Technology Revolution

Today, our schools and our kids are socializing and using technology in an entirely revolutionary way. Socializing occurs through so many more avenues in the 21st Century. Text. Facetime. Email. Facebook. Instagram. Snapchat. Twitter. Video games. The list goes on and on. A constant wave of new platforms being introduced. It is so important to understand this and how to cultivate this relationship. Technology can be used to connect to others or it can be used to divide.

Wicked Problems

Technology and its impact on social skills is a wicked problem. Technology is constantly changing. Social expectations are constantly changing. Wicked problems are not meant to be solved the traditional way, due to their incomplete, changing and conflicting variables. They are constantly evolving and as a solution is created for one detail more wicked problems may be revealed creating more wicked problems (Rittel and Weber, 1973). Wicked problems occur in social contexts. Warren Berger (2014) reminds me that “whatever ambitious question you might come up with, people are out there with the knowledge, skills, and imagination to help you work toward an answer” (p. 130).

My Wicked Problem:

How do I foster a healthy relationship between high schooler and technology, such that it improves empathy and interpersonal skills and does not negatively impact these skills?

Upon reflection of my first two years of teaching high school resource special education, I have observed my students spend much of their spare time with technology at school. On recess, lunch, in between classes they are playing video games or watching YouTube. Then during class, I see how they struggle with empathy, group work, eye contact in conversation, confidence in sharing during discussions and presentations. Many people are looking at technology as hindering the social skills of our students, but I wonder why we are only negatively looking at technology?

What have teaching professionals in my PLN experienced?

To learn more about the experiences of other teachers with technology and its relationship with social skills I created and shared a 10 question survey with my professional learning network (PLN). Although my wicked question is focused on high school, I surveyed teachers from multiple grade levels. I wanted to look at the bigger picture to gain perspective on what teachers of each phase of life are experiencing.