Is the New Technology in Schools The New Normal?

By Tom Anselm

So schools are back in full swing, which means I am also back into the wonderful world of substitute teaching. I retired from teaching in 2010, and took a very brief respite from the classroom life. Not being the guy with any real skills, like home repair or woodworking or even a love of yard work (yuck!), I was quickly out of things to do around the house after cleaning out the garage and a few other odds and ends. Hey, I can paint, which is actually what I will do after I write this note. But I learned long ago to turn to the professionals when it comes to cars, plumbing, and electricity.

I eased back into the education thing with some tutoring for kids who were out of school for either health or behavior. Not bad. Then, some subbing for the ladies with whom I worked from my most previous school; since I still knew the lay of the land, and some even still liked me. This foray into the past career has proven to be a very good part-time job, nice pay, flexible hours, no weekends and evening. And for the most part, within my limited capabilities.

It is within this context that I ran across something that helps put some meat on what I mentioned in the last column, the one about technology in schools.

At one particular high school in St. Louis County, I was privileged to see the positive implementation of hardware and software to foster student learning.

As I have lamented in the past, I’ve seen computers and tablets used poorly, with free-time in class degenerating into kids just playing goofy video games with no relationship to curriculum, and without merit when it pertains to brain usage. These kids, and the people who put up the money for this tech, are being poorly served.

However, I have witnessed extremely well-done use, with teacher-guided instruction, requiring a walk-in activity, explanation and redirection, time to work the lesson and more redirection. All this leading to a culminating activity with clear timelines and expectations. Now these kids were being well-served. This teacher immersed her students in the learning theory of ‘Hear-See-Do-Retain.’ All the students in the class were engaged, from the most capable to those who struggled with skills and even attention issues. The school in which I saw this take place calls their program ‘The Technology Revolution.”

And so it well may be.

Of course, this is but a small sample, and very anecdotal in nature. But nevertheless, it proved to me that well-planned, thought out and implemented teaching including the technology now available to so many students can be done effectively, and is here to stay. It seems this is The New Normal of education.

It will be exciting to see how it blossoms.

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