Tech and Teaching: Where do we stand on technology in our Christian school?

“We only get one life to live. Wouldn’t it be better spent enjoying and serving the world God made rather than a glowing screen?” Andy Crouch

“Technology is only very good if it can help us become the persons we were mean to be.” Andy Crouch

The quick association of technology in learning as being the presence of computers, tablets, Chromebooks, projectors, and more is understandable, but we are wiser to realize that everything from scissors to pencil crayons and whiteboards to ball point pens is technology. We know that all of God’s world belongs to him, and all of it can be used in faithfulness or disobedience. Technology doesn’t live outside that truth. Our task is sorting out the difference and being intentional about choosing wisely. It also seems true that technology is challenging us and our children and we don’t have a long history to count on for a tried and true response. It’s all relatively new and some trends are alarming.

Technology of any kind will never replace the value of excellent teaching and leading by parent or teacher. The presence or absence of technology alone in a classroom or school doesn’t indicate students will learn any better or be any smarter. The value of a skilled and committed teacher who is able to match learning methods well with student’s abilities, interests, and development is as essential as always. I’ve often thought that when technology enables us to do something we couldn’t otherwise do, then we’re accessing more of its God-created potential for our benefit.

These two matters understood, we do know that technology will be a part of children’s future and we want to prepare them well for its opportunities and challenges. Some of the goals I would hope for our students are to be efficient and highly effective in the tools they use, for them to push them for their high level capability for pursing wisdom and restoration of God’s world, and develop a life skill of being able to put it in its proper place.

SJ

Two items for further reading:

• Our staff has constructed a document called “LCES E-Device Guidelines” Please read it.
• I highly recommend reading “The Tech Wise Family” by Andy Crouch. This book is a short, highly relatable read authored from the viewpoint of a father of adolescent children. I’ve met and heard him a speaker several times. He’s excellent and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.