{"id":1598,"date":"2015-02-09T06:50:26","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T14:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.rsed.org\/?p=1598"},"modified":"2017-12-17T04:26:58","modified_gmt":"2017-12-17T04:26:58","slug":"how-technology-contributes-to-student-character-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipschools.org\/en\/latest-news\/blog\/how-technology-contributes-to-student-character-development\/","title":{"rendered":"How Technology Contributes to Student Character Development"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

As more and more computers and tablets are integrated into schools, some argue that the excessive use of technology can be harmful to students. Though there is validity to those concerns, I know from personal experience that the right balance and leveraging of technology enhances instruction. I\u2019d go even further to argue that the use of these technological tools rather inherently teaches our students several important character traits.<\/p>\n

At first, most students struggle to operate a computer. They have to learn to navigate a keyboard, know what icons to click, and figure out what all the words mean. As soon as something goes wrong and an error message pops up, they panic and demand for help. We\u2019ve all been there, though, and we know that the learning curve can be steep. But as students earn more independence and gain more comfort with using technology over time, they actually begin to develop many soft skills that go beyond teaching them academic content or providing research information.<\/p>\n

For example, allowing students to use a computer or tablet teaches them responsibility. There\u2019s nothing like slapping a huge price tag on an item that will scare a kid into treating something with care. Students are used to being given kid-proof belongings, not getting the trust to handle more expensive items (mostly with good reason). But as soon as we trust them with an expensive tool, they feel the responsibility and trust, \u00a0and know that they need to be careful.<\/p>\n

Once students discover the immense bank of knowledge online, they soon figure out how to access it as well. Students become resourceful, knowing that they can find almost any fact through the world wide web. Whether they\u2019re doing research for a school assignment or searching for a how-to for repairing a faucet, they soon develop the ability to access and apply the information that\u2019s at their fingertips.<\/p>\n

\"tech\"As with all forms of independent work, students develop accountability as they work on their individual programs. More so, with self-paced programs where content is dictated by the progress of the individual user, students aren\u2019t forced to move on to new online lessons as they might be in a regular class lesson. Students get the choice to take their time and coast through lessons or work diligently to excel through. The learners have the ultimate control, and thus they develop self-awareness of their work and ownership of their learning.<\/p>\n

Most of all, students learn how to problem solve while using technology. Though tablets and computers seem more and more advanced, they are still, at the fundamental level, unintelligent robots programmed to do fancy things. They only do what they\u2019re told to do; and so, they don\u2019t always have the capability to problem solve through random issues. Instead, they require users to identify a problem, find the root, and try different strategies to resolve the issue. This is where human intelligence and intuition come in \u2013 in particular, those of our students.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, errors will appear and issues will arise. Whether it\u2019s the software or the hardware, students need to learn how to navigate such issues. At first, students will immediately ask for help with repairing an issue; but as they observe issues get resolved more and more, they figure out how the systems work and develop the courage to try problem solving themselves. They figure out that they can try some tricks (refreshing a page or restarting the system, to name a couple) and see if their hypotheses work. And best of all, students can take advantage of something computers are can do that nothing else can replicate – undo. Nowhere else can someone decide take back a mistake and fix a problem with a quick click of Ctrl + Z.<\/p>\n

In the end, the character building piece of using technology is not the main goal \u00a0we\u2019re definitely more focused on the academic and instructional advantages these tools can offer. However, the secondary benefits of developing the skills of accountability and problem solving \u2013 both 21st century skills \u2013 with our students is worth acknowledging.<\/p>\n

Share your tips for tech in the classroom\u00a0\u279f @RocketshipEd<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Follow Stephen on Twitter\u00a0@stephenqpham.<\/a><\/p>\n

Stephen is a fifth grade STEM teacher at S\u00ed Se Puede Academy and a STEM Integration\u00a0Associate for Rocketship\u2019s network Achievement Team. Stephen is also a part of the\u00a0BetterLesson Blended Learning Master Teacher Project. He grew up in Southern California\u00a0and attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he studied biophysics. After\u00a0graduating, Stephen joined Teach for America and has been teaching at Rocketship ever since,\u00a0now going into his third year. In his practice, Stephen leverages a blended learning approach to\u00a0teach math and science, getting students to apply their mathematical reasoning in a variety of\u00a0ways. Stephen lives in San Francisco and enjoys spending time outdoors with friends.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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