You might be surprised that when Anthony Salcito, VP of education for Microsoft speaks with educators around the world and asks them who’s doing a 1:1 laptop program or 1:1 tablet program or 1:1 interactive whiteboard program, he tells those with their hands up :
“Stop doing that.”
He explains that he’s seen whole initiatives centered around various devices to the point that many other useful tools and pedagogy are thrown out the window so the device-driven initiative can be supported. When we do that, we’re focusing on the wrong thing.
Salcito explains that an education initiative should never have technology as the primary focus. Instead, it should focus on learners. When that happens, the real work of purposeful and meaningful learning can take place.
At Microsoft’s Global Forum in Prague Salcito shared that while there are a lot of hot topics that this year’s Partner’s in Learning educators are focusing on, none will be as successful as they could be if we don’t put students front and center before technology. That means having a clear vision on how student learning goals can be supported with technology.
Once we customize our 1:1 learning to students rather than devices, educators can focus on innovative practices like honoring and amplifying student voice, rethinking physical and virtual learning environments, gamification, personalized learning, and more.
Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.
