“Technology will never take over the world” has been my most often quoted statement when any of my students refer to me and technology.  They are most aware of the fact that I hate hearing that a new update is out…and it is absolutely impossible for me to dispose of an old, working computer or software program.  If it isn’t broken, why try to fix it?  I also resent the fact that we have become a just “dispose of it” society that craves the latest new gadget!

    Yet, I realize that once we have passed the threshold of a new invention being accepted and proven useful…there is really no going back to the “old ways.”  So, while I look for signs of continuity and change over time, I recognize that the stagecoach had to disappear to make way for faster means of transportation.  I am most happy that telephone communication has improved to the point that we can have conversations across the globe in a matter of seconds.  I also love the tracking ability that law enforcement can use to find missing persons.  All these improvements have been most amazing!

    This being said, I am ready to call for a change in the direction of education today.  It is true that students can have an answer given to them in seconds concerning almost any subject by using a search engine such as google.  But that instant information can also become their undoing unless they have the critical thinking skills necessary to pare that available information down to what is truly necessary and important and TRUTH.  For young children, this is a difficult task.

    Bloom’s taxonomy of skills has this as the lowest level of thinking…knowledge.  It is what you do with that knowledge that comprises the next steps in advanced levels of thinking: comprehension, application, synthesis, and evaluation.  These critical thinking skills are often undeveloped in most classroom activities.  Yes, it is possible to gain much computer time in classrooms without advancing to these higher levels of thinking.   And yes, there are good programs out there which do teach those critical skills.   However, it is extremely important that educators work to attain those advanced skill activities for their students.

    On the practical side, I feel all teachers should be adequately trained in fixing and maintaining technology along with their educational curriculum.  If a teacher doesn’t have this training to help them use computers in the classroom, countless hours will be wasted in trying to “fix” a problem when the teaching time is already crowded with interruptions of various types.

    It is also important for schools to counter-balance the use of technology with “physical” change of pace and vision focus activities.  We’ve heard several vision doctors remark about the under-developed muscles of the eyes due to heavy use of “screen time.”  Everyone agrees that more physical activity is desirable to offset the lack of activity by children due to screen time and robotic devices that do nearly all chores around the home…even emptying the cat’s litter box!

    Finally, we must teach students better means of solving conflicts, protecting themselves from predators, and how not to become persuaded by bias and inaccuracies which flow freely over the world wide web.  

            Kay