training and trust they need to provide their students with meaningful online experiences can help them make the leap from being users of digital technology, to citizens of the online world.