There has been a huge push in the past decade to bring technology into schools. It can help teach technology literacy, the skills students will need when they work in a laptop and tablet infested world, connect students to the vast amount of knowledge and tools on the internet, and enable more tailored learning environments that let children work at their own pace. However, while programs are popping up all over the country and tablets, cameras, laptops, and video recorders are being introduced into elementary and secondary school classrooms, teachers and technology specialists are feeling left behind.
When large scale one to one tablet programs are implemented there is usually a series of professional development workshops that introduce teachers to the technology and teach basic skills. However, teachers are worried “that technology [will] undercut the connection to the student that makes teaching feel rewarding and worthwhile” [1], and these basic workshops do nothing to quell those fears. One teacher who was instructing teachers on the use of tablets explained that it took him nearly 3 years to figure out the correct routine to use when he introduced one to one tablets in his classroom.
This is scary for teachers. Many teachers in their 40s and 50s and have been successfully teaching for 20 or 30 years and yet are being asked to turn their pedagogical method on its head to make room for a screen between them and their students.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think bringing technology into the classroom can be a really positive thing, students and many teachers are very excited about it. And while I don’t think distributing tablets to each student is necessarily the correct approach, that is not what this blog post is about. What I really think we need is more support and better instruction for the teachers who are interested, but intimidated by bringing these technologies into their classrooms. Teachers need to feel comfortable enough to feel in control and teach their students, as well as understand and accept that there may be students in the room (especially in middle and high school classrooms) who know the technology better than they do.
While there are many ways to address this issue, I believe BetterLesson, a start-up out of Boston, has created an interesting product that could help address this issue. BetterLesson is not focused on bringing technology into the classroom, but rather on helping teachers find and share lesson plans with other teachers around the country. These lessons may or may not utilize technology. The most positive aspects of this site are that it connects teachers with other teachers, it doesn’t feel like lessons or requirements coming from policy makers or administrators, and that it promotes discussion, commenting, and constructive criticism from peers [2]. I think a system with similar principles needs to be enacted when tablet programs are being piloted. Teachers need support in figuring out how to incorporate these devices into their lessons, they need a voice and control over how prevalent or minimal a presence the devices have in the room, and they need to be given the tools to confidently remix their older lessons and create new lessons that take full advantage of the affordances of the new technology.
Teachers are not inept, many use tablets in their own lives and have the skills to use the variety of devices that are popping up in classrooms. Skill based workshops on how to adjust settings and input grades are not the primary issues with introducing the technology. A system that facilitates collaboration and discussion about the most effective ways to design lessons that support student learning and integrate technology would help teachers innovate with new teaching methods and give them the tools and space to explore new methods and support one another as new tools are introduced.
— Molly Johnson, IxD
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/magazine/no-child-left-untableted.html?pagewanted=all
2. betterlesson.com
Design and Policy 