WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.140 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we're really 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:05.759 digging into how technology gets taught in schools, 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:07.780 or maybe what kind of technology. Right, and 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:09.779 how those choices affect students down the line. 00:00:10.019 --> 00:00:12.660 Exactly. We're looking at an article called Diversity 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:15.880 of Computing by Gary Ackerman over at hackscience 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.039 .education. It's a really interesting piece. 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:21.260 It is. And our mission really is to unpack this 00:00:21.260 --> 00:00:26.079 idea. How do the specific computers schools pick 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:28.339 shape? You know, actual student learning and 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:30.620 what we might call real technology literacy. 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:33.000 So let's start where most schools are. You see 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:35.659 a lot of Google suite, lots of Chromebooks and 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:38.399 K -12. Oh yeah, everywhere. And the reasons sound 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:41.759 pretty good on paper, right? They're relatively 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.100 inexpensive, generally easy for IT to manage. 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:46.920 Sure. And schools can kind of outsource the headache 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:49.759 of managing complicated network stuff. Makes 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:51.740 sense from an admin perspective. It does seem 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.380 efficient. But is there a catch? Well, that's 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:56.600 exactly what Ackerman points out. This huge wave 00:00:56.600 --> 00:00:58.920 of adoption. It often happens with, and this 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.299 is his phrase, little skepticism, reflection 00:01:01.299 --> 00:01:03.960 or consideration for what students may never 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:07.540 experience. Ah, OK. So it's efficient, but maybe 00:01:07.540 --> 00:01:10.200 too narrow. That's the argument. It's pragmatic, 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:14.060 sure. But what's the cost to a student's full 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.659 tech education? OK, so let's unpack that. What's 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:19.469 the alternative Ackerman is? pushing for. He's 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:21.989 arguing for basically diversity of computing 00:01:21.989 --> 00:01:25.569 devices, not just Chromebooks, meaning a mix. 00:01:25.950 --> 00:01:28.150 You know, have some iOS devices, some Android, 00:01:28.390 --> 00:01:31.989 Macs, Windows machines, even Linux systems available 00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:34.530 for students. Right, a whole ecosystem. And the 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:37.409 why behind this is key, isn't it? Totally. He 00:01:37.409 --> 00:01:39.950 uses this great analogy. If students only learn 00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:42.989 to click buttons on, say, one specific system, 00:01:43.260 --> 00:01:45.379 their tech literacy. It's like someone who can 00:01:45.379 --> 00:01:47.359 only read one series of books. Or solve just 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.480 one kind of math problem. Okay, I get that. Yeah, 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:52.280 it limits their adaptability. His core idea is 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:54.420 that being exposed to different systems makes 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:57.579 students more flexible and thus more competent 00:01:57.579 --> 00:01:59.859 and competent users of computers later on. It's 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:02.500 about genuine digital fluency, not just knowing 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:05.219 how to use one tool. Precisely, not just platform 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:07.319 -specific muscle memory. Now, here's where it 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:10.250 got really interesting for me. Ackerman talks 00:02:10.250 --> 00:02:13.849 about this almost illogical decision -making, 00:02:14.009 --> 00:02:17.370 he sees. That cycle. Yeah, this pattern. First, 00:02:17.530 --> 00:02:20.030 the tech leaders say, right, we're only buying 00:02:20.030 --> 00:02:22.849 Chromebooks from now on. OK, step one. Step two, 00:02:23.430 --> 00:02:25.650 teachers need new computers for their classes. 00:02:25.979 --> 00:02:28.020 And since the tech decisions have been handed 00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:30.520 off to the tech leaders, who, Ackerman notes, 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.840 often have little teaching experience, the teachers 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:36.319 end up requesting Chromebooks, even if they know 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:38.020 they're not ideal for everything they want to 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:39.560 do. Because what else are they going to ask for? 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:41.460 It's the only game in town, basically. Exactly. 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:45.099 And then step three, the tech leaders see all 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:47.139 these requests for Chromebooks coming in from 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:50.219 teachers. And they think, see? Told you they 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:52.479 love them. Right. They interpret it as proof 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.639 that teachers really like Chromebooks. It's this 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:58.219 weird, self -fulfilling prophecy. Yeah, and that 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:00.199 raises a big question about what students actually 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:03.319 miss out on. The article uses video editing as 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:05.439 an example. You know, maybe you can do some basic 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:07.979 cuts on a web app. Fine. But what if students 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:10.319 want to do, like, multi -track videos, maybe 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.539 with synchronized camera shots, picture in picture, 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.719 you know, more advanced stuff? What happens then? 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:18.039 Often, the response is just, well, other teachers 00:03:18.039 --> 00:03:21.060 get by with the website. Oof. Getting by, that 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:23.060 phrase really stood out. Ackerman hits that hard. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:26.180 He does. He says, very clearly, getting by is 00:03:26.180 --> 00:03:28.699 not what we want of our students in their emerging 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:32.159 technology literacy. His point is that real, 00:03:32.659 --> 00:03:35.560 authentic teaching and learning requires professional 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:39.419 tools. Professional tools. For information access, 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:42.939 manipulation, and creation. And his bottom line. 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:46.240 This cannot be provided with a single computing 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:48.719 platform. You need the diversity. It's a strong 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.060 call, moving beyond just device management to 00:03:51.060 --> 00:03:53.300 actually equipping students properly. So wrapping 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:55.280 up this deep dive, it really highlights this 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.860 fundamental tension, doesn't it, between the 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:00.319 practicalities of running IT in a school. The 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:03.719 administrative ease, the budget. Right. Versus 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:07.000 the, maybe less obvious but critical, need for 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.280 students to get hands on with a range of computing 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:11.960 tools. Not just one. It's about preparing them 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.469 for a messy diverse tech world out there, not 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:18.949 just a single walled garden, getting beyond just 00:04:18.949 --> 00:04:21.550 getting by. Definitely. And thinking a bit bigger, 00:04:21.750 --> 00:04:23.149 maybe the question for you listening is this. 00:04:23.329 --> 00:04:26.310 How do we as a society strike that balance? How 00:04:26.310 --> 00:04:29.430 do we manage the real world constraints of school 00:04:29.430 --> 00:04:32.329 tech budgets and management? While still ensuring 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:34.810 we give students the truly professional, diverse 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:36.889 digital skills they actually need for the future, 00:04:37.089 --> 00:04:40.629 how do we move past just getting by and aim for 00:04:40.629 --> 00:04:41.329 genuine competence?