The Value of Googleable Questions?

In 2006 my oldest daughter was in 4th grade and part of the curriculum was called "Daily Oral Geography." This is a well known geography curriculum that consists of weekly worksheets to teach geography. I remember buying Jessica this huge Atlas that was a bound book. We still have it because it was so nice. She could look up all sorts of maps to answer her questions. We spent a little extra for it but decided with another child 3 years younger, it would be worth it.

I remember one night Jessica was working on her D.O.G. (Daily Oral Geography) as homework and she came downstairs and asked "Mom, it asks what the 5 oceans of the world are but I see more than 5, can you help me?" I looked at the atlas and saw what she was talking about. At that point in her school life, she didn't have easy accessibility to technology. She didn't own a smartphone or iPad because they were not yet invented. We had a family computer but it wasn't seen as a place to go to help with homework.

I remember googling "5 oceans of the world" and one of the first hits was the actual worksheet she was doing all filled in by a teacher. I said "wow!" and Jessica looked over my shoulder and said, "YES!" to which I replied, "You can't just copy the answers." And she didn't. She worked hard to get her answers every week. It was a moment to teach good digital citizenship at my house but it also led me to start thinking deeper about what we ask of students. I didn't expect to find the actual worksheet on the internet and I'm sure her teacher didn't either. There is no blame in this statement, just a fact...I saw the world changing.

This was 2006, 11 years ago. Educational technology was not even a strong game at that point. Out of curiosity I just now googled the same question and in 1.75 seconds I had 1,340,000 results with the first hit being them listed in bold with bullets. What does this mean to education?

I find myself seeing this from several different angles:

• Students becoming positive Digital Citizens. If you are a user of technology, you are a digital citizen- a participant of a community with rules and expectations that are constantly evolving. With educational technology comes faster access to information and opinions. In 2006 the ease to get to "facts" using technology was just the tip of the iceberg. Now that educators are seeing the value of students having authentic audiences, we are suggesting to students to create an online presence of their learning. No longer is it just facts that can be googled but also opinions of other students across the world. With the mapping of curriculum (which prevents gaps for students if they leave one district for another) being somewhat the same from district to district the ability to find answers to the assignments placed before students becomes easier and easier. More than ever before it is important for us to set well explained boundaries and expectations for our students. When is it ok to use technology for learning and when is it not? Teaching students the value of the process of learning, not just the end results on a worksheet for a grade is important because when I google "write my paper" I have 212,000,000 hits in .42 seconds. To think our students are not doing things like this is naive at best. Spending time in each class setting digital citizen expectations is crucial to helping students navigate and choose to be students of integrity.
• Teachers asking intentional questions. More than ever before I think it is imperative that we look at education differently. Access to information is at the fingertips of our students (even in elementary school). When do we, as educators, ask easily Googleable questions? When do we allow technology to answer those questions for our students? How does homework fit into the easy accessibility of answers in today's world? What information is now "worth" memorizing? Who decides what required facts to purge in this day of easy accessibility? How do we make sure students are truly answering from their knowledge bank and not their ability to ask Google good questions? What's the value of worksheets in a world where you can find the answers and fill in the blanks in about 3 minutes? How do we make sure students are learning how to use tools beyond technology? When are shortcuts ok? When are they not? If Google can answer a question, is it a worthy question to be asking our students in preschool? elementary? middle? high? advanced?
• School Culture changing to adopt more critical thinking goals. Does technology mean we should be rethinking the way we teach? In the past, the teacher was the giver of all knowledge. Now students are both learning and creating in their own way, on their own time. Does this mean we need to be looking beyond the practical and pushing students to critically think about that easily accessible information? Is this why project based learning, cross-curricular integrated units, genius hour, and personalized learning is becoming significantly more popular? Is this why schools are trying to shift away from grades-based learning to competency-based learning? Is there a better way for students to prove their understanding not just their compliance to educational norms?

