WARNING! IT ISN’T ALL RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE: THE SIDE EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY AND NEXT GENERATION CLASSROOMS

Both private and public schools are investing millions of dollars in technologies without any accountability measures to monitor the impact that these technologies have on the social development of students in face-to-face learning environments. The proper integration of technology into 21st Century and Next Generation face-to-face learning environments has been proven to add greater benefit to the student learning experience. Buzz words such as ‘Flipped Instruction’ and ‘Blended Learning’ have become common phrases that permeate teachers’ lesson plans and their discussions in faculty lounges.

In this presentation, I will describe my observations as a middle-school and high-school Science, Technology, Engineer and Math (STEM) and Humanities teacher, the Chair of the Continuous School Improvement (CSI) Committee, Educational Technologist, and colleague of international teachers who offer classes for grades ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Specifically, I will share my observations and the challenges faced when striving to strike the delicate balance between nurturing both the technological and social development of young people in the modern learning environment. I will provide strategies that I have used to manage my classroom to decrease or avoid the serious side effects of improper “technological prescription”, and/or “dosages” to cure classroom ills, to include: inauthentic communication, underdeveloped interpersonal skills, technology co-dependency for teachers and students, deterioration of good manners, selfishness, social loafing, stifled creativity, and decreased problem solving and critical thinking skills. Students need to be empowered and provided opportunities to practice interpersonal skills that enable them to relate to the world in their personal and professional lives.

The goal of this presentation ultimately is to highlight the paralleling need for discussion and strategies that ensure that face-to-face classrooms fosters holistically nurturing, supportive, and complimentary digital learning environments.