Tech or Teach: Are They Complementary?

At Newburyport High school, a 1:1 technology program was initiated post-covid, which equipped every student with a personal device, to be used in the classrooms. Now that school life has normalized, issues with technology have become apparent in classrooms. Does this dual paper-technology approach to learning help or harm students?  The answer is “yes”.

In 2020, during covid, technology was a necessity. Classrooms all moved to online learning to adapt to the pandemic lockdowns. Coming off covid, though, teachers had a hard time engaging students in person after teaching through straight technology, And while the  1:1 program was introduced post-covid, Newburyport, like many Massachusetts school systems, was  investigating it years earlier. Nationwide, technology has been an increasing presence in classrooms for a decade.

In a recent study by UConn, it is shown that 46% of K-12 students say they use a computer or tablet in the classroom every day; 58% of students say they use a smartphone for schoolwork; 42% of K-12 students learn about new technology on their own. Of course technology can make education more accessible and inclusive, but is there a line with the use of technology in classrooms? 

As for Newburyport High School, Mrs. Cote, a teacher of 15 years, says “Oh yeah, and I think that’s where we all struggle, is that we are not sure when to use technology for an engaging activity, and then when to put it away. I think sometimes it's like ‘oh we have it? Let’s use it!” 

Now, is technology in classrooms affecting student performance? Well to answer, we have to look at classrooms before technology and after the widespread use of technology. We ask, is there less involvement in schools, less academic rigor? Cote says prior to relying on technology-based instruction, “students were a little bit more academically competitive. They liked to, in a classroom, be the one who got the A, and joke with each other, push each other in a very friendly competition way.” , she also  mentions that there is a slight maturity difference compared to her early classes, “I felt like they were certainly more able to adjust, they could be like “oh ok, let me figure that out” instead of like, “let me call my mother” or “let me text my friend” There was a little bit more planning, so they had to have more executive functioning, and how do i make sure this happens.” Technology allows you to be more dependent on others with quick and easy communication, so students may appear less independent than previous classes.

Though another view is that technology helps students learn in classrooms and allows for more efficiency for not only the students, but the teachers. Ms. Taggart, a teacher of 26 years, says “it made my life a whole lot easier. Because instead of writing and making transparencies through a copy machine, I could easily just change what I had on my computer. And if I didn’t like the flow of things in the class I could easily change it. Or if I felt like I spent too much time, or not enough time, I could easily change my lesson plan which was FANTASTIC.” As for maturity levels, Ms. Taggart finds no difference over the years, “I haven't really thought about that too much. So would I say my students are more mature than the ones I had 20 years ago, I don't think so. Are they less mature? I don't think so. Teenagers are teenagers are teenagers and everybody grows up at their own rate.” 

Though both teachers agree on the use of technology post-covid, hoping that with the students large amount of screen time over covid, the school would try and drive it down, yet it stayed about the same. In fact school administered tests are increasingly switching to the online format, such as AP tests, or the SAT. Both Taggart and Cote hate this change. Is it a higher efficiency  that drives the changes, or is it fear of schools falling behind on trends while the new years of students keep advancing with it? Cote believes it is both, while Taggart says it is 100% efficient and grading using the online format is a much faster process. 

Ultimately, the discussion may be moot. Whether due to higher efficiency or a fear of schools falling behind on trends while the new years of students keep advancing with it, the trend of technology in the classrooms is unlikely to reverse. Both sides believe that if a line were to be drawn with the use of technology, it starts with teachers. Every class, student and teacher is different and technology use will be different for even the different subjects, such as math, or english. Some students have  the ability to self-regulate, others may need a push to stay on task. Some programs or games may benefit the teachers' lesson plans. It is the best idea to let teachers decide where this line will be drawn.  Cote says, “this is great use of technology and my kids are growing, " or “this is where i use technology and the kids aren’t getting any better at this, so maybe i pull it out of this one”. Teachers have also voiced the growing concerns for AI interfering with classrooms, and how that would look. Would we have to restrict all technology to try and avoid AI? How high will plagiarism rise? It is important to teach the students about this since AI development will only grow, as well as teaching students the importance of self-regulation to co-exist with technology in classrooms. 

Eilish Nye