Is Edtech Killing Our Ability to Collaborate With Students?

There is a lot of debate on whether technology is helping or hurting our students and as the tech wave further infiltrates our schools I am sure the number of studies will continue to grow as well. I think this is a good conversation, an important one. We should always be evaluating what we do, how we do it and with what it is done. Are we fostering an environment that, as Liza Zarka posits, is "crippling our children's social skills" or are we collaborating with our students and empowering them in ways never before possible?

Classroom Community

Creating community in our classrooms is the foundation for good learning.  The way in which we layout our room, provide access to resources and create spaces to share are all keys to a successful learning environment.  This holds just as true to our digital classroom space as well, our class websites.  Regardless of the platform (Google Classroom, Desire2Learn, Edmodo etc.) a well designed class website that is utilised as an integral piece of collaboration can support students access to information, extend support beyond the classroom, and provide countless opportunities for teacher and student to interact with a global community as well.  

These platforms provide teachers with opportunities to designed a student centered learning environment.  We can deliver to our students challenges via Google docs, in game directions, or posts on the class site.  Together we can recognise the problem to be solved, develop goals and success criteria and then the students are able to develop their action plan for finding a solution.  We, as facilitator, provide students with clarification and support when needed.  In the virtual worlds of Minecraftedu, we can work together as Makers to problem solve.  Their self-efficacy with the technology actually invigorates them to share with their peers and teachers. It also provides a voice for students who need the support of this technology or come alive through using it. We are collaborating with our students, but they are the ones driving their learning.  Furthermore, as students are able to guide themselves with greater ease, the teacher is then able to work with small groups to ensure mastery. The technology has enabled us to work with our students and further enabled our students to be in control of how they learn.

Home/School Community

In her piece for PC Magazine, Stephanie Mlot explains many teachers in lower income areas find the access to technology as "a major challenge." However in areas where access at home is prevalent, a truly collaborative relationship can be fostered, adding home to the classroom community as well. We are able to provide flipped opportunities or create mini-lessons that provide students with the opportunity to solidify their understanding. These pieces can then be used by students who are absent to experience the learning they missed.  Furthermore, it empowers our student's family to be active members in our community.  Some of the greatest learning experience for my students last year came from conversations and resources from parents.  They are truly able to be a part of what is going on in the class and work with us to support their child.

This collaboration doesn't necessarily stop after the school year ends either.  To this day, I still have former students using our learning platform to ask for support, share their successes and even collaborate with my current classroom.  This continuity of collaboration is also evident in the social media available to be used. A class Twitter account is a place where we can interact with our students, parents, other teachers/students and the global community.  Skype allows us to collaborate and learn with are specific professionals, and can be used to support oral language use in lieu of pen pals.  We are no longer the lone educators of our students.  Through the use of technology, they are able to be students of the world.

So I will leave this decision to you the reader (I know where I stand), is educational technology hurting or helping our kids?