Rethinking Technology in Education

Education Leadership Institute 2012

Here are 10 ideas that stuck with me from this two day conference.

• Technology cannot replace poor pedagogy.
• Pedagogy, content and technology—one is not more important than the other.
• Traditional classrooms do not engage kids.
• The teacher is not the focal point in today’s classroom.
• Technology breaks down barriers to learning.  Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the wall” experiment cited.
• Proven methods of learning are:  Socialization, Mobility, Visualization, Storytelling and Gaming.
• Technology in education should not just replace an old way of performing the same task; it should provide new tools that enable curiosity, creativity and collaboration. 
• Technology should challenge current learning models and allow for task redesign.
• Challenge based learning changes the entire concept of teaching.
• Kids are capable of solving problems, collaborating and learning more.

 What does all this mean?  I think it means we must carefully consider how to invest in technology in our classrooms.  We need to have a solid implementation plan that stresses equal importance on pedagogy, content and technology.  We need to understand that today's child lives in a world that is interactive, engaging and collaborative; this world enables them to instantly satisfy their curiosity no matter what the topic.  The world has essentially become their classroom and if we do not adapt our current learning models to involve the technology they view as a necessary appendage then we risk becoming irrelevant as educators.

If you want to see a different version of Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the wall" experiment, then give a 12 year old child an iPad and sit him/her down in front of a television tuned to the Science Channel and watch what happens.  It is amazing to see where their curiosity takes them!