The
technological
Trojan Horse
Technology has
dramatically
transformed the
classroom, and
students along with
it. But that change
might actually be
detrimental to the
education of our
students.
22
Leadership
Not long ago, I could only dream
of the instructional wonders of a wireless,
technologically integrated classroom. At
that time, my classroom was entirely “ana-
log,” dependent on the adopted textbook
and any ancillary materials I could scrounge
from the internet or veteran teachers. I had
an overhead projector that I barely used be-
cause it barely worked, one 26-inch televi-
sion mounted in the far corner of the class,
and a VCR. That was the extent of my tech-
nological integration.
In less than four years, my classroom has
been transformed into a veritable digital
paradise. I now have an HD projector and
giant screen with surround sound, a mobile
cart filled with 37 Chromebook laptops con-
nected to high bandwidth Wi-Fi, access to a
class set of iPads, a personal tablet and new
desktop computer, AppleTV and Netflix –
not to mention more than 80 percent of my
sixth graders own personal smartphones.
I’m a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to
integrating technology in my classroom.
Up until recently, I praised the decision to
thrust my classroom into the digital age.
After all, lesson plans once dependent on
pencil, paper and textbooks could be easily
replaced by laptops and interactive computer
simulations to create the “highly engaging
digital classroom.” In essence, the new tech-
nology would allow instructors to teach the
way this generation of students expects to
learn, rather than forcing them to learn the
way we’ve been trained to teach. More im-
portant, this newfound student engagement
would, theoretically, benefit both learners
and teachers.
As soon as the cart of laptops arrived, I
started to abandon old school pedagogi-
cal devices and replaced them with in-
teractive websites that not only assessed
children on presented content, but also
enthralled them with glowing primary
colors and background music. Kahoot
trumped pencil and paper quizzes, hand-
By Jonathan Robinette