Tech in Schools: Not Just Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

This winter break included installing a wi-fi thermostat, purchasing a Fitbit One Activity Tracker as well as a Fitbit Aria, a wi-fi scale. I am absolutely in love with my new tech gadgets! They make my life easier and provide me with information that allows me to make sensible choices for my budget as well as my health and fitness.

I shared the excitement about my new 'toys' with my parents and they thought those were absolutely frivolous expenses. They questioned my judgement in purchasing a thermostat that can be adjusted from my mobile device or any internet connection, the scale that sends my Fitbit account my weight and adjusts the amount of calories I should eat to meet my goal, and my Fitbit One that tells me how many steps I took during the day. My mom stated how her thermostat works just fine and she has never needed to change the temperature of her furnace from outside the home. She also shared with me her Weight Watcher Food Log that she tracks what she eats with paper and pencil. These non-tech tools accomplished the same tasks as my tech tools did, but at a much lower price. I was willing to pay the higher price in exchange for convenience and instantaneous information. Actually it is more than that, I can train my thermostat so it begins to "learn" when I want the temperature to increase in my house and what I want that increased temperature to be. When I am not at home it adjust the temperature accordingly whereby conserving energy. My Fitbit One not only sets my goals and timelines for weight loss based on the amount of activity I engage in or how many calories I consume--but it helps me hold myself accountable by sharing on social media or with other Fitbit One users. These tools allow me to do and know much more than I would if I used the non-version of these devices.

This scenario made me think about the technology we use in school. Is this new technology simply to complete the same tasks we have always had to complete? Have we just traded the higher price tag for convenience and instantaneous information? Or is the new technology that we use in schools opening doors that were closed before? The new technology that is available provides for: increased collaboration by using a Wiki to create a collaborative staff meeting agenda; greater opportunities for educator staff development by doing a book study via Edmodo; students giving and getting feedback on their writing from their peers all over the world by publishing their essays on Blogger; entire school populations to use Google Apps and Dropbox to store documents where others can access anywhere, anytime; using the iMovie app on the iPad to create a trailer for the school play. The list is endless...Technology is what you make it and how you use it. What is your "wi-fi thermostat?"