I'll be honest, even as an instructional technologist, I find the possibilities for education in the future mind boggling. I want to make sure we are being student centered as we adopt and adapt education. I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water but I also want to know we aren't accepting antiquated ways of doing things "because we've always done it this way." And so I ask the question again..."what is the value of Googleable questions?" and "What new expectations should we be placing on students?"

Boom...drop the mic.

I believe dreams and goals are important to finding and maintaining professional happiness. I tend to have a restless need for bettering myself, trying new things, and pushing my comfort zone a bit.

As a related arts computer teacher for nine years, I never had the same lesson plans from year to year because I needed the change and challenge to stay content. I was content in the role of a classroom teacher because it was a very compartmentalized part of my life during a very busy part of my "Mom Life." 

As I stepped out of the classroom teacher role to the tech coach role three years ago, my bent to restlessness increased- to some extent I "blame it" on Twitter. The truth of the matter is, blame isn't the right word- attribute would be. Twitter has opened my world to innovation by the multitudes. I'll be honest, when you think of an accountant turned teacher I'm probably not the mold you expect. I've always had a need to be creative. This might explain why accounting didn't end up being a long term calling! But I digress. 

Here is my current dilemma...finding value and contentment where planted. Like never before I see so much potential in educational technology. I enjoy the opportunities I've been given to be a part of prototype models of blended learning and leading a 1:1 iPad initiative for fifth graders this year at my school.  I also love that I have a voice in the Twitterverse, have been given opportunities to speak at conferences, and can share my edu thoughts within my blog, that's for sure. BUT I also struggle greatly with being patient with the rate of change I see towards innovative thinking and the slow trek to being more student-centered in educational institutions. It's a ME problem. I see potential not being tried. I see innovative people that just need some wind beneath their wings. I see students needs not being met. And I want to make a difference.

My one word for 2016 was BETA- I see it as a willingness to try things that are not status quo but also already being implemented by others so not necessarily cutting edge, but I think many people see me more as a one word personality of TECHFORWARD. (Yes, that was a made up combo word.) I don't believe in tech for tech sake but I am living in a world where I can see well used tech making significant differences in the lives of students towards better learning.

When does one know when enough is enough? I know we can't implement every awesome thing I see or hear about. How does one choose the best path for the environment one is planted in? LMS or no LMS? Blended? Flipped? Disruptive? All these things sound like a technology rollercoaster. No wonder so many people fear the thought!

My prayer is that as a technology coordinator I will always be able to find my balance and be perceived as an educator that sees value in balance. I fear that because I tend to use social media to speak into my learning, it sometimes makes people defensive that I'm going to try to force them into something. That is never my goal. I believe wholeheartedly that those who work with me often know that about me.

As an instructional technologist I often take part in Twitter chats that talk about moving teachers to the next level in tech integration, teachers that refuse to change, and about an unwillingness of school cultures to move forward but I also know not every lesson needs to be tech-enriched, not every student thrives with every technology option, and there is so much prep that goes into those statements of disappointment that are often shared by my tech integrationist friends. 

What a rambling mess this post feels like. I guess my point is I want to be an approachable educator that is valued and respected where I'm planted. 

Fast Forward: What does a future educational technologist look like?

In 2007, I was a part-time related arts computer teacher in an elementary school with a desire to learn more. That year, I received my M. Ed. in Instructional Technology. This was prior to tablets hitting the market and the big push to go 1:1 in schools was not yet commonplace. I remember in some of my classes I was taking I was dreaming about every student having access to their own device all day long. It seemed so foreign to the world I was living in at the time. That was 9 years ago.

In 2016, I am now in year three of being a technology coach/coordinator at the same school. I work with teachers to integrate technology in their classrooms in a variety of ways. Our students consume, create, connect, and curate using technology on a regular basis. We have rolling carts of iPads and Chromebooks at our disposal that are very busy. Our fifth graders this year actually went 1:1 with iPads. I see technology being used as a significantly useful tool in this elementary. I see teachers seeing value in the use of technology in their classrooms.

