Teachers Using Tech Better than Digital Natives

Response by Tyler Breitbarth

http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/10/22/report-teachers-better-at-using-tech-than-digital-native-students.aspx

There have been a lot of assumptions about students when it comes to technology. The assumption is: kids understand technology better, faster, and use it more efficiently than older generations, including teachers. A new study shows results that this assumption may not be true anymore. The New York Institute of Technology studied Middle School students in Science classrooms to determine:

• Do school-age students fit the digital native profile? 
• Do school-age students surpass their teachers in terms of technology use? 
• What roles do teachers play in shaping students' technology experiences inside the classroom?

The survey included 24 Middle School teachers and a little over 1,000 6-8th grade students in Utah and New York. The results found that students used technology outside of the classroom for working on school projects, social networking, and entertainment, but mostly for games and music. Teachers showed about the same purpose of use, but teachers were using the technology more often and to help solve daily problems, improve productivity, and as learning aids. The researcher also noted that the classroom teacher had little to no impact on students' technology skills due to the fact that students are given little opportunity to practice using technology beyond pursuing their own personal interests.

The importance of this study is huge for every teacher using technology in their classrooms. Personally, I have encountered the assumption that students "just know" how to use technology and do not need to be taught technology skills. Now the research is showing the need for more student training.

There have been studies done that to show that a person will be more productive in an environment that they are usually productive in, such as an office. Productivity suffers when in an environment where that person goes for entertainment or relaxation. One example of this is completing work in an office, not in a living room as there are usually more distractions such as a television. This also helps keep work and home separate. Some of these tactics can be used when using the internet, such as keeping a work e-mail and a personal e-mail in separate accounts. Same would go for social networking and games. In fact, on my home computer, I have two completely separate internet browsers for work and home to help eliminate distractions and increase my productivity.

The biggest point I took away from this article is:

"The report recommends that "high-quality training" be provided to teachers to help them learn how to integrate content-specific technology into their lessons and how to teach their students how to use technology more effectively."

I could not agree more with this statement. One thing that I have started at our district is working with teachers to develop lessons that provide technology skills within the content. Our district lacks any technology related class past 4th grade. How else will students learn and apply technology skills if not in the content areas of their classes? I personally take this issue to heart because, more than content, this teaches students digital learning skills that they can apply to college, career, or even their personal lives outside of school.