Rethinking Educational Technology in Elementary School
I’ve been lurking on edu twitter for a long time, and one argument in particular stands out to me: If a family works hard to curtail screen time at home, but then the school just gives their child more screen time, what has actually been accomplished?
This made me realize something uncomfortable - we as educators cannot afford to be part of the problem.
But here’s where it gets complicated: I’m not anti-technology. I’m a music teacher AND an extracurricular STEM teacher. I use 3D printing extensively. I build digital tools. I believe technology has incredible power to transform education.
The question isn’t whether to use technology. The question is how and when and who is using it.
The Critical Distinction: Teacher-Facing vs Student-Facing Technology
There are different kinds of technologies we use as educators. I’m not worried about a presentation board. I’m not worried about a teacher using a projector to show the whole class something, or even as a companion to a presentation. Regardless of it’s efficacy, many teachers simply give theiir lessons from a slide deck. That’s teacher-facing technology, and it can be incredibly powerful.
What concerns me is student-facing technology in K-2 - individual students sitting at Chromebooks doing self-directed work, adaptive AI math programs for first graders, screen-based activities that replace physical learning materials.
Many elemntary schools in my area have chromebooks 1-1 and use them extensively. First and second graders spending significant time on individual devices, often doing work that could be accomplished with flashcards, manipulatives, or direct instruction.
And here’s the thing - while adaptive AI might provide teachers with strong assessment data collection tools, I believe there are other tools we can utilize to collect this data in ways that use fewer screens. I’m actually creating a presentation tool similar to SMART Notebook that allows me to quickly collect data from a whole group, reducing how often students need to do self-directed work on Chromebooks in K-2.
The Problem-Based Learning Trap
We often tout this idea of Problem-Based Learning as the pinnacle of education. But when you boil it down, PBL requires foundational skills. You can’t teach a concept with a new technology tool without falling back to rote instruction if basic skills with the technology aren’t there.
Imagine trying to have students design a solution to a problem using CAD software when none or very few of them have ever used CAD software. What happens? Is everyone going to learn CAD software? Or will you as a teacher just choose problems that have solutions already in your students skillsets?
This is why a lot of PBL ends up being activism with posters, slogans and community clean up - because everyone can use markers and pick up trash.
In reality, problems often beg to be solved with specific applications of technology. But unless we give explicit, systematic instruction in the technology, how can we expect our students to use these digital tools well?
The Digital Divide Nobody Talks About
Computer training of students often feels like an afterthought. There is little systematic instruction in how to use computers effectively.
And this contributes to a digital divide that’s getting worse, not better. Ever since 2020, I think it’s hard to deny the fact that nearly every one of our students has access to the internet at this point. The divide is in how one uses it, not in how they gain access.
If a person doesn’t know how to use a computer effectively, how to navigate file systems, how to understand what’s happening behind the touch screen - how will they ever learn to code (there is of course a hot argument as to if you even need to be able to code anymore, but even if the profession of coder is going away, coding is a valuable skil)? How will they take maximum advantage of the tools available to them?
The ease of use that touch devices provide is actually hiding the mechanical understanding that unlocks real power. We’ve made technology so simple to consume that we’re preventing people from learning to create with it.
This problem becomes more pervasive as people rely more on mobile technology. Touch interfaces are wonderful for consumption, but they’re terrible for learning how computers actually work.
The Testing Reality
I’d love to say that K-4 students should have zero student-facing technology and we should wait until middle school to introduce computer skills. But we live in the real world. Students have access to technology outside of school as well.
I’m not sure that 3rd grade is the best time to teach technology, but we are unfortunately forced into this reality as a result of state testing. Students need to know how to use their computers - including very basic things like mouse skills and keyboarding - to take these exams effectively.
And many times, classroom teachers are the ones who must teach these essential skills, often without any systematic curriculum to guide them.
So we’re caught: We need students to develop computer literacy, but we’re concerned about screen time. We need them to understand how technology works, but we’re just teaching them enough to click through a test. We want them to be creators, but we’re only giving them tools for consumption.
What Systematic Instruction Could Look Like
In music education, we have the Kodaly approach - a method to teach music systematically. Solfege before note names. Specific intervals in a specific developmental order. Building complexity gradually based on how children actually learn.
Perhaps there is a need for something similar involving coding and technology. A thoughtful, sequential approach to digital literacy that builds foundational understanding before asking students to solve problems with tools they don’t understand.
I don’t have all the answers about what this should look like. When should students learn about file systems? How do we structure instruction so basic computer operation becomes as natural as using a pencil? These are questions we need to wrestle with as a profession while also balancing the need of encouraging real life skills, including even handwriting.
But I do know this: Assuming youth can use technology in meaningful ways just because it became easier to use is a trap. We all learn from zero. The “digital native” is a myth that’s causing real harm.
Teachers as Makers
My work with 3D printing isn’t really about teaching kids to 3D print. It’s about teachers becoming makers so they can create unique learning experiences.
When I design the xylophone mounts or recorder clips, I’m building teacher-assistant tools - technology that helps educators become more efficient and broadens their abilities to represent content in new ways. Physical manipulatives that reduce screen time while still leveraging the power of systematic design and manufacturing.
This is the kind of technology integration I want to see more of: Tools that empower teachers to do things they couldn’t do before, without simply adding more student screen time.
Three Messages for Educators
If I could talk to a room full of K-4 teachers right now about technology in their classrooms, here’s what I’d want them to hear:
Stop This:
Using student-facing technology for Problem-Based Learning without explicit instruction in the tools first. The digital divide makes this worse - you’re essentially asking students to learn content AND learn the tool simultaneously, and the students who don’t have computers at home will fall further behind. And that’s not even including the problems with AI and assisstants at home.
Start This:
Finding ways to leverage technology as a teacher to become more efficient and broaden your abilities to represent content in new ways. Use presentation tools in new ways. Create physical manipulatives. Build systems that collect data without requiring every student to stare at a screen.
Think Differently About This:
Remember that we all learn from zero. Assuming youth can use technology in meaningful ways just because it became easier to use is a trap. Ease of consumption doesn’t equal ability to create.
The Path Forward
I don’t claim to have all the answers. I’m still figuring out what systematic technology instruction should look like in elementary school. I’m still balancing the reality of standardized testing with my concerns about screen time.
But I am certain of this: We need to be more thoughtful about when, how, and why we put students in front of screens. We need to stop assuming that because technology is ubiquitous, children naturally know how to use it well. And we need to build foundational skills systematically, the same way we teach reading or mathematics.
The goal isn’t to reject technology. The goal is to use it wisely, to teach it systematically, and to ensure we’re using technology productively rather than simply keeping them busy.