As I sit in my office, right next door is the office of the curriculum coach. On a very regular basis I hear her discussing some of the same things I am discussing with teachers- the value of standards-based learning, how blended learning benefits our students, what new website/software/app or option is out their to meet individual needs of our students. While the things that intrigue us may be different on these things, we both find ourselves looking closely at the same things often. I am thankful that she and I work really well together. There are days we have meetings that I think "wow, we tag team this very well." We share things we have heard about with each other often. She starts from the curriculum side of evaluating options and I see the options from a technology feasibility standpoint. But there are times when it is reversed. I see a curriculum need from being in a classroom and she sees where technology just isn't working for what we wanted for whatever reason.

It got me thinking, what will 2021 look like for educational technologists? What will be the needs here at this school? When I started working her in 2003 I was an instructor of keyboarding. My role, responsibilities, and expectations were very exact. Look at how this has changed! I see things being asked of me that I am not equipped to answer yet because I have no training in these areas so I am on the fast track of learning these concepts to be the support I need to be. Technology integration opens the door for me to now need a good understanding of classroom management, standards based learning, curriculum mapping in terms of blended learning opportunities, and so on. What does the educational technologist look like in the future? Does the name go away because every teacher will be implementing it in various ways to meet needs? Does the position go away because teachers don't need the help anymore? OR....

Does this persona become something all together different in the next 5-10 years? Someone that takes part in any type of innovative change. I think in the future technology is going to be such a seamless part of the educational landscape that the needs that I am currently fulfilling here will become less and less. I do believe that the future will be initiatives where I walk hand in hand with innovative-minded educators that see a need and have a passion to try something new or different to find a solution. I see this role being a resource, support, encouragement, a pusher of new ideas. I see future educational technologists as an evaluator of work flow, a beta tester of buzz words, an educator that creates a safety net for challenges and change and lastly, a handholder for those that fear.

All Things EduTechie- The Best of 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I look back over All Things Edutechie and give you the top 10 most read posts this year. I am not one of those "blog once a week" educators. I am more "blog when the spirit hits you." Sometimes that is 3 times a week, sometimes that is every two weeks, but regardless I try to transparently share what has touched my heart, rattled my brain, or caused me to say "aha...this" on a regular basis.

I would be remiss without thanking each of you for taking the time to read my blog posts and giving me feedback on them. What an honor it was to be recognized by EdTech Magazine as one of the top 50 k-12 I.T. blogs. Professionally speaking, I know this year will be remembered for that achievement. I'm still blown away with seeing my name listed with so many of my eduheros. 

Without further ado, here is my 2015 top 10 blogposts. If you missed some of them- here is your chance to catch up!

1. How I Set up Periscope for Professional Development Talks
2. Important Characteristics of a Technology Coach
3. The Four P's- The Future of Edtech
4. Why Was Doogie Howser An Anomaly?
5. The REAL Digital Divide
6. Time Management of Devices
7. She's More Than a Filled Seat in Your Seating Chart
8. Julie Davis: Blending Classroom Learning Since 2007.
9. Open Letter to THE NEW KID
10. Are Brain Breaks All They Are Cracked Up To Be?

Edtech Empowerment or the Lack Thereof

Why does it have to be all or nothing? Why are the camps of "anti-tech" and "all in for tech" filled up to the maximum, with big giant fortresses of THIS IS OUR STANCE built around them. It's not to keep the others out, heavens no...each camp does its best to lure the very few undecided to its camp, but the question remains "Why is the divide so big?"

To start with I was quite offended and bumfuzzled by anyone that couldn't see the value of using technology in the classroom. I'll be quite honest, I still scratch my head in dismay at the educators that draw a line in the sand and say "students can't learn this way" or "students can't create this way" or "students can't read this way." If you watch this generation we are teaching very long, you will see there are no longer any stigmas to the way they are willing to use technology for learning. You will also see that they are doing it well- it isn't an adjustment for them, it is their norm.

