For the longest time, students using technology in the classroom has been seen in a dark and negative way. Whether we like it or not, times are changing, and we as educators need to adapt. This isn’t a bad thing, though, and should be embraced with open arms and excitement. This is easier said than done, as change can be scary especially for teachers who are set in their routines. That being said, leaders must work to paint technology integration in the best way possible in order to inspire and motivate their followers.
First, it’s crucial that we allow students to use laptops in the classroom. Students are able to bring their own personal device or receive a district assigned chromebook. In recent years, there has been a sort of disconnect between what we do in the classroom and what students do in the big moment at the end of the year: the state test. The state assessment is computer based, yet we are preparing for it with pen and paper. In English Language Arts, we are annotating texts with highlighters and pens, yet the annotations on “the big day” are done with highlighters on a computer and notes are typed. It makes the most sense to prepare students in the manner in which they are tested. Many parents oppose this reliance on computers because their children can become distracted by games, Internet browsing, YouTube, and much more. Fortunately, there are applications for teachers to monitor what students are doing like GoGuardian. Teachers will need to implement their classroom management skills to determine consequences for being off topic. Since students now need to learn to read and annotate texts on the computer instead of paper, applications like Kami are extremely useful. Kami allows students to markup texts in a similar fashion to how they will on the state test: highlighting, underlining, and writing margin notes. This is even helpful for teachers when they can only access PDF versions of texts, since Kami accepts this format for annotations as well. Moving on, essays for the state assessment are now computer based as well: typed instead of handwritten. Why would we prepare students by handwriting essays all year only to have them type their piece on testing day? This then introduces the issue of Artificial Intelligence. Luckily, there are applications like Turnitin which has a built-in AI checker, and teachers can hold their students accountable. Using Google Documents is also helpful. Teachers can see how long it took for a document to be created and can see timelines for how long it took to write each word. If the entire essay was completed in 3 minutes, for example, one can infer the piece was copied and pasted from another source, and follow up by running it through the AI checker. It makes logical sense to scaffold students in a manner that connects with what they are working towards all year. If they do not perform well on the state test because it’s in a completely different mode, the consequences can be disastrous: their class placement is affected in turn affecting their HPA for college, they can go into Intensive Reading, the school grade can fall, the housing market can then drop, and much more.
So what about cell phones? Can they prove useful in the classroom setting? Absolutely. Research. Kahoot. Iclicker. Social Media. The list is endless. For starters, in a class that is research based, students need to find relevant news and information. Many news outlets are often blocked on school computers, yet they are necessary for the student to advance their learning, point, or argument. For example, a group of students were conducting research on animal testing. Although the laptops were helpful in this scenario, there was tons of credible information that could not be accessed due to the school blocking it. Yes, this topic is sensitive and the district has merit in filtering some of it out, but it is necessary for students to explore such a serious issue. Since they had cell phones, the group was able to find substantial evidence on how animal testing is conducted and its devastating consequences. They were able to complete their research paper. The students were also able to access social media through their mobile devices. Rishika Nasta states, “Whether students are working on an assignment, working on a project or trying to gain more insight on a subject, some of the best information and results can be extracted from social media” (Nasta, 2019). Instagram pages like BeagleFreedomProject, PETA, The Humane Society of the United States all helped students expand their knowledge, when they wouldn’t have been able to on a laptop that blocks this platform.
With all of this being said, it is evident that technology is extremely beneficial to our students. Yes, with anything there are limitations, but there are ways for teachers to effectively monitor their students and professional developments on the matter must be offered every year. There can still be days when students are using physical materials (pens, papers, books), but it is important for parents, administrators, and teachers to realize that at the end of the day, students’ learning for the year is measured through how they perform on the EOC, taken through technology.
References
Nasta, R. (2019). The Role of Social Media in Education. https://www.jbcnschool.edu.in/blog/social-media-in-education/.