One of the many education initiatives that the Obama administration has encouraged is the expanded use of technology in our nation’s public schools. This is a commendable objective since we need to ensure that all our children are ready for the challenges of the next generation, often referred to as “21st century skills.” Using technology to research and check data, collate information and produce finished work are all skills that employers require. We want our students to attain these transferable skills and to be experienced in the use of technology. Our challenge is to evaluate how we use technology in education and to overcome obstacles to implementation across the country.
The fast pace of change in technology and the increasing variety of platforms raise significant obstacles for public schools. Schools try to provide opportunities for all children to use and experience technology, but resources are limited. Even for those schools that can provide a technologically rich environment, the issue is how to embed technology into the curriculum in every subject for every child. Encouraging the use of technology is more than finding a cool, new app to use at home and school. Often the challenge in the classroom is to find a way to invigorate the curriculum with computer-based activities.
We need to recognize that technology can provide solutions to keep children of all abilities working together. Tablets with audio versions of texts will help some children to participate on an equal basis in small group work with children who use traditional textbooks. Students learn in many different ways, whether verbal, visual, logical or social. Technology can support these different learning styles. It also helps teachers to deliver content to complement these differences.
Schools now promote enquiry-based curricula where students are encouraged to use the web to access primary source documents, synthesize information from experts across the globe, and then use these resources to solve problems and collaborate on projects. The limiting factors to what students can achieve are restrictions of access, funding and content. The ConnectEd Initiative announced by President Obama in 2013 aims to connect 99% of U.S. students to high-speed Internet access within five years. School districts will need to develop strong curriculum content and provide the time and financial resources to support the professional development of teachers.
This is where we need to focus our energy and resources. Technology should be integrated into the curriculum and not regarded as an add-on. Experienced teachers who understand how to leverage new technology to illuminate and expand the curriculum are among the greatest assets of public schools.
An enriched curriculum supported by technology will help children to see what is possible today and to imagine what they might make possible tomorrow.
Fran Walton is a member of Ridgefield’s Board of Education. The Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee provides this column.