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How does technology not only supplement, but enhance student learning in the secondary education English classroom?

When asked about why they chose their course of study, a variety of pre-service secondary education English teachers give some sort of explanation about how they love reading and writing and the creativity and exploration granted by those activities, as well as some sort of desire to help students find joy and success in those same activities. From the few classmates I have spoken with, I've found that many are reluctant to utilize technology in this effort. The same is true for current secondary education teachers in the field. According to Applebee's research in 2011, “The Common Core Standards emphasize the appropriate use of technology beginning in the elementary grades, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress has begun to assess students’ writing achievement using computers and word processing software. In spite of such developments, teachers have been slow to embrace these no-longer new technologies” (22). Why might we be reluctant to embrace technology in the classroom?

 I think it has something to do with viewing technology and English Language Arts content as binaries rather than working towards the same goal: literacy for all. What about the original reader's experience that I came to love? What about the physical texture of well-worn pages that easily turn? Or that of the new ones that are so smooth and crisp they stick together and you are afraid to turn down the corner because the crease would be so strong? What about the smell of a good library book? What about the excitement of holding your own edition of Harry Potter? Why shouldn't we encourage students to find this same experience?

 So far I've only brought up the original reader's experience, but many have similar feelings towards writing. Currently, teachers are happy to require student use of word processing for writing, however, "students seem to mostly use word processors as a powerful typewriter, with little embedding of video, audio, or graphics" (Applebee 23). What's wrong with only using a computer as a glorified typewriter? I'm so glad you asked!  

Technology is part of our daily lives.

In Janet Swensen's 2006 article, "Extending the Conversation: New Technologies, New Literacies, and English Education," she explains that the "Newer [and] repurposed technologies and literacies are changing our daily lives, including our conceptions of ourselves, those around us, and the world we co-inhabit." The effect that these innovations have had on the lives of individuals exists on a spectrum. On one end, "they don't own and don't plan to own a computer or cell phone, a personal digital assistant or digital camera." On the other end are "those who are now life coaching, or 'collecting, storing and displaying one's entire life, for private use, or for friends, family, even the entire world to peruse' in an Internet environment" (Swensen 352). Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

 However, more than a decade after Swensen's article and almost 9 years after the implementation of the common core, technology has become an "integral part of our lives, whether for business, education, or personal use. High school teachers can capitalize on this phenomenon to enrich literature discussions" and the entire learning experience (English 56). A majority of the adolescents we will be working with fall closer to the life coaching side and interact with technology on a daily basis. They have grown up with computers, cellphones, tablets, videogames, etc.  Because "newer technologies are change agents whose effects are so pervasive they influence our thinking and ideologies," technology has literally already played a significant role in students' cognitive development and their abilities to read, write, and learn (Swensen 352).

 To be brief, if we want to reach our students, helping them engage and learn (and accomplish common core objectives), then we NEED to embrace the idea of implementing technology in the classroom. To explore other specific reasons for embracing technology to enhance student learning in the secondary education English classroom, check out my posts on the "Tech Blog" page.

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