Not Your Mama's Computer Class

Technology class is not about the technology.

Shocking that a technology teacher is saying this? Maybe, but stop for a moment and think how technology is used in the world around us. How many people stop to learn the tech before they use it? Instead they use the tech in a specific context, thus learning how to use the tech as they use it in a meaningful, purposeful way.

This week I joined the #connectedTL, connected teacher leaders, Voxer chat as they discussed "To Lab or Not to Lab" in terms of the relevancy of the traditional computer lab classroom in schools. I currently teach in a traditional computer lab classroom, the one with rows and rows of computers on tables, but what happens in my classroom is no where near what happens in a traditional computer lab.

I view my roll as the technology teacher like an octopus, reaching my arms into every content, finding ways to incorporate all subject areas into my classroom, so we have meaningful and purposeful ways to use our technology. I very rarely teach the tech tool, but I do have my students play and explore with it when we get started with a project, so they have a sense of how to use the tech. Then, it becomes all about the content and how we can use the tech to create something about or with our content. This leads to cross-curricular projects and stand alone technology class projects.

Students working on creating a better backpack during a design thinking unit.

             

Students filming a dark voyeur shot for one of their filming projects.

   

Working with my colleagues this year has helped me sure up my vision that my technology classroom is a place for making, designing, and problem solving as we become tech savvy. As my colleagues use more and more tech in their content area classrooms, the more my class can become the space where we take creating with tech to new levels and perhaps get into truly innovating. This will also lead to more complex and exciting cross-curricular projects as long as I continue to view myself as the octopus, reaching my arms into every content. That is the way the "computer lab" should be, certainly not your mama's computer class.