Digital Device Use in the Classroom

Over the weekend, I came across a blog post that grabbed my attention. Blogger Paul Branwell asked what might be a provocative question for many schools actively using technology within the classroom: “can deeper learning be fostered in an environment where kids are encouraged to bounce from screen to screen, app to app?” His question intrigued me because I believe the integration of technology into the classroom is essential to how we teach in 21^st century education. However, like blogger Paul Barnwell, I often worry about what we sacrifice in order to ensure our students are able to perform tasks effectively in a digital environment.

What does it mean to create digital literacy in today’s classroom? Perhaps this is where we should begin a conversation about how to effectively create a learning environment that does not sacrifice “deeper learning for students, quality content instruction, and classroom management for the sake of sound technology use.” Like Branwell, I do not wish to restrict a student’s desire to use a Smartphone to quickly research US climate change over the past 50 years. If true digital literacy is the goal then students should feel free to use a variety of digital tools to quickly and efficiently access information. In my day, I only had a couple of options when conducting research and the computer was one of those options (in my parents’ day there were even fewer choices). Ultimately, I’d like to find the best way to incorporate tried and true methods of instruction with a variety of digital devices/tools – tools that further the learning process for students. Will we ever find a happy medium? Check out Paul’s post here. tlb