LAUSR

Have you ever paused to think about why technology is essential in education? Is it because we need to prepare students for technology-infused careers (think “drone operator” or “3D printing specialist”)? Is it because kids today are spending countless hours in front of devices and we need to meet kids where they are at? Is it because technology is fun and engaging? While the use of technology in classrooms can engage students in new ways and prepare them for future careers, I do not believe that those reasons alone are sufficient for integrating technology into education. I believe that technology should be used in classrooms and schools when it can afford new teaching and learning experiences that are not possible without the technology. Technology should redefine and transform learning, not just enhance it. What does it mean to redefine learning? It seems like that term is a buzzword in the field of education, but it is rarely defined. According to Puentedura’s (2014) SAMR model, redefinition refers to when technology allows for the creation of previously inconceivable tasks. For example, teachers and students can use social media and webbased tools to interact with peers around the world in real time (Krutka & Carano, 2016) and connect and learn with authors while reading a book, as in the Global Read Aloud Project (Carpenter & Justice, 2017). In these examples, technology is used to break down the walls of the classroom and empower students to become global collaborators. In terms of transforming learning, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (2017) offered a description of what that might look like: