Alan November Speaks to the Newman Faculty

Technology has changed our lives like never before. You can now watch whatever TV program you like whenever or wherever you want. The Internet is in your pocket in the form of a cell phone. And while we are always connected, we are always connected: there is little or no division between our professional, social, and personal lives. For those of us who grew into technology (or haven’t yet grown into it), this can mean growing pains, confusion, and feeling like we are “behind the ball.” But what does it mean for our children, who grew up as digital natives?

 

Here are a few questions to ponder: What is our students’ number-one favorite pastime? (Hint: it rhymes with “Blace-blook.”) What is one piece of technology that kids are never without? When children can google anything, what is there left to teach?

 

Noted education lecturer Alan November spoke to the Newman faculty in a day-long professional development workshop to answer just such questions. A teacher, consultant, and authority on technology and education, Mr. November came to address the impact of pervasive technology on students in general, and Newman students in particular.

 

The lecture was uncomfortable and comforting in turns. Again and again, Mr. November showed that the always-on, universal-access Internet makes old forms of education obsolete. The web has ivy-league lectures for free, the solution to any math problem (showing the work!), and critical analysis of any and every piece of literature that has ever seen the fluorescent glow of a classroom.

 

So should we give up all hope? No! When the students know all of the answers, it’s time to change the lesson. Instead of solving a quadratic equation, a student can make a video showing how to solve one. Instead of identifying a symbol in The Scarlet Letter, a student can compare three societies' views on adultery, and when a lecture is available at home, that can be the homework, and the class time can be used for discussion and workshops.

 

The point of the lecture was to convince us that technology is a tool, not a threat. Instead of keeping students away from its charms, we should have them (and ourselves) embrace it – and leverage its power to make us better educators and students. It’s something that Newman has been doing for years, and will keep doing in the 21st century.