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Not a week goes by it seems without tech companies (both old and new) competing for air time hawking the next big thing.  With the exception of maybe a company such as Apple, most of the products or solutions end up being just another cog in the increasingly crowded (and fragmented) gadget-centric economy.

I am continually amazed at how quickly my three school-age children are able to seamlessly integrate technology into their young lives.  For example, their generation may lack first-hand knowledge of cassette tapes or vinyl records but be able to download mobile applications to a variety of devices with ease (with their parent’s permission of course).  This generation can be just as comfortable browsing items on Amazon for latest toy or gizmo as they are wandering the aisles of the local department store.

While it is impossible to overstate the impact that technological innovation has had on our collective lifestyle, plenty of revolutionary ideas and integration have yet to be brought forth to the masses. I believe this is especially true in the educational arena. 

With all the tech products that claim to solve problems, we must recognize the need for students to “unplug.” For instance, the New York Times ran an article late last year about a Waldorf School located in Silicon Valley, which disallows any computer or electronic devices at their school and instead uses a hands-on-learning model to educate children.  Ironically, many of the students that attend this school have parents that work at tech titans such as Ebay, Google and Apple.  Why is this? 

One possible reason is that schools have simply implemented technology for the sake of technology rather than having a cohesive plan for what the technology should do.  While I disagree with the Waldorf policy of completely banning electronic devices, it does point out a need to achieve a balance between social and solitary activities.

Over my next series of blog posts, I hope to outline several broad tenets of an educational environment that would integrate technology in a way that enhances rather replaces the classroom experience.  In addition to exploring current and emergent technologies, I hope to invite dialogue with the readers on ideas or questions they have.

I look forward to hearing from each of you.