My last blog entry focused on debunking the idea that everybody has a computer and that all students have access to electronics that might help them succeed in schools. Hopefully I showed that concept to be overly idealistic. The use of smart technology in the classroom is a goal that almost everybody could stand behind, and it is an objective that comes with many obstructions and problems. One of those problems is the availability of cheap, effective technology both in the home and in the classroom. Another problem, the one I want to focus on in this blog entry, is that we have a serious misconception about our students' ability to use electronics. For some reason, older folks in our time always think that the younger generation has a greater knowledge about electronics than they do. The thought is that by merely being younger, and having been raised in a culture that used computers, that those children will know how to use computers to a degree that surpasses the older generation. Sometimes we hear ideas and conversations about the next generation being the "digital generation" or how students have a "digital gleam in their eyes."
The fact is, both of those statements are, at least in part, true. One study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that students spend more time on computers than they do on bicycles and that more students know how to open a web page than know how to swim freely. It is an interesting study, you should read it:
Media in the lives of 8 to 18 year olds.
Our students did grow up with computers, and they do spend most of their time using electronics such as cell phones, the internet, and tablets. However, do these facts about our students really indicate that we as educators should modify our instruction to account for more modern technology use?
The point I would like to make is that the answer to this question is a resounding no. There are many issues surrounding instructional design to consider before we throw our efforts and weight fully into the idea that technology is better, and some of them indicate that technology isn't better at all.
One of those issues is that our students really aren't all that adept at technology use. It may seem shocking to some, but it is true. Students, especially if they are younger, have a difficult time typing, have a difficult time troubleshooting problems and don't truly understand the processes that make electronics work. Ask any normal student how to find hidden files on windows, or how to swap out a hard drive or RAM, or how to solve any other tech related problem and you will find that they have absolutely no idea how to do any of that. If we were to ask a normal 25 year old college student how to do the same tasks, odds are that more of them would be able to do it than the students we teach.
Now, of course some students might enjoy the motion of pointing and clicking their way through a test more than they would the idea of writing down an answer, but skills like that are not very important. Given any sort of problem solving task, or research task, adults will unanimously do better than teenagers or children.
It is important to note that some of our students would know how to put a computer together and use Google Scholar in an appropriate way. As with any group, there are exceptions to every rule.
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