Introduction#
Technology is not something that a) needs to be integrated into every lesson and b) is not always beneficial for students. It is important for students learn not only how to use technology for productive, creative purposes and not just as entertainment, and in order to teach cognitive flexibility to approach new technology experiences in a way that promotes approaching emerging technologies with curiosity and exploration versus fear. My concerns with technology integration fall into a couple of categories: privacy concerns and developmental concerns.
Privacy Concerns#
Arantes (2021) wrote about the “servitization of Australian K-12” schools, describing how private industry has become an even larger player in education setting by creating education services that have transitioned from selling tangible products to selling services, and those services can collect data on the students and teachers. The idea that services are using our data to create profiles about us is no longer surprising. However, educators and educational institutions are requiring that students use these products, which means they are requiring students - from very young ages - to provide their data to private companies to build profiles from (Arantes & Buchanan, 2023).
This is where my privacy concerns as an educator come in. Teaching about digital footprint management is a part of digital citizenship curriculum, but educators are requiring students to build their hidden profile as part of their education. Students start this profile before they are literate.
The best way, but not the easiest way, to do this is to only utilize tools that are created with clear data collection and usage policies, ideally policies that do not collect or retain data on children beyond the direct needs of the platforms. As researchers, this could mean utilizing tools that are designed by research teams or non-profit organizations that have clear, stringent data policies. As an educator, this means being mindful of the tools that are used in the various learning environments around the school.
Developmental Concerns#
Developmental concerns are a trickier problem to tackle. Our brains adapt to and are changed by every stimulus we take in. The tools we use to educate are directly impacting student brains, and this is not just the content that educators are attempting to instill.
Research on gamification shows that gamification of learning can have a positive impact on motivation and engagement (Mohammed et al., 2024). These researchers accredit this to self-determination theory, positing that the points & badges lead to higher engagement and autonomy, which increased intrinsic motivation. However - the motivation comes from the external stimuli of points and leaderboards. Is that intrinsic motivation, or is that digital token economy in action?
When we are considering the types of tools (and games) to be used in the classroom, the speed of the graphics, the text, the random drops of prizes, and the internal economies for personalization are all part of the learning experience just as much as the content itself. As we consider tools for learning (and research), what harms come from the utilization of random drops of loot, stores with digital currency for children who don’t understand real currency yet?
One of the best ways to mitigate some of this is to keep in mind the recommendations of groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, and heeding their recommendations for technology utilization with the demographics you are working with. We have moved beyond measuring in screen time amounts, and the recommendations are now more qualitative in nature: what kind of activities are being done? Are you watching it together? Ensuring how devices in the home are monitored, and applying similar methods of technology monitoring in our professional uses of them can help mitigate this ethical concerns.
References
Arantes, J. A. (2021). The Servitization of Australian K-12 Educational Settings. Postdigital Science and Education, 3(2), 491–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-019-00097-0
Arantes, J., & Buchanan, R. (2023). Educational data advocates: Emerging forms of teacher agency in postdigital classrooms. Learning, Media and Technology, 48(3), 493–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2087084
Mohammed, M., Fatemah, A., & Hassan, L. (2024). Effects of Gamification on Motivations of Elementary School Students: An Action Research Field Experiment. Simulation & Gaming, 55(4), 600–636. https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781241237389