Tech in the Classroom
My name is Evan Cave, and I am pursuing a career in education. With four younger siblings, I have been privy to countless public and private school failures (administrative, infrastructural, you name it). One such issue was the messy switch to online learning during the pandemic from which many have not recovered.
In my opinion, technology and technological advancements are not inherently dangerous. The harm always, always comes from how and where it is used. Generative AI likely has demonstrable benefits—although I have not been privy to them—however, it has been opened to the public and is almost solely being used as a poor excuse for Photoshop. The catastrophic effects AI has on mental health, media literacy, and our environment could most probably be managed if it were not being regularly used by billions of people (Cardillo). My point is, there are undoubtedly beneficial ways to utilize tech in the classroom.
While observing schools in the LA Unified School District, I did not see any classrooms where students had unfettered access to their phones. (Perhaps I just got lucky.) I did notice many of these classes used school-issued Chromebooks for essay workshops and class/group activities. Personally, I think that this is an effective use of media technology. Many of the teachers I had spoken to had ways to monitor and control student screens from their own device. This is mostly conjecture as I have not had experience teaching myself, but I find no issue with running a classroom in this way. Granted, tech usage should be balanced or outweighed by teacher-student and student-student interactions, but that goes without saying.
Cardillo, Anthony. "How Many People Use AI? (Latest 2025 Data)." Exploding Topics, 27 Oct. 2026, https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ai-usage-statistics.
Hi Evan! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on technology usage in classrooms. I also have not been fortunate to witness any sort of benefit Generative AI has been able to provide. Along with AI, I have become sceptical of screen-based technology as a whole, though I wonder if I am being too cynical. I also never saw classrooms where children were given unfettered phone access but I did see school-issued chromebook usage just as you did. I found the chromebooks to be a bad usage of technology, but I think there are nuances with age. I observed elementary classrooms in contrast to your middle and high school experience. I thought the elementary kids were just too young for screens; they seemed to be overly stimulated, which caused them frustration when the screens were removed and seemed to isolate them both from one another and their teachers. I think that older, more developed kids in middle and high school may have drastically different experiences with this as they may be able to handle the stimulation of a screen. However, I still worry about devices isolating kids socially, and the issue educators contributing to already dangerously high screen time.
ReplyDeleteHi Evan, I really enjoyed reading your first post! I also have a younger sibling, so I am also aware of the conditions in which technology is allowed in the classroom. I could not agree more with your sentiment that technology is not inherently dangerous. It really does depend on how students are using it. When I went back to my old high school to conduct my observation hours, I noticed that the teacher did not allow for the students to have their phones during class. This was not the rule when I was in that class only four years ago. I think the idea of Chromebooks is interesting but not something that I am at all familiar with. I like that you found out that most teachers have the ability to monitor the students' Chromebook usage. I think this idea is something that would be useful for students to be able to use technology ethically in class.
ReplyDeleteHey Evan! I’m also pursuing a career in education, but I’m an only child so it’s crazy to hear from someone who has four other siblings. I agree that many of the problems that stem online learning came from the pandemic, and how that sudden transition created bad habits within an academic environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's not that technology is inherently a problem, it’s how it’s being used that is disrupting the flow of a classroom. AI is a whole can of worms in terms of issues, and while generally it’s an amazing tool that can help people in various fields, it’s done nothing but damage in the education field. A point you brought up is media literacy, and how students prefer to rely on AI for thoughts rather than coming to their own conclusion, completely disregarding the work as an extension of the creators.
However, I have to disagree with your view on Chromebooks. I believe that they’re being misused within a classroom, much like how AI is. Teachers tend to just give them iPads or Chromebooks as a way to get a free day for the class rather than actually using it to enhance their education. The standard for using them is at an all time low, and it’s something that isn’t properly being addressed.