The tool or the learning outcome?

As I investigate the possibilities for incorporating technology into schools, reading all the articles and speaking to colleagues, I become more and more astounded that educational settings are dubbing themselves as ‘Apple’ or PC, Edmodo or Google.  While all have excellent possibilities, I started to question:

“Are we putting the tool before the use?”

Technology as we all know has advanced so rapidly over the last twenty years that it’s really no surprise that schools are clambering to not only keep up but to use the technology that many know in their heart is an excellent way to engage today’s learner however when a school is only using one tool, I question how they are making decisions in regards to its use.

Technology in its most basic form is a tool that can be used to perform tasks more efficiently (in the hands of a skilled user) and often in a more personalized manner.  For example, think of a spreadsheet program (Excel, Numbers, etc), in the hands of a proficient user, data can be added, analysed and synthesised to create opportunities to deeply examine trends and possibilities. It can be tweaked to take nuances in the group into account. However in the hands of the general user, spreadsheets are a chance to put in numbers and have them added at the end with no thought to the context or user requirements, all the while using pretty colours to indicate high and low values.

This metaphor can be applied to education. If we use the technology in unskilled hands, then it becomes a toy with a lot of flash and not a great deal of substance. Technology in the hands of a skilled educator can become a tool that enhances learning by engaging students and personalizing education as never before.  So back to the original question, when we limit ourselves to a particular form of the tool, are we limiting the school community to a restricted version of the tool belt.  And if we are limiting educators to one tool type then the question becomes: “How do I incorporate this tool into teaching and learning?”

At the end of the day, educators are a skilled in the art of teaching and learning who should be able to ask the question: “What is the learning outcome I desire?” before deciding on which tool to use.