aware they’re walking on stage and
calling for a revolution while being
black can be hazardous the last thing I
want is for people to say I thought the
TED talks were going great
– the angry black man showed up but at
the risk of being labeled militant I
have to say now is the time for a
revolution in education why because
education is current model of technology
integration is not working we are
providing students with access to
computers for all the wrong reasons and
these misconceptions can have a negative
impact on student development for
example most people are impressed when
they walk into a classroom and they see
that every student has access to their
own computer wonder when access may look
good but the question we must ask
ourselves is how is it helping students
develop skills that would serve them
we must heed the warning that was issued
by Jedi Master obi-wan Kenobi you know
the old guy from Star Wars he said your
eyes can deceive you don’t trust them I
say who cares how many computers your
school has if you want to impress me
teach your students to build their own
computers schools cannot continue to
treat technology the way that teenagers
treat new clothes
we can’t keep buying these devices
simply because they’re new popular and
cool and if we don’t reverse course then
I fear that many students are going to
find themselves in a situation similar
to what I was once in 20 years ago long
before I dreamed of becoming a teacher I
was a recent college graduate I had
majored in electrical engineering so I
assumed that I would have no trouble
finding a job because people have always
told me that students who major in
science technology and engineering and
mathematics have no trouble finding jobs
and usually make lots of money you see I
need it to make a lot of money
I had my eye on a convertible BMW it was
silver with black trim black leather
seats and unfortunately it came with a
price tag they had far too many black
zeros but I figured if I save long
enough and skilled meals every other day
eventually I would be able to afford
that car soon all of my optimism and
anticipation return to disappointment
and confusion a year goes by and I still
have not been able to find a job oh I’ve
been on several interviews but those
interviews usually ended in the same
manner with someone explaining to me
that the company was looking for someone
who had experience and my response was
always how can I gain experience if no
one is willing to give me a chance then
one day it happened I come home and I
have a voicemail from a Human Resources
representative it seems their company
wanted me to come in for a second
interview finally this is it I’m about
to get paid I’m about to get this paper
or so I thought the next day I returned
the gentleman’s phone call and he greets
me with a sigh which is not a good sign
he then proceeded to explain to me that
he just received an email stating that
the company was implementing a hiring
freeze and as a result the job that he
was about to offer me was now no longer
available needless to say I was crushed
I started looking around at any moment I
was expecting Ashton Kutcher to walk out
and tell me I had just been Punk’d
unfortunately this was not some
elaborate prank I had not been pumped
dashed and culture was nowhere to be
found
employers wanted someone who could come
in and make an immediate impact I simply
didn’t have the skills the only thing I
had was the degree that sits atop the
bookshelf in my parents house I finally
had to come to terms with the fact that
my education had failed me it had failed
to prepare me for the job market when I
think about the relationship between
technology and education it reminds me
of an aircraft carrier that has been
stranded in a desert
takes a wealth of resources to build and
sustain an aircraft carrier yet those
resources are wasted if the vehicle is
not placed in a large body of water just
like aircraft carriers computers laptops
tablets are expensive and currently
students are not using these devices in
ways that maximizes their potential in
most cases students only use computers
to access social media and download
movies videos and games and then when
they do use these devices for academic
purposes it is usually just a Google
research turn but it’s up to us as
parents educators and stakeholders to
establish a clear vision for
technology’s purpose in our schools we
also have to accept that simply
supplying students with access to
computers does not ensure that they
would be successful I’m gonna repeat
that for emphasis simply supplying
students with access to computers does
not ensure that they will be successful
remember I had experience using all
types of devices but I didn’t have
skills that employers feel we’re
valuable how many people can say that
they have programmed a digital book
complete with narration you know those
books when you open them and a voice
starts reciting the text what about
iPads who really understands how to
touch screen on an iPad works
considering the extent to which we use
technology don’t you think it’s time
that schools started teaching students
how to plan develop and build these
devices I want to share with you how
computer coding is doing just that
computer coding is the step by step
process of writing instructions that
tell a computer what to do cell phones
software and video games all work
because of computer code
let’s explore storytelling now how is
writing a story using computer code any
different than writing a story using pen
and paper
well pen and paper only allows the
author to create text and drawings
computer coding adds another dimension
to storytelling it allows the author to
combine sound video and text this
processes allowing students to open up
and share in ways that would have been
impossible several years ago
imagine the impact it would have if a
student is able to walk into a job
interview and present a multimedia book
that they’ve created or you press a
button and a voice begins to recite the
text press another button and music
begins to play press yet another button
and it takes changes to another language
I envision a future where students were
no longer take paper and pencil
assessments instead they would develop
devices they showcase their
understanding of learning centers rather
than recite their multiplication tables
that would be old touchscreens they
teach others how to multiply and divide
we have to move the metaphorical
aircraft carrier to an environment that
takes advantage of its unique
capabilities and by doing so we will
provide students with an education that
prepares them for the future and
education that supports their cognitive
development and an education that will
allow them to be able to afford it
you
[Music] you