[1]Looking for reader feedback on this controversial issue.
Do you think it’s okay to introduce technology use to students in Kindergarten? If not, how about first grade, or second? When is the right time to bring technology into the classroom, and at what grade levels should students not be using tech tools?
[2]
This New York Times article from last fall, “A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute [3]”, discusses how many Silicon Valley executives are sending their kids to a successful school where they keep technology out of the classrooms. It got me thinking. I agree that for our youngest students, it is very much worth considering when technology use should not be required. I think it makes a lot of sense to focus on socialization and human interaction in the first years of education.
Naturally, as a staunch advocate of finding the best ways to leverage technology to aid student learning (and to facilitate instructional and administrative processes), I am clearly in favor of student use of technology at appropriate grade levels. High School - absolutely, Middle School - I think it makes sense there too, Elementary Grades - this is where the question comes in. I really think the first few years are better devoted to a more pure human, personal touch. I’m just not so sure at what age/grade hands-on technology use is best introduced.
I’d love to hear what readers have to say about this. What do you think? When is it okay to introduce technology in the classroom, and when is really too young? Please offer a comment [4] and share your thoughts on this important question, even if you just mention a grade level/range you think is best. Of course, if you have more elaborate ideas to share, like why you think tech use at certain grade is or is not appropriate, we’d love to hear about it. I look forward to hearing your feedback. Thanks!
Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
Exploring the Khan Academy’s use of Learning Data and Learning Analytics
8 Great TED Talks About The Future Of Education And Teaching [5]
15 Favorite iPad Apps As Selected By Teachers [6]
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[8]Connecting Parents to Their Children’s Teachers and Schools With Living Tree [8]- [9]Augmented Reality - The Coolest Instructional Technology You Haven’t Heard of? [9]
[10]You Can Be in Five Places at Once - Differentiation Made Easy [10]
About Kelly Walsh [11]
Kelly Walsh is Chief Information Officer at The College of Westchester [12], in White Plains, NY, where he also teaches. In 2009, Walsh founded EmergingEdTech.com. He frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author, and online educator, regularly running Flipped Class Workshops [13] online. His eBook, the Flipped Classroom Workshop-in-a-Book is available here [14]. Walsh became the Community Administrator for the Flipped Learning Network [15] in June of 2016. In his "spare time" he also writes, records, and performs original music ... stop by kwalshmusic.com [16] and have a listen!
[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own, or those of other writers, and not those of my employer. - K. Walsh]