What do you want kids to do with technology?

I came across this really thought provoking pin the other day.

I posted on Facebook about it asking what other teachers do with technology. I stated that I was lucky enough to have a bank of laptops that I embed in everyday classroom use for research, making presentations or interacting with online activities.

Now a day later I am still thinking about this post and question.

I realised that all I did was make wrong answers. Although I wouldn't necessarily call them wrong answers, I would call them surface level uses.

The "right answers" listed in the graphic above are all great ideals. It has made me think about the technology use in my classroom and am I really extending them and providing those deep level tasks using technology as a tool not as a learning outcome.

I guess it links through with that mantra of using real world exercises and examples for kids to explore, to link their knowledge that they are learning in class to the wider world and society, making it relevant.

As I am still thinking about this idea, I realise that I am uncomfortable with the fact that I often fall back on technology as something to use just because its technology. Not thinking about, well why do I want them to use that technology, what is the purpose of the task?

Yes, as a teacher my brain rarely switches off and I was lying in bed at 3:30 in the morning thinking about this because it made me uncomfortable. Making me uncomfortable is a good thing, as it makes me realise that maybe there is a better way to do things, makes me reflect on what I am doing and try to improve upon it.

As a teacher, I also do not have as much time as I would love to prepare "the best" lessons on everything. But this graphic above has put some answers forward that make me think about questions I should be asking when using technology:

• Am I using technology to interact with the wider world?
• Is technology allowing them to make a difference or a change?
• Does technology allow them to do things that they wouldn't be able to do without it (beyond the production part of it)?
• Is technology being used as a tool to reach an outcome not set up as the outcome itself?

These questions I want to be in my head when creating tasks using technology. 

How about you? How do you use technology? What do you want kids to do with technology? Do you agree with the 'right' and 'wrong' answers above?