Lessons from the Victorian "Dot-Comers"

Without new technologies, there would be no progress. No agriculture, no modern medicine, no Twitter at 3 am. So much of the world has changed so quickly since the turn of the century when the invention wheel really began spinning in the Victorian era. The invention and widespread use of the telegraph was just the beginning of a massive waterfall of discovery.

The the 1990s, with the start of the Internet Era, we experienced a very similar technological boom - and all of its classic consequences. Suspicion, criminal abuse, economic boom and following sudden decline, and an emerging community of jargon-speaking "insiders." How were we to guess that not even 20 years in the future people would be walking around with entire computer systems attached to their wrists (Apple Watch, fans, anyone?). It sounded like science fiction. I remember the first time I saw an iMac and looked everywhere for the computer tower (where it it?! in a desk drawer?!). It's really amazing what today's technology can do.

But one lesson still rings true no matter what: just because it's the Next Big Thing doesn't mean it needs to be in our classrooms right away. I know, I sound like one of the early skeptics, right? And it's true! For example, I didn't have a smart phone until last December. But it's not because I'm not progressive! I just didn't want to buy into the gimmick. I didn't see the value in spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of machinery that was likely to break within 2 years of its use. I couldn't imagine shelling out thousands of dollars every year in addition to pay for the data plan necessary to use the thing, either. So I waited. I did some research, and now I am super happy with my GoogleFi phone and pay-as-you-go style data plan.

The same rules apply to technology in the classroom. There are certain vetting processes that need to be gone through before a technology is introduced. Just because your colleague uses a certain app doesn't mean it will be useful to your students. Just because your principal put "Classroom Technology Use" on the staff evaluation form doesn't mean you need to incorporate Kahoot into your lessons everyday. Technology is a tool, and as such it should fit the job for which it is needed.

Another important idea to remember from The Victorian Internet is that no matter what, humans will be humans. As teachers we work hard to build positive and trusting relationships with our students, but we also have to teach them how to navigate our new (and very public) technological world. It is important to anticipate constraints and human nature, and to have expectations already in place to guide our students to make appropriate choices, and help them when they make mistakes.