The Irony of Technology and Learning

By creating my intro video for the first f2f Cohort21 meeting, I had to put myself on the other side of the lens. I’m sure it sounds trivial, but for me it was a huge stretch out of my comfort zone. That experience, along with participating in the first f2f through a Google Hangout, got me thinking about lenses (not just the photographic kind), about being a learner, and technology and the use of it to facilitate learning.

Technology in the Classroom: Love it or Leave it?

I’ll begin by admitting that I’m a liker of technology in the classroom, but not yet a lover. Let me tell you why.

I love it when colleagues introduce me to new ways to incorporate technology into my classes, but I often grapple with how to make it enhance students’ learning. Sure it’s fun and they like it, but does it deepen their existing understanding or take them to a new level of learning? Often, I find it doesn’t.  Sometimes, in fact, it just downright detracts from it.

I’ll share with you my personal experience ‘hanging out’ with you for the first f2f session and how it both enhanced and detracted from my learning. Thank you to Justin and Garth for their hard work to get me there. It’s much appreciated. My following thoughts are in no way intended to be critical, more so a reflection on my experience, myself as a learner, and how I can apply that experience to my teaching practice.

Technology as a Facilitator

Focusing on the f2f session, how did technology help facilitate my learning? Certainly, it pushed me to stretch myself and make a video which could then be shared. Google Hangout allowed me to be present and take in what was happening live at The York School which I would otherwise not have been able to attend. And, it introduced me to people and resources, all things I can use to grow my own learning and reflective practice. Awesome.

But there were some challenges, too.

Technology as a Detractor

When I’m learning something new, I’m like the keener at the FRONT of your class. It was, therefore, an interesting experience to be physically at the back of a room because that’s not where I’d position myself as an active learner.

I was observing, but for a few interactions, disengaged from the learning process. For me, there was something inherently uncomfortable about the experience. Frankly, it was awkward. I was aware of what was going on to a degree, but it was really challenging to hear and see. Before long,  that awkwardness turned to something else. I lost focus and found myself flipping to other tabs on my laptop, reading email etc. For the first time in my life, I was a disengaged kid at the BACK of the class.  It just felt so wrong.

It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the same tool intended to engage me, disengaged me from the intended purpose, but engaged me with something else.

What does this mean?

Now, I had anticipated it to be challenging to connect and engage given my preferred learning style; talk with people f2f, get jazzed up, break off, do some independent thinking, come back and share. But I was amazed at HOW difficult it was. When Justin physically picked up the laptop and moved ‘me’ around the room so I could better hear and actually see who was talking, I switched back on. The difference was amazing. And for those of you who introduced yourselves and/or came over to say ‘Hi’, thank you! You became the lifeline for my hangout experience. For me at least, learning is about interaction and connection with others. Even with the best tech integration and learning platform, without those two, I’m lost at the back of the class.

How will this experience impact my teaching practice?

If a keener learner like me can switch off so easily, what does that look like for the students in my class? How do I find that right balance, given they all learn differently, and keep them switched on to the right stuff?  Well, at this stage I’ve got plenty more questions than answers, so I’m excited to reflect and learn about this further.  Where’s the balance between technology use/integration and real f2f, human connection and interaction?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.