Back to books?

Again the media are writing reports on how technology is a major distraction in lessons and are being removed and replaced with textbooks. In this particular case, Australia's Reddam House's primary and junior high school classes have used e-textbooks on iPads. The consistent feedback from the students has been that they preferred pages to screens. I would have to agree! 

This prompted the school to announce that students should no longer use digital textbooks, and must revert to hard-copy versions instead. Sounds sensible. The problem I have comes from the other statements in that teachers have also found the iPads were distracting and did not contribute to students' technology skills. As school principal Mr Pitcairn states:

"[Students] could have messages popping up and all sorts of other alerts, also, kids being kids, they could jump between screens quite easily, so would look awfully busy and not be busy at all."

As I have stated, technology is just a tool and should not drive the learning in a classroom. You don't use a hammer to unscrew a cork on a bottle, so why would you use an ipad as a textbook? That is not an effective use of technology and does not improve or enhance it. Paper textbooks are more comfortable to read, flick between pages with, something that cannot be done with an ipad. This is an example of the SAMR model where the ipad is merely substituting for a textbook.

 

The real advantage of technology is when it can transform learning. When it can modify and redefine learning. This is where this discussion of technology in the classroom should be allowing things that were not possible without technology to improve student outcomes. 

In my own class textbooks are definitely in but so are ipads which allow students to hold a three-dimensional model of a beating heart in their hands, they allow students create digital portfolios and develop their skills around organizing and curating the knowledge they are learning. Who remembers all those loose pieces of paper you found at the bottom of your school bag?

Technology allows students to co-collaborate on documents and for me to provide verbal, video or written feedback on their learning even if the student is away from school or if I am and to link words to images to help students who have English as a second language.

I see from the article that the school will move to laptops, suggesting it is not the idea of technology in the classroom that was the problem, but more about decision making on what device is best to get the outcomes the school wants for its learners. So more planning and consideration of how to use technology before implementing in the classroom seems to be the solution, not just banning technology outright.