Behind the Screens

Three years ago, I entered a high school classroom for the first time after 13 years. Not much had changed since. The same motivational posters, albeit new, more inclusive versions, hung around the room.

The first period bell rang, and watching the students shuffle into the class provoked what I can only describe as a desire to return to a simpler time.

After delivering a much-rehearsed introduction, they took out their Chromebooks and started their work, all of which was on Google Classroom. A few students attempted to “discreetly” use their phones instead of doing their work.

Something that struck me was the fact that even the ones disengaged with the assignment, those we refer to as unmotivated learners, were still engaging with a screen.

I suspect there is a divide among people. Some think technology supports learning, while others think it hinders it. Given the presence of the Chromebook in the classroom, I think the scales tip in favor of the former.

The reality is that technology can do both. If we begin there, we can design a better learning environment.

The observations I made on my first day as a sub changed my desire to become a teacher, at least in the traditional sense, and it wasn’t the behaviour issues.

I actually don’t think student behavior has changed all that much from when I was in school. What has changed is how the issues are handled. Consequences for actions have been replaced by affective responses. Only time will tell if this is a good change.

My desire for teaching changed when I realized the learning opportunities waiting behind the screens. Even now, with more experience and many classrooms visited, I’ve come to understand that the learning needs of people, not just students, must be grounded in empathy.

It was my background in user experience design that led me to think deeply about what it means to experience learning. I made the connection between experience and learning, which led me to instructional design.

Design boils down to caring. Without empathy and seeing the whole person, not just as a student on a roster or just another employee going through a learning module, we fall back to a bias that will leave us thinking that technology either supports or hinders learning.