Originally published in TEACH Magazine, Digital Citizenship Special Issue, 2020
By Chris Leavens
Technology provides us with some wonderful learning opportunities in our classrooms. Personally, I cannot imagine teaching without it. Over the last several years, my students and I have experienced many learning adventures along the digital frontier.
As a class, we’ve Skyped with a group of students in South Korea on our laptops. We’ve recorded and edited movie trailers for Romeo and Juliet with our smartphones. We’ve collaboratively published multimedia presentations on the symbolism that exists in The Outsiders using cloud-based technology. We’ve also been the benefactors of a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. There seems to be no limit to teaching with technology.
In spite of the many benefits of technology, however, we do not talk enough about how it harms the sleep patterns of our students.
Chris Leavens has taught middle school English for nine years. Currently, he is teaching 8th grade English in Englewood, CO. He has also taught in Baltimore, MD, and Santiago, Chile.
