| Last year, my school had a presentation during | | | | automatically result in the other. |
| professional development by Promethean, one of | | | | I'm reading more and more about how our |
| many companies specializing in educational | | | | students need "21st century skills," without any |
| technology. | | | | consensus about what that means. The presenter |
| I have seen many presentations about | | | | seemed to believe that smartboards were the |
| smartboards and classroom response systems | | | | answer, but is manipulating a touchscreen the |
| (commonly known as "clickers") over the years, | | | | essential technological skill every occupation will |
| and I'm happy to report this was the first time I | | | | soon require? If so, aren't iPhone-style |
| wasn't the only person in the room who wasn't at | | | | smartphones or cutting-edge mp3 players more |
| all impressed by what I saw. In short, they're | | | | powerful, flexible and cost-effective tools that |
| gimmicks. As my colleagues were quick to point | | | | students should be mastering instead? |
| out, the presenter used it as little more than a | | | | Much of the educational technology sold to us as |
| glorified PowerPoint presentation; it was | | | | the solution to these problems are not authentic |
| completely teacher-centered. Of course, in | | | | to what students often learn on their own outside |
| practice you could have students do a lot more | | | | of school and what they actually need in the real |
| with it, but is it really any better than having them | | | | world. Students need to learn about using |
| go up to the board, or write something on the | | | | software efficiently and effectively on multiple |
| overhead, or participate in a well-designed lesson? | | | | platforms, basic programming, and learning to fix |
| Now, I'm willing to admit that in the right hands, | | | | and avoid security issues for many jobs now, and |
| this could be a powerful tool to not only keep | | | | especially jobs in the future. More importantly, |
| students' attention and keep them on task but | | | | students will continue to need the ability to create |
| actually help them learn. Unfortunately, I get the | | | | and collaborate on projects using an ever-evolving |
| impression that most proponents seem to think | | | | set of web-based applications. We should be |
| the former is as important as the latter. The May | | | | figuring out how to have students learning with |
| 2009 issue of Instructor magazine happens to | | | | iPods, smartphones, digital audio and video |
| have a cover story about smartboards, and both | | | | equipment--these are the technologies they'll need |
| the author and the teachers interviewed seemed | | | | to know in the near future. |
| to agree with that as well. Everything they | | | | The focus of all of these efforts should be on the |
| mention doing in class could be done quite easily | | | | one thing that engages most of our students |
| with just an LCD projector, or no technology at | | | | already, the one thing every 21st century career |
| all. I know getting students engaged is essential to | | | | will require now and forever: creating powerful |
| teach them anything, but one doesn't | | | | content, no matter the medium. |