When my role first changed to a technology coach, it angered me when teachers refused to use technology in the classroom. I mean come on, we are mandating BYOT at different levels at our school. You've been given an iPad and a laptop- you had some days of learning about Notability, GAFE, LMSs, and classroom management of devices...get on board. BUT my EdTech model has changed over the last 2 years.

So what if a teacher still wants to use their overhead projector? So what if a teacher doesn't want to change the way they do things and only allow students to use technology to take notes?  What use to make my skin crawl now makes my spidey senses tingle with possibilities. What I am learning is that most teachers just want to hear some concrete ideas and they might be willing to try something new. They don't want you to teach them the latest, greatest technology or app- they want ideas on how to implement it in their classrooms. They need time to mull it over, process its benefits, they want to know you will be there to talk it through with them. Sometimes they want their hand held as they move forward because they are great teachers and they don't want that to change because they are taking a chance on something new. Sometimes they want to see it in action first- in fact, oftentimes this alone is a catalyst for change.

So what does this mean to me? How did I change? I try to spend a major amount of my time researching, designing, and listening.

• Researching- The area of EdTech has to be the fastest changing source of curriculum out there. One day teachers are all upset that they can't double space in an app and the next day, the app let's them do double spacing. It is my job to stay current, connected, and cooperative. I need to constantly be looking for new things for my teachers through my professional learning networks and I need to take seriously the demands/concerns my teachers have with current technology and be cooperative to helping them find a balance if something doesn't work for them. It is my job to look for new solutions to new and old problems. It is my job to hark the benefits of EdTech that just gets better and better at individualizing student's learning.
• Designing- I am trying very hard not to just say "Hey, I heard about this great formative assessment tool called Kahoot. Take a look at it!" Instead I say, "Hey do you have a minute? I want to show you this formative assessment tool and help you brainstorm ways it might help you in YOUR classroom." When I am given the opportunity to do professional development opportunities with my teachers I don't just say "15 apps in 15 minutes" because some teachers can't wrap their heads around that shotgun method of learning. Instead I lump apps in categories (with screen shots for later) and I give examples of how "I might use creative writing apps in a center." The teachers can then go back and see which one of those creative writing apps appeals most to them but they already have an idea in their toolbox for how to use whichever they might pick.
• Listening- Dogmatically mandating certain things in the classroom often doesn't work well. It is human nature to push back when we feel forced to do things. I must add here that it still angers me that some refuse to implement at all, but only because we are a BYOT mandated school and we are not being good stewards of our constituencies money if we don't take implementation seriously. That being said, there are very few teachers that aren't willing to say "yeah, I probably could make this lesson a bit better." It is my job to hear their needs and desires and see if technology is a good fit for that lesson. It is my job to hear their hearts and help ease their fears. I can't passively sit around and wait for someone to come knock on my door to ask for EdTech help. The only teachers that do that are the ones that are already implementing. I must actively reach out to the hesitant and make suggestions. I must find opportunities for them to see good EdTech in action and send them there.

Supporting EdTech in a school is messy. It is a roller coaster of highs and lows for me at this point. I still find myself wanting to shake my fist at things but I am also seeing change comes not from pushing (although I 100% believe EVERY SINGLE TEACHER should be required to participate in some form of technology professional development every single year if they are in a technology mandated environment). There is proof in the pudding, so to speak. We are no longer in an age of "Oregon Trail" and Microsoft Paint being sold as educational software. Technology is making a difference in learning. It can no longer be ignored. Millions of dollars go into developing newer and better ways to enhance a student's learning experience beyond the traditional. I don't want it to replace the teacher- I want the teacher to be able to spend more time doing what drove them to education anyways- being relational with the students, allowing time for passionate discussions about subject matter...being difference makers with the tools at hand.

