Student Warns “Doing Technology” Isn’t Enough

A guest blog this week at edweek.org gave a student the chance to tell us what he thinks is important about technology in the classroom.
The perspective of the learner doesn’t often get much air time.  What this learner has to say deserves attention.
Justin Reich has his eye on becoming that rare bird, a high school physics teacher.  He is a senior studying physics at MIT.  Any child he teaches will learn from a physicist.  Already he has my ear.
Justin was in middle and high school when technology toys for teachers were introduced in to his classroom school day.  His experience as a student who didn’t reap value in his learning are poignant and should be cautionary for teachers, administrators, and parents alike.
As Justin simply says, “When it’s done right, it works, and when it’s done poorly, it doesn’t work.”
One of the distinctions I see as a parent using a proven, rigorous online curriculum now for ten years, is that the quality of the content and the use of technology to customize instruction are where the gold lies.  When schools use technology to allow individual students to progress through proven content at their fastest pace the bar has been raised.  When teachers use technology to assess learning in order to diagnose issues and intervene with specificity and immediacy, children will learn more and do it in less time.
When that happens for a teacher, technology is not a toy or a new trick for a seasoned practitioner to try to integrate. Nor is it a hollow achievement for a school or a district.
As a parent, I hope for more learner voices that challenge as Justin does.  And further, that voices who dare say the emperor has no clothes are heard, so that wise educators embrace the greater goal of customized, rigorous instruction with real time competency measures made possible by the tool of technology.

Guest Author

Getting Smart loves its varied and ranging staff of guest contributors. From edleaders, educators and students to business leaders, tech experts and researchers we are committed to finding diverse voices that highlight the cutting edge of learning.

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1 Comment

Suzanne Schuelke
7/7/2012

Hear, hear Rose. Just read Ryan's blog. Dumping money into, or throwing money at, the educational system has never been the solution to improved learning - so why would it be any different with technology? It's the 'how' and the 'why' technology is used that make the difference.

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