If We Do Our Homework, Students Can Do Theirs Better
Now that education relies on technology more than ever before, educators are confronted with an overwhelming amount of digital tools to choose from. Having access to any of these tools is a privilege—and it shouldn’t be. But just because there’s an abundance of options doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all going to be helpful.
As Pianta and Epstein from The Hechinger Report elucidate, the role of technology in education has always been fraught. Before the pandemic hit, for instance, Silicon Valley came under fire for purportedly planning to take over our schools. Those who questioned student privacy, and the effectiveness of the billions of dollars being funneled annually into tech solutions, stoked the flames. But a lot has changed since then.
It’s clear that digital tools need to be part of the picture, and fortunately, school districts are starting to embrace their potential.
These tools should no longer be viewed as merely a replacement for in-person teaching, but as a unique opportunity to create more interactive and personalized lessons, streamline projects and grading processes, and provide students with individualized help they might not have otherwise sought out. In fact, recent data suggests that students pursuing remote learning require more tailored instruction and attention.
Though ed tech holds great promise, we have little data to prove its effectiveness. This underscores the need to invest in research that not only identifies the most helpful learning tools, but informs how they should be implemented. Rising comfort levels with digital both inside and outside the classroom is a step in the right direction. But as school districts begin to embrace technology as a force for good, it’s time to do some homework of our own.
WORDS BY
SR. CREATIVE STRATEGIST
EMMA IMBER
JR. COPYWRITER
NIKKI BETUEL