A Double Edged Sword

    As I ponder my previous educational technology experience, I come to the realization that I was part of a generation of learners who found themselves on the precipice of technology integration. When I started school, we were still using analog overhead projectors, Cathode Ray Tube televisions (with a VHS player included), we learned how to type on Acorn computers, learned math on an Abacus, and sought information from the books in the library. When I finished junior high school, we were learning modules through Minecraft on Macbooks, every classroom had a Smartboard, we were allowed to pull out our iPhone 4’s to google information, and our school had just purchased a 3-D printer. Perhaps this speaks to the global acceptance, enthusiasm, and shift towards digital learning domains. In my view however, neither one of these experiences surpasses the other. 

    Traditional as it may be, I feel that there is space in a classroom for both paths of learning. I seek to challenge the narrative that technology is invariably didactic, and that it is essential to quality education. That is not to say I do not see the benefits of technology and the ways it expands our capacity to teach and learn in abounding ways. Rather, that I think it is pertinent we take a critical eye to this rapid integration, and perhaps concede to the rose coloured frames we sometimes see technology through. To paint a picture of the school experiences which I remember fostering deep learning, I think of two scenarios; a movie trailer I made on iMovie in my ELA class for a novel we had read, and the mathematics from my calculus class with a teacher who ardently reserved the only classroom in the school which still had chalkboards. All of this to say, I remember equally the experiences which were steeped in technology, and those free of it. 

    In my field experience classroom, there are two Smartboards, the students have access to iPads and Chromebooks, and they all have smartphones. In addition, the first class of the day was done through zoom, even though all of the students (and the teacher for the class) were present at the school. 

    I speak from a place of great fortune and privilege to have these tools, and it may sound as though I have grown insensitive to or take for granted all of the gifts technology has bestowed upon my learning. It is quite the opposite actually, I can see the many ways it has been used and continues to be used to enhance my learning experiences. Frankly, I am a direct result of learning through technology, I am technologically literate, and I rely on technology (even as I type this). I am also far from blind to the fact that technology was the pathway through which education survived during the pandemic. I see this however, as a double edged sword. Our world is so saturated in technology, that it renders both educators and students at risk of complete digital overload and burnout. It also places us at risk of analog illiteracy.

    So I ask; in the age of  digital dependence, to what extent do we celebrate educational technology in the classroom, and how can we integrate it in meaningful ways? This question is important to me because I worry about the dependence and addiction today’s children have to technology, and because I know that it is possible to learn with a much more limited scope of technology. However, I recognize that technology will undoubtedly remain an essential tool used in our world today, and it is our responsibility as teachers to adequately prepare our students for this ongoing shift. I will never forget the way student's eyes light up when you integrate technology, and the engagement which can succeed it. I will also never forget the distractions that come along with this, and the potential damage we can do by using technology in excess. To double down I must ask, how can we ensure we are not using technology for the sake of using it, and instead for the sake of enrichment?