I was sent an excellent link by a good friend last week which seems to put an exclamation point on some of my musings as of late. The Link “This will Revolutionize Education” on the Science Dump blog, really provided some clarity and affirmation for me. You can see the video at the bottom of this post. The premise – It’s not about the technology, it’s about good teaching! It’s about the human connection and the ability of the educator to engage and challenge student thinking.
Now, tech enthusiast, don’t get me wrong. I am not one who thinks that technology doesn’t impact students. I think technology, when used wisely, can engage, can provide creative outlet and can really leverage the information available to our students. This is no small contribution. We know a few things about learning- engagement matters. creative outlets matter. access to just in time information matters. Technology has a place in schools to be sure. That really isn’t the point though.
The point is what matters most is the teacher in the classroom. In my life, I have worked with some master teachers and they were not leveraging technology at all. They engaged their students, made them think deeply and challenged their perceptions of the world. These teachers created strong thinkers. Could they have enhanced what they were doing with the use of technology? Of course.
It makes me think of Simon Breakspear’s car analogy. Since the inception of the automobile, we’ve come a long way. Cars can now back into a parking stall by themselves, they have better stereos and can even tell you when there is someone in your blind spot. All of these improvements have made the driving experience safer and more luxurious. It’s still a car though. It still has 4 wheels, 2 axles and a motor. The car has simply evolved into something a little better than it was.
Education has evolved too but perhaps a little less obviously. Students still come to a place where there is a group of peers, they still learn to think, they still engage in social interaction in a school site. What’s different? Hopefully students are encouraged to reflect on their thinking more, they are asked to confer and find consensus on issues and they are asked to tie their learning more frequently to daily life. Oh, and they access technology to enhance their learning.
The teacher is still the game changer when it comes to learning and I don’t see that changing much. The ability to really impact a child comes from the interaction with an engaging, intelligent mentor. That’s not growing old. So, keep enhancing this generation’s ability to create, share and learn through technology but keep in mind, it is the teacher that makes the most difference.
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