Students need to be trained to become technologically fluent by training them to use today's technology while also developing critical thinking skills and creativity so that they are capable of developing and navigating the tools of tomorrow.
The speed of technological change is drastic. Personal computers, tablets, cell phones, and gaming systems are often made to be replaced in two or three years. This might be because they are fragile, but more often it is because new technology is making them obsolete in that short amount of time. We live in a world where adaptability is a key skill.
Training students to be able to use today's technology is not enough. They need to be able to adapt and change. Change, and how we deal with it, is not a new concept. When I graduated from college I received a copy of the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. Its theme of how to effectively deal with change is as relevant today as it was when the book was published in 1998. We have to go beyond training students for today. Students need to be able to thrive in a world that we may struggle to imagine.
Sometimes new technology is placed in the classroom because it is new. Teachers are urged to use new technology and teach their students to use it as well. Teaching technology is important as long as it is purposeful. Teaching technology for technology's sake is not enough. We also need to help students learn to use technology creatively.
The internet has made information readily available at our fingertips. This is great, but now students need to understand that the internet and technology are more than just repositories for knowledge and games. Students need to do more than digest the information available, they need to be creating it. They need to be finding new ways to use technology and creating the technology of the future. This will not happen if we are only teaching students how to use technology.
Modern technology is more than just a collection of tools for learning. These are tools for creating. I am so excited to see what can happen as our students learn to better understand the capabilities of themselves and the technology around them to recreate and redefine the world.
