With summer fully upon us, educators are (yet again) deep in the discovery process, thinking about how to improve their classrooms and schools for the fall. I love this part of the school year! (And yes, I absolutely consider it part of the school year. We're just using our teacher brains in a different, still creative way). Anyway, over the last couple of weeks alone, I've been asked on at least five occasions how to decide between one educational tool or another for a school-wide adoption. Jen (@jenroberts1) and I have thought a lot about this process, and have gone back and forth on what makes an app or tool really essential to a classroom. Though my list of considerations is always evolving, here's what I find myself asking when test driving new classroom technology:
At the end of the day, it has to be about meaningful learning, not cool tools. I'm often reminded of Alan November's most excellent explanation: "Adding a digital device to the classroom without a fundamental change in the culture of teaching and learning will not lead to significant improvement." Ain't that the truth.
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Meranda, Seth (2011). "Screen of Apps" via Flickr. Attribution, non-commercial.
Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. 2015. Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning. Stenhouse.
November, A. 2013. "Why Schools Must Move Beyond 'One-to-One Computing." E-school News.
- What's the educational purpose of the tool? Am I drawn to it because it serves a pedagogical purpose or because it's shiny and cool?
- Will it increase what students can do and create? Or how they meaningfully engage in the learning materials?
- Will it improve how students can collaborate with each other? With me?
- Will it streamline how we communicate with each other and how we exchange content (ie: the teacher feedback loop -- create, assign, do, collect, assess, return)?
- Will it improve the quality and speed of feedback to students?
- Will it help create a more authentic learning experience for students by giving them access to a wider audience, the tools of the trade, or real world problems to solve?
- Will it improve what we can do with the precious face-to-face time we have in class?
At the end of the day, it has to be about meaningful learning, not cool tools. I'm often reminded of Alan November's most excellent explanation: "Adding a digital device to the classroom without a fundamental change in the culture of teaching and learning will not lead to significant improvement." Ain't that the truth.
--
Meranda, Seth (2011). "Screen of Apps" via Flickr. Attribution, non-commercial.
Neebe, D. & Roberts, J. 2015. Power Up: Making the Shift to 1:1 Teaching and Learning. Stenhouse.
November, A. 2013. "Why Schools Must Move Beyond 'One-to-One Computing." E-school News.