Rachel responding to Thomas Suarez: 12 Yr Old Apple Developer

What is the role of technology in education?

I had an opportunity to attend a session this past summer with Heidi Hayes Jacobs, who is an expert in the area of curriculum mapping and an advocate for 21^st century skills. Her presentations often begin with the question, “What year are you preparing your students for?” She believes that many of our current educational practices are leaving our students behind in the 20^th century. She also brings awareness to the fact that we are already 12 years into the 21^st century, which implies a sense of urgency.

Knowing that today’s technology and our students’ ability to use it can be overwhelming for some teachers, Jacobs encourages educators to ease into technology integration.  She goes on to suggest making “upgrades”, taking one aspect from a traditional lesson and replacing it with an element of technology.  This is great advice for those who may be a little apprehensive.

For some, this idea alone leads to the misconception that 21st century skills means “using technology”. Technology integration can become the catalyst for 21^st century skills, only if the instruction, activities and conversations within the lesson are rooted in best practices. Just because a student uses a computer, logs-on to the internet or is capable of operating the latest tech gadget, doesn’t mean her/she is a 21^st century learner. Essential skills for today’s world, which include collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication, can’t occur with the technology alone.  The educator is still responsible for providing an engaging environment, which is where foundational 21^st century learning truly occurs, which may or may not include technology.

Taking a closer look at 12 year old Thomas Suarez's TED talk, he quickly shares how he was able to create his own apps.  He describes his inspiration for his “Bustin Jieber” game as being a response to the fact that many of his schoolmates weren’t exactly fans of Justin Bieber. What a perfect example of a 21^st century learner. The fact that he created an app, although impressive, is not what makes the idea innovative; it is his flexible thinking and humorous play on words. He uses the element of technology to take his creative idea to a new level.  This is what technology, partnered with good teaching, can also do for our students.

Purposeful integration of technology, as seen in Suarez’s example, is the message we need to instill. “Upgrading”, recommended by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, is a great way to help educators, bridge the gap from the old to the new. However, it is important to remember that teaching must be the element guiding the instruction, not the technology alone, if we are to successfully prepare our students for the future.