Bringing Tidbits Home From #ISTE2015

As I look through all the things I learned about at ISTE 2015, here is my top list of "MUST USE ASAP" options. Some of these are "where have you been all my life" type things, others are "Wow, that answers issues I've had for a while," still others are "now that is filling a need I see on a regular basis!"

www.photosforclass.com

HERE IT IS! A filtered safe place for teachers and students to go search for photos for presentations and the citing information appears at the bottom of the photo at download! No more

excuses-seems safe, effective, and the database seems sufficient. We spend time teaching our students how to cite work proficiently, this helps!  

Math Shake iOs App

Math Shake - Problem Solving Through Word Problems- aimed at 9-11 year olds, but great for any student that struggles with learning how to discern the needed versus extraneous facts in a problem in order to solve. There are six levels to meet 6-14 year olds needs!

1 Second Every Day iOs phone app

This app appeals to me as a teacher that wants to record the awesomeness of my school year and to share with my parents. You take one photo/video a day of your choice and at the end of the year you have a chronicle of your school year to share with others. What parent wouldn't enjoy seeing their child's "second grade journey"? I am definitely going to use this to chronicle my tech coaching opportunities throughout the school year. It will allow me a unique way to show the positive technology integration being done at my school for the stakeholders to see.

TOUCHCAST

Touchcast is a video studio and editor. A Touchcast video is web browsable and alive. It has green screen and teleprompter capabilities. I plan on using it this year to create some instructional "how to" and "look at this!" videos regarding educational technology.

RWT TimeLine App

RWT TimeLine app is a timeline app that "allows you to create a graphical representation of events or processes sequentially along a time line." What I like about this app is that it has a "drag and drop" function if something is added out of order and you can add images as well. I've been in search for a great timeline app for a while- I think this one may be the answer. Free in iTunes store.

www.educanon.com

www.eduCanon.com allows teachers to flip classrooms or share video instruction interactively! At any point, a video can be stopped and assessed for understanding. "Use video to differentiate and engage, promote self-paced learning with pause & rewind."

www.newsela.com

Common core means building reading comprehension with non-fiction reads. Newsela meets that way for your classroom and allows the easiest way to differentiate I have ever seen. Pick the students reading level for a daily news article and go! Current events just got intentional.

Think Star Trek: Next Generation- Technology as an Accelerator

I don't admit this often but there was a time in my life that I didn't miss an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation. Just for the record, before the judgments begin- I didn't have a Trekie costume nor did I ever go to a convention. This admiration is way before I had decided to be a teacher but the idea of holograph rooms, telaportation, and all the gadgets that went along with planet exploration kept my attention week after week. My "hay day" with being enamored with the show was circa early to mid 1990's. I think back to that time and see how real some of those innovative gadgets on that show really are today. For example:

• Augmented reality and holograph technology is here. It's being used in the classroom to pull students in, to give visuals that have never been available before in 3D/4D ability (for instance http://elements4d.daqri.com)
• Wearable technology is here; the weirdness level will become less weird and the price point will continue to drop. We will see more and more of the population, student and beyond, talking into the watch on their arm or blinking to see incoming emails, texts, or videos. Are we all going to be like "Data"?
• While telaportation for humans isn't here, with the use of Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime we can communicate with each other in real-time meetings. With the very recent invent of Periscope and Meerkat we can also be a part of events anywhere in the world in real-time. It's not telaportation but it's getting there.

What does all this mean? Technology is an accelerator- in life and in the classroom. In twenty or so years since I watched Star Trek: Next Generation in an almost non-believable sense of futuristic nonsense, we are seeing those novelties come to fruition. For many of us, the greatest benefit of technology is that it allows us to get more done in a shorter amount of time- not in a lazy sense of "I don't have to work as hard" but in the sense of "I can focus on other things that I never could before" way.

