Computers are Tools

Computers are tools. They are an extension of the brain. They make menial tasks unnecessary. They save time. They connect us with the world.

How are we teaching students to use this tool?

If the task is to read a chapter in an online textbook and answer teacher-made questions on a Google Doc, should we be upset that a student copies and pastes the answer from the online text? They are using the computer to complete a menial task as quickly as possible. They are using the tool for one of its intended purposes. If we have an issue with a student copying and pasting answers, perhaps we need to take a closer look at the purpose of the lesson. If the purpose of the lesson is to skim an online text, then use the computer's "find" function to locate specific details and cite evidence using the "copy" and "paste" function, then the objective was accomplished. If we are looking for deeper thinking or expecting students to retain information, then the lesson needs to be more meaningful.

Kids love creating slideshows for all of the wrong reasons. The task is slightly more engaging than reading an online text and answering questions, but how many students actually understand the material they are presenting? For the most part, kids view slideshows as having teacher permission to browse Google Images. Again, if the purpose of the lesson is to learn how to use a computer's basic functions, then making a slideshow is a somewhat engaging way to do so. Students are learning how to search for information on the internet. If that's the case, maybe the lesson should be focused on the design elements of a good slideshow presentation. Maybe it's a good opportunity to instruct students on the differences between .jpeg, .svg, .png, and .gif. These are essential foundational skills that students need to know. However, if the main purpose of the lesson is content comprehension, students are far more focused on the images than the content they are presenting. If the goal is to kill time, then kids can browse Google Images for hours!

Computers have become a staple in the classroom. They sit atop student desks from arrival to dismissal. We need to rethink their purpose. We need to view them as tools rather than classroom commodities. Students shouldn't be reprimanded for using them to look up how to spell words or solve math problems using a calculator. That is what they were designed to do. We are basically reprimanding students for using a tool to be faster and more efficient. Instead, we assign menial busy work for them to do so they sit for hours behind a screen.

Imagine this scenario instead:

A student has access to a computer at all times, but it is located in their desk. They are assigned a meaningful task; a problem to solve, a device to build, etc. Maybe students express ideas and opinions with one another. Maybe they begin sketching a design of their device. A student wonders if anyone else has attempted to solve this problem or design this device. The computer is taken out to run a quick search. The students read a quick blog or watch a quick tutorial. The computer goes back into the desk and the students continue to work on their ideas. The computer becomes a reference tool that students use to gain insight. It's a jumping off point to propel their unique ideas to the next level. Once students have worked out their concept/design, they take the computer back out. They blog their idea or create a video tutorial of their design/solution to share with the world. When another class in a completely different part of the world is tasked with a similar assignment and those students begin their research, they will come across that blog or video tutorial and use it as a jumping off point to spawn more ideas.

I'm just shooting spitballs. Hoping something sticks.