Technology and Children

Blog about new technologies and their impact on education, incorporating a focus on innovation and STEAM.

Friday, April 27, 2018

The "Kids know more tech than teachers" Myth

Ever since I started working with Educational Technology 30 years ago, there has been this fear that computers would replace teachers. And now, as we receive a generation of students who grew up with the technology, to the point where we joke that they are born taking selfies, there is a fear that teachers will lose control because the kids know more than they do about technology. But it has been my experience that this is simply not true.

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Yes, they can use the intuitive interfaces easily, not being afraid of exploring and clicking happily away while they play their games before they can read or walk. They can spend hours on social media sending pictures and texting friends. But they still have to learn the most basic use of technology - how to develop healthy human relationships. And they need adult mentors to teach them. It starts at home with the parents, and then at school with the teachers. The screen actually isolates them from seeing the reactions on people's faces when they don't think before writing and may say hurtful things. They are not mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions, especially when those consequences are far off in some virtual land. They don't know how to do good research or evaluate if the news they are reading and forwarding is fake or not. Or if the sources can be trusted. The algorithms they interact with quickly learn what they like and reinforce their own ideas, not challenging them to think differently or look at different perspectives. They haven't discovered all the cool tools you have in your basic Office tools that can increase your productivity and help you learn even more.
More than ever, schools should integrate technology into their lessons and teach kids not only how to use the technology for learning, but also for developing social emotional skills and moral values. We want to build a healthy society in this digital age. The best way to do that is allowing the kids to practice in a safe environment, where caring mentors will guide them. And also find more time at home to stay off screens and just go play outside.
So, teachers, don't believe the myth that kids know more technology than you. You still are the expert on how to educate kids to become healthy and happy. Use the technology to help you do just that.

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