Educators, researchers, parents, and politicians often spew rhetoric regarding the negative aspects of technological devices on growing brains. It is said that smartphones and on-demand video streaming services have caused students to be unable to focus on tasks in the classroom, that their constant attention to devices distracts them from learning content, that constant access to social media has lessened young learners’ abilities to engage in physical conversations. While the purpose of this blogpost is not to debunk these claims, it offers perspective as to the ramifications of demonization of technological devices and also speaks to the ways these tools can be used to connect with our students. Before banning cell phones in schools or making rash decisions to block students from technology use, we must begin with empathy for those we serve – students. It is far easier to judge than to seek to understand the students in our midst.

Personalized and Interactive

Students today have instant access to entertainment and social media with the swipe of a screen. What we often fail to realize is that the activities students engage in on their personal devices are not always passive. Students interact with YouTube videos via comments, they post images and videos on Instagram, they send messages to each other through Snapchat. My son uses the PC he built himself to play games with his friends in real time, while speaking with them verbally on his gaming headset. These teenagers collaborate on this gaming platform and think critically about how to best move forward in the multiplayer game. This is hardly an activity of mere consumption. Social media platforms and hashtags at professional sports games invite consumers to become a part of the experience through interaction. Even as students view YouTube videos, they demonstrate preferences and make choices that allows streaming services to provide personalized experiences through artificial intelligence.

I will be the first to say that students should not be staring at devices for an entire class period. Students need opportunities to speak, to visually sketch their learning, to engage in kinesthetic activities. But when we considering the way students use their personal devices on a daily basis to customize content and interact with the world around them, it is no wonder that our students crave personalization and opportunities to communicate in our classrooms. Is this such a bad thing? I have been in numerous classrooms that mandate specific class texts to be read and a single graphic organizer to complete to demonstrate understanding. Must we limit the creativity of our learners? Is there only one way toward success in life?

Devices Celebrate Variability

In my own life, I have discovered that it is our variability as individuals that sparks innovation. The better we know our personal idiosyncrasies, the more successful we become. Our students have become accustomed to choice on their personal devices, they crave opportunities to display their individual preferences. Why not incorporate this into the classroom? The neuroscience of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) speaks to the effectiveness of providing students with multiple methods of representation and multiple methods of action and expression. Students that are provided the opportunity to personalize their learning experience become expert learners. As an adult, I prefer to read a blogpost or article to learn something new. My brother learns by tinkering. My mother prefers to watch videos to learn.

If the learning outcome is the same, why not personalize the experience? Why not provide multiple avenues through which students access and then demonstrate understanding of content? Students can demonstrate learning by creating a sketchnote or infographic and then taking a picture of it to be stored digitally, they can interact with classmates digitally in written or oral form using tools such as learning management systems, flipgrid, and screencasting. The possibilities for varying methods of documenting learning is continually increasing as the EdTech industry grows.

Students > Content

My son came home from school a few weeks ago and remarked, “Mom, I was in a block period class today for two hours. I left the class and realized I had not said a word”. He indicated that students had used their school issued devices to access content while their teacher spoke the majority of the class period. Shall we demonize the technological devices for my son’s irritation at the lack of interaction in the class, or should we instead seek to involve our students themselves in the learning experience? Staring at a device while a teacher speaks is not the fault of a device. Instead, the lack of engagement from my son and his peers is due to the way the educator chose to facilitate instruction. The teacher may have been struggling to get through content to meet a pacing guide and made the decision to disseminate information quickly. But that decision focuses on teaching and content. It neglects the most important part of the equation – students. We teach students, not content. If our content does not connect with the modern learner, we have lost. Our students’ minds are wired toward customization, toward instant communication opportunities via their smartphones. I am not calling upon educators to change the content they teach, the “what”. The standards and learning goals remain. What educators must alter is the “how”.

The Antisocial Technology of the 1980s

When I was a young girl, I often had my head stuck in a book. Other times, I wrote stories and journaled. I would spend hours with these tools, exploring and experimenting with the written word. My technology was a notebook and pen. One could argue that this was an antisocial activity. I likely missed out on conversations with families and peers as I instead chose to read and write. Should we blame the book just as we blame smartphones for antisocial behavior in students? Is the journal and pen responsible for my chosen solitude?

If I had grown up in the world of today, my experience accessing and creating content may have been much more social. I would have been able to review media (whether text, video, or images) and have the opportunity to like, comment, and discuss with others. I would have been able to document my writing digitally to share with others. Technology, when used as an interactive and creative device, can serve to increase communication rather than limiting it. The key is that we do not blame the tool, we guide students in using it in ways that fuel their learning. Consider students who are unable to speak verbally but are able to communicate using accessibility features. Technology opens up opportunities, it increases access and provides a platform for creative expression with opportunities for collaboration.

Learning Extends Past the Classroom

Rather than demonizing the devices of today, let us focus on leveraging these tools to best meet the needs of our students. Technology is not going away. Students use personal devices outside of the classroom to learn how to apply makeup, to level up in a video game, to fix their car, to make slime. When we encourage use of devices in the classroom for students to access, curate, and create content, we break down the walls between school and the world in which they live. We validate our students’ world and show them that learning is a lifetime activity that goes beyond textbooks and pencils.