Technology in an accelerator in terms of flipped learning. Students can watch videos and take pre-assessments as homework the night before a new unit and teachers can spend more time working one-on-one with the students in the midst of processing. This approach takes a day of instruction away because it is done at home and allows teachers to have more flexible time to meet curriculum needs.

Technology is an accelerator in terms of the amount and path of learning for our students. We give students topics for research and with a few key strokes they are on their way to discovering insurmountable amounts of information. They then start narrowing down their topic of choice and quickly curate all that information into usable data for the lesson at hand. What once meant going to the library, seeking the card catalog, perusing a few pages of several books, going back to the card catalog, and repeating now has been streamlined because of "one stop shopping" of research due to the Internet. Technology allows students to dig more efficiently. 

Technology is an accelerator in terms of assessment. Software and apps have intricate algorithms built into them that allows teachers to gather data quickly and often to assess student understanding. Teachers now have the ability to personalize learning more than ever before because of this capability.

Technology is an accelerator in terms of communication. In my entire k-12 experience I never once contacted one of my teachers to ask them a question outside of the school day. E-mail didn't exist, teachers didn't give out their home phone numbers, and the culture was different. Today, technology allows teachers, parents, and students to be in more constant contact (for better or worse) to meet the individual students needs in real-time (or at least in much sooner time) than ever before.

I found this quote on Twitter via Fishtree Education this morning and it inspired this blog: "Curriculum is the road, pedagogy is the driver, technology is the accelerator, passion is the gas, student learning is the destination." I like the overarching attitude about education indicated in this quote.

6 Things We Are Failing To Learn and Teach About Technology

I often hear limits put on technology for educational purposes. For example, "students can't create a report on a phone," "students don't comprehend what they read when they read it on a device," "laptops are a better choice for education than tablets." "iPads shouldn't be used for consumption." All these naysayers forget one thing- times are changing and everyone is different. I've watched my 18 year old type an entire paper on her smartphone and then open it up on another device to tweak it. When I asked "why?" her response was "I can text faster than I can type." The path of learning is always changing and our current students are growing up in an age where technology has been and will be the way they continue to choose to learn. We should never want to limit a student in their desire to learn and we shouldn't limit how they choose to use that technology if it aids their learning. 

Some of the limitations I hear placed on technology has to do with the speaker's own perceptions, strengths, and comfort level regarding technology itself. What I am saying here is that every person is different and today's students might just prefer technology-based instruction using all of the 4 C's (curation, consumption, connection, creation), or they might not. I do believe we have a responsibility to help them navigate and learn what works best for them. We have a responsibility to open their eyes to different ways to use technology for learning. In order for educators to fulfill that responsibility, we have to see it as our role as well.

The U.S. Department of Education has a big push right now through the Office of Educational Technology to get our students "Future Ready." Their futures will be technology rich. The Internet will no longer be something you check a few times a day, current students will always have the opportunity to be living in a 24/7 connected world. As wearable technology keeps evolving, the price point will keep decreasing, and technology will become less optional. So how do we, as educators, prepare our students for that type of life?

I see schools integrating technology into the curriculum to give students good usage skills. I see with that, students viewing technology as more than just a place to play games or access social media. I see schools believing in and teaching good digital citizenship lessons. I also believe there are some things we aren't doing that we need to take more seriously. Below is a list of things I think we need to constantly address with our students and children:

