Three Classic Myths about EdTech

I spend a lot of time in classrooms and talking to teachers about implementing technology with their students. Teachers in a 1:1 technology environment often want to provide more opportunities for their students to use technology, but don’t know where to go next. As I work with teachers, I have noticed some patterns in the myths among apprehensive teachers. 

Myth #1: I need to know everything about an app or feature before trying it with students.

Last year, I was working with a third-grade teacher who wanted her students to record themselves reading a story they would write. The assignment was for students to tell a story about a specific event that happened to them over winter break. In addition, the students were to include pictures that enhanced their narrative. 

The teacher planned to use Book Creator, as they had used it in the past and were familiar with it. I suggested they try animating objects in Keynote to allow students to animate their stories. Keynote also enables students to add a voiceover, sound effects, and background music. The entire project could then be exported as a short video for the student to share. 

The teacher was apprehensive about using Keynote because, although they had used it once or twice, they didn’t believe they knew it well enough to let their students try it. The fear was that if a student asked a question about the app, they wouldn’t know how to answer.

The teacher didn’t realize that students, especially excited third graders, are more than happy figure it out on their own. Many young people are fearless when it comes to technology—they are more inclined to “smash the button” and see what happens than read a tutorial or worry about what would happen if they tap the wrong thing. 

Students don’t expect you to be an expert in everything. Sometimes, the opportunity to struggle and figure things out together helps model the messiness of learning. Some of the most potent lessons I’ve ever implemented started with me saying some version of: “I’ve never done this before so I’ll be learning along with you. Let’s see what happens.” In any lesson like this, there will undoubtedly be many mistakes. But isn’t that the heart of learning? If you try to present yourself as an infallible source of knowledge, you will inevitably fail. You may also be missing some great opportunities to show your students how educated people struggle and allow vulnerability as a natural part of the learning process. 

Myth #2: If I want students to use an app, I need to first teach them how to use it.

It happens all the time. You get a new idea from Twitter, at a conference, or from somewhere else in your professional network. You get excited thinking about how to implement this idea into your class. You begin planning, and your momentum comes crashing down when you realize that you, and more importantly, your students have never used the new tech that the lesson would require. You briefly think about how you might take a day to cut something else to teach the platform, or you search for tutorials you can have your students watch to learn it after school. Then, you get a sinking feeling when you realize you probably can’t try this new idea because you don’t have the time to teach students how to use the technology. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. Often, the idea you want to try doesn’t involve every feature of an app. iMovie is a great example. iMovie is a video editing app that is robust enough to create professional-looking videos. It could take years to learn all of the features and use them effectively. But uploading some photos and attaching some background music or a voiceover takes about five minutes to understand. 

If you’ve ever attended an Apple training, you’ve experienced this first hand. When Apple Education trainers teach people to use their products, there is very little direct instruction. You may notice that the presenter only takes a few minutes to show the primary navigation of a platform like iMovie. The rest of the time, participants play, explore, mess up, and help each other while they work to complete a specific task. It becomes an exciting, collaborative environment where participants discover new ways to express their ideas. This allows everyone to focus on the content and skills—and tech learning becomes a byproduct. 

Many so-called “tech experts” became that way, not through years of formal training on devices and apps, but by having an interesting problem to solve and finding a new way to solve it. In this method, you figure out what you need to know to complete a specific task, then you apply it. You don’t spend hours learning a tech tool, then starting your project. Instead, you learn by doing the project and figuring it out as you go. 

Myth #3: As long as I use technology in some way, the students will be engaged.

Elementary school was a long time ago for me, but there are still special memories that are as clear in my mind as if they happened yesterday. I remember those rare days when we would file into class after recess and see the most glorious sight: a giant TV and VCR cart at the front of the room that the teacher had wheeled in during our recess time. We knew we were in for a treat. I also remember getting picked to be the “teacher’s helper” who would be allowed to thread the film through the projector when we watched a reel-to-reel movie. I remember going to the far-off, magical land that was the computer lab. Twenty or thirty years ago, technology was so limited in schools that its use was a novelty, and simply sitting a child in front of a computer would engage them for a long time. 

Now, kids are learning to swipe and tap an iPad before they can talk. Technology use is a ubiquitous and constant part of our the students' lives. Our students don’t consider technology new or exciting for its own sake. Technology as part of the learning environment is now a given for our students, it is neither separate nor unique. 

This means that using technology does not create an engaging learning experience by itself. The tech must be meaningful and add an element to the learning that would not otherwise be possible. As teachers, we must create the conditions where technology is purposeful and helps students engage in meaningful tasks. Technology can allow students to collaborate in ways that aren’t possible without it. Technology might allow students to dialogue with a broader audience than the class; it could enable a teacher to provide multiple reading sources based on student interest and choice. 

The technology alone is not engaging. But, effectively used, technology can add elements to a learning experience that increases engagement.