It鈥檚 a daily classroom reality that students often know more about technology than teachers do. This is the kind of scenario that used to terrify me. When I didn鈥檛 know all the details of the technology I wanted to use, shadowy what-ifs would flit around in my brain. For someone trained in an era when teachers were lucky to have a single computer to share with another teacher, today鈥檚 high-tech era of cloud computing, virtual reality, and 3-D printing is a little bit overwhelming at times.
Overcoming these fears hasn鈥檛 been easy, but I鈥檝e learned to change my thinking about technology in three ways:
1. Many technology tools aren鈥檛 really as scary or intimidating as they might have seemed originally. Consider, for example, the number of websites and apps that allow kids to develop visuals electronically, from to . I used to be intimidated by the sheer number of available resources. But even if I want to provide several options for my students, I don鈥檛 have to master them all at once. I can offer two options initially, and add additional tools to the list when needed.
A couple of years ago, I created an independent project for a 6th grade student, with the goal of developing an animation that would teach 2nd graders what they needed to know to take care of a new dog. His project included learning to use , a coding website developed by MIT. Initially, I was concerned about what I would do when he asked me questions I couldn鈥檛 answer. I encouraged him to look at the tutorials so he could develop a basic understanding of how Scratch worked. He ignored this suggestion, which amplified my worries.
As it turns out, he didn鈥檛 ask me any questions. Instead, when his animation didn鈥檛 work, the student used problem-solving techniques to identify a solution through finding a relevant tutorial, searching for an answer in the program, or testing variations of code.
One teacher argues that students benefit from closing their laptops:
All of my students are willing to troubleshoot and problem solve when something doesn鈥檛 work as planned. A few weeks ago, my class needed to respond to a question using , a web-based bulletin board that allows students to share information with each other. However, Padlet wasn鈥檛 working, and the substitute teacher in my classroom didn鈥檛 have access to my Padlet account to troubleshoot. Rather than messaging me and asking what to do, they set up a Google Doc for their responses and continued on with the lesson.
This impressed me for two reasons. First, they didn鈥檛 allow themselves to get hung up on the idea that responses had to be on Padlet. They simply knew they needed some kind of platform to share their responses. Secondly, they solved the problem on their own. Without hesitating, they took action and made it work. When I complimented the class on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, they were surprised. To them, their actions were second nature.
2. It鈥檚 not possible to know how to use every single resource available. The kids won鈥檛, either, though sometimes it might feel that way. I鈥檓 learning to be OK with that. One of my colleagues takes time in her science classes to invite students to explore technology tools and teach them to each other鈥攁nd to her. It鈥檚 an activity that benefits everyone.
For the past three years, my students and I have embarked on 鈥�20-Time,鈥� in which they design and execute their own projects during about 20 percent of our class time. A number of my students have decided to learn computer coding, and their go-to source for troubleshooting assistance is their classmates who are working on coding or have worked on it in the past. When face-to-face support doesn鈥檛 work, they鈥檒l turn to resources like YouTube tutorials.
What fascinates me about this is that while I鈥檝e seen students hesitate to ask questions about language arts, when it comes to technology issues they have no hesitation. There is no stigma associated with asking questions about a technology tool because ever since my students first started using a computer, tablet, or smartphone, they have been asking questions in order to solve problems on those devices.
This willingness to ask questions and learn from each other isn鈥檛 limited to coding-based activities. I have several students working to learn a foreign language, and they often go to each other for recommendations of useful apps and websites. Other students are learning to cook, and they too ask classmates what websites are favorites for recipes or tutorials. As adults, we often rely on recommendations from family and friends for new restaurants, movies, and yes, even the devices we plan to purchase. Our students view technology tools, whether apps or websites, in the same way.
3. Technology tools are going to come and go. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to keep them in perspective. Last year I learned about a great tool that allowed me to take video and add questions to it. This allowed my students to engage more directly, and I could see how they were thinking and processing the information. This summer, however, I learned the company that developed the tool was being absorbed by another company鈥攁nd my beloved video tool wouldn鈥檛 be available.
In this instance, offered an easy way to transition my work into their tools. But that doesn鈥檛 always happen. When I develop lessons or activities using a tool, I try to keep in mind that it may not exist forever. This helps me temper how much time and emphasis I place on that tool.
My students seem to be less flustered by changes in programs, apps, and devices than I am. For example, I have a class that has used three learning management systems with me in three years. They haven鈥檛 complained or resisted during any of the transitions. Instead, they have taken each change in stride, adapted their work, and given me feedback about the benefits and difficulties of each system.
Learning to let go of my need to be the 鈥渢echnology guru鈥� for my students is an ongoing process. I鈥檒l admit that sometimes I still hesitate to try a new tool because I haven鈥檛 yet explored all the details. But in those moments, I try to remember that our students today are growing up in a world filled with websites, programs, apps, and tools that are readily available to them, and they are willing to learn by doing. It鈥檚 a true example of hands-on learning, and it鈥檚 working for them. Who am I to stand in their way?