1. Technology is disruptive. When students stay signed into their social media and allow notifications to "contact" them on their devices, they are asking for trouble. When your technology is calling out to you all day long while you are in the classroom, it becomes very hard to ignore it. Even if you don't check your technology, your thought processes change from whatever you were learning to wondering what it is you are missing- concentration is broken, attention span is shortened, learning becomes fragmented. Students should do themselves, their grades, their educator, and their parents a favor and disconnect from the personal uses of technology and use their device as an educational tool while at school. I suggest that everyone try it for a short amount of time (not hours- week/weeks) and see if they don't feel more connected to their learning.
2. Switch-tasking is a thief. People have been multi-tasking for years- TV on, radio on, in a noisy area- trying to study. Some people can do it, but most people don't do it well. The problem is that those same "most people" think multi-tasking doesn't affect them. One of my favorite ways to show people the harm switch-tasking has on their concentration is to follow the steps in this video: http://youtu.be/BCeGKxz3Q8Q. We tend to realize switch-tasking affects us but this video gives us a more concrete way to see just how much it steals from our thought processing. In today's world, it is almost habit to check our phones regularly. Being intentional about not switch-tasking has to be a conscientious act. We should be "testing" our students to see what switch-tasking does to them so that they can learn how they best learn.
3. Limiting yourself is not bad. We are a gluttonous society. We want all that we can have and then we want an extra helping. Students are the same way about technology. By teaching students the disadvantages of disruptive technology and switch-tasking, we also can help them to see that they can set self-imposed sanctions regarding how much technology they use a day. There are time-tracking apps out there to start analyzing just how much time you are surrendering to technology. There are apps and software that parents (or students themselves) can put on their devices to not only see where their students are spending their time but also limit accessibility time all together. We, as educators, have a responsibility to help the student that struggles with overuse and potential addiction problems. We should be watching and meeting, analyzing and encouraging students to see what their kryptonite is regarding technology usage. We should be offering ideas to help them avoid pitfalls. We should be suggesting accountability partners for those that struggle. We should be telling parents about ways to limit device usage (see Curbi Parental Controls for iOS), other than just the plain old every day discipline of taking a device away or sitting beside a student while they use technology (by the way, these two things are the best way to be proactive with our children).
4. Unplugging has advantages. We know that not all lessons are better with use of technology. We all know that face to face dialogue where you can read body language, nuances, and tone makes for more understandable communication. We not only know that technology has limits but we know that a beautiful day should beckon us to come explore, that the TV should be shut off, that video games should be ignored, and that the people in our lives should be invested in face to face. We have a responsibility to force kids to see the world beyond their devices because sometimes demanding is what it takes. I'm not talking about "I don't want you using technology in my classroom, period." I'm talking about, "today we are not using devices because this lesson calls for something different." By taking those moments, we teach our children the benefit of talking to friends without those distractions in their social life as well. We teach them that "phones away at the supper table" isn't because their parents are mean, but because their parents want to know them. We teach them that certain conversations, topics, and people are best addressed without a device and there is value in learning that.
5. Relevance is relevant. Deep, huh? But how often have you been having a conversation with someone and they are also doing something on their phone and you realize they haven't been listening at all? I'm guilty of being that person, especially with my own children sadly, but I know what it feels like to be the one being ignored. Teaching our students to "be in the moment" is a critical life skill. Technology has caused rudeness. We have a responsibility in teaching our students when phone checking is appropriate and when it isn't. We also have the responsibility to teach them, by example (talking to myself here), to be all in when communicating face to face.
6. Bad tech choices will bite back. I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the elementary students I teach now will have their digital footprint traced deeply when looking for jobs when they get out of college. I think there will be footprint tracing companies that other companies will call when they are looking at a candidate for a job and they will look at the posts on social media, photos on the web, comments by googling a name, etc to give those companies an idea of what type of person their candidate is. These tracing companies will give them ideas on their character, work ethic, and stability based on things posted in their past. I believe this will happen because it is already happening on a smaller scale with many employers doing their own searches now. Someone will monopolize on this "need" and it will just be one more step in the process of being hired. What we know about the ease of tracing a digital footprint is only going to get more precise. We must prepare our students for this world.

As a technology integrationist, I see the benefits of technology in the classroom daily but I also see things we need to be doing better. Improving my teaching in these areas improves my students for their future. I owe it to my students to share these things with them as I see patterns developing. Educational technology integration is always morphing and new things enter our realm constantly. We must always adapt, react, accept, challenge, and weigh to best meet the needs of our students academic success.