"For the Love of Classroom Tech"

In this op-ed article, author Todd Felderstein reflects on the current push to integrate technology in the classroom and the growing concern with regards to its effective implementation in the classroom. He emphasizes how the marketing surrounding technology has filtered into schools, with districts allocating their budgets to technology integration in the classroom and with tech initiatives becoming commonplace (e.g. the Los Angeles Unified School District's push to ensure every classroom has an iPad). While he questions the justification behind these sorts of initiatives, he does not deny the fact that technology integration in the classroom has proven to be beneficial for many teachers and students. Even throughout his own childhood, technology, whether it be in the form of a Nikon Camera or musical instruments, spurred his creativity and fostered an inventive spirit. In this sense, technology certainly has much to offer students in the way of creative freedom and expression. However, the author raises a concern with regards to how quickly technology is changing and the rate at which we dispose of old forms of technology and usher in the new. In this sense, it seems as though schools become overly focused on the novelty of an item rather than on its functionality and practicality in the classroom setting. As a result, the emphasis is placed more on the "trendyness" of a particular device and less on how that useful that device is in actually fostering the creative and higher order thinking skills we seek to cultivate in students. He challenges teachers to "harness the inspiration necessary in [themselves] for students to imagine infinite possibilities instead of concentrating so much on the tools necessary to physically breach the universe." Ultimately, we must not forget the powerful role the teacher plays in facilitating an engaging learning environment. Technology is a powerful tool to help in this endeavor, however we must focus more on how we use this tool and less on what we are using. 


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