My IPhone and I are in a relationship, rarely apart and mutually dependent. I was thinking the other day how it all began. Simply enough, it all started so I could be reached anywhere and anytime by telephone in case of an emergency; then, it was a way to organize my calendar on the go; soon, it was my primary professional and social tool-a 24/7 connection blurring the lines between work and play, an ever-present reminder that someone needed something right now all the time.
Digital devices such as, IPhones, Androids, IPads, Tablets, IPods, Netbooks, laptops, desktops (anyone have these anymore?), and E-Readers, are the pen and paper of our time. In a recent survey at Pike High, Over 65% of students had a device that was capable of accessing the World Wide Web and 80% used a digital device for social media. This is a game changer for education. Students have, at their finger-tips, access to the library of human knowledge. As one Florida High School student stated in an article on how technology is impacting education, "The need to know the capital of Florida died when my cell phone knew the answer."
The concept of educators pouring knowledge into the open minds of our youth is an outdated metaphor. Digital devices allow students to consume vast amounts of information relatively easy. But the new economy doesn't want a digital consumer, it wants a digital creator, a digital problem solver, a digital collaborator, a digital communicator.
Last week, a team of parents and educators visited Forysth County Public Schools in north metro Atlanta. They are widely considered to be one of the State's most forward thinking school districts with technology integration. We witnessed students in every classroom using digital devices in a variety of ways. Cell phones, tablets, and laptop computers were as ever-present as one would think a calculator and a textbook would be in an Algebra class. The level of engagement was amazing-students of all ages were using a variety of applications and websites collaboratively with classmates to work toward meeting the curriculum standards.
I left Forsyth County energized about the possibilities, but utterly demoralized when I thought about the competitive advantage the Forsyth students had on our students. I began to compartmentalize a couple of the issues: 1) Infrastructure-even after our million-dollar upgrade, Forsyth Central High School has ten times the bandwidth we do for our entire school system; 2) Support-each school in Forsyth has a dedicated Instructional Technology Specialist planning professional development and supporting technology integration in the classrooms. For us, the journey is indeed a long one, but as a famous Chinese philosopher said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".
