There are many reasons that I love being a school principal and working in a public school. And even while we so often talk about how much education and schools have changed, we have to remember that so much remains the same. Every day, students come to school and teachers strive to teach the students in their classrooms.
Every day, students, teachers, support staff and their principals have interactions that are building lifelong memories and are building youths’ minds and characters into who they will become as an adult. And while the most important goal continues to be that every student will leave high school ready to be successful in college or ready for living wage career continues, schools must adapt to ongoing change.
The evolution of technology is undoubtedly one of the biggest changes that are impacting schools. Technology is not just augmenting education but transforming it. On the administrative side, we now use ever changing software programs for financial management, completion of an unbelievable amount of reporting, organization of student information, grading, maintenance of a web page, for dispersing messages to parents, and email has become a common means for parent/teacher communication (but there is always value in phone calls and face to face conversations).
But even more importantly, the tools of technology are changing how we deliver education to students, from preschool through high school. Technology is important for providing individualized education, teaching core skills, developing creativity and teaching higher order thinking. The internet provides students and teachers immediate access to unlimited amounts of information and resources. Remember how we used to think encyclopedias were so amazing and our most reliable source of information? Now we teach students how to use the endless amounts of information that is instantly available at their fingertips and to be responsible digital citizens.
Technology tools are changing how teachers teach and students learn. Interactive whiteboards allow teachers and students to move pictures for matching activities, touch a picture for the first phonics sound or a video clip of that animal in an actual jungle, or to zoom in on a sculpture in The Metropolitan Museum of Art to see what it really looks like. Chrome books are small computers which enable students to access the Internet and create documents and projects that can be shared with their classmates and teachers without any printing of paper. Students can access their “homework” at a home computer without carrying textbooks.
Ipads are tablet devices that have “apps” (applications) that enable students to independently “play” engaging educational games or activities, typically that adjust to each student’s skill level so the questions or activities become easier or more difficult, depending on what the student can do successfully.
Our youngest elementary students are learning programming! Recently released research shows that children ages 4 and 5 who spent just 15 minutes a day for six weeks using a specific app and had the same classroom experiences as children who did not use the app, showed marked differences in 86 percent of the phonological skills being measured (learnwithhomer.com/Closing-the-App-Gap.pdf) .
Technology is bringing options and opportunities that schools did not have in the past. As educators we must quickly learn how to use these tools to best benefit students and the education they receive, and assure they will have all of the skills they need to become successful adults.
As a society, we have to prioritize our use of “screen time.” Dinner tables with family should not include cell phones that are being read. Computer games do not have to include graphic violence or weapons. And when children, youth or adults spend too many hours looking at screens, we know it negatively impacts brain functioning. We must learn to effectively use but also make sure youth are outside, active and using face to face words to talk, laugh, problem solve and share feelings.
Technology and schools are here to stay and that is good news! Parents and schools need to work together to make sure the use of technology is positive and enhances development and education, and is not a deterrent.
Each month a representative of our local schools will offer thoughts in Issues in Education. This month’s contributor is Gwen Carman, elementary principal, Sawtooth Elementary School.
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