Are we really using New Tools or replacing old Tasks?

“using technology for the sake of using technology” makes it difficult to produce individuals equipped with the skills they will need in the 21st century workforce.

There are so many times that we see a new way to use a current tool, and think we have hit the jackpot on something new and revolutionary. Unfortunately, many times this is not true at all. I loved the article in our explore section ‘The principal of Change Don’t use a Web 2.0 Tool in a Web 1.0 way.’  (http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3307)

The following excerpt from that article really struck a chord with me:

‘Yet, having followers does not mean that you have people who “buy” what you do or whom you are; they use your service because they have to, not because they are loyal. Schools should think about that as well. ‘

That little segment of the article really brings us back to the first quote at the start of this blog entry regarding our use of technology. I have been personally thinking about starting a Technology Twitter account for us to use for communicating information out to parents and students to help educate them about technology. Many of them use smart phones, tablets, gaming systems and computers. However many of them are not knowledgeable in the finer points of responsible usage of these devices. I feel so much of society is using the device “for the sake of using the device” not for making a change.

Then tie in our youth, the millennials, and social media. They feel defined by their social media accounts. If I have 1K followers, then I’m amazing! But do these kids really know 1K people? Are they posting something out there that is life changing for someone else? Are they using social media responsibly or using it to replace normal daily interaction? I mean come on, we all know it isn’t official until it’s Facebook Official.

I challenge each of us to think about our use of new technology tools and evaluate what it is we are really doing. Are we really teaching the kids to use technology in a 21st Century type of way, or just replacing the normal tasks with a piece of technology?