Digital technology at school has been going on for the number of years now across governments and initiatives are multiplying. Is it relevant to want to impose digital everywhere and at all levels? And if so, for what reasons? Is the use of these new technologies at school beneficial to the student? What are the possible dangers and how to prepare them to face them? What about collaborative? Data protection? These are all questions that deserve answers to the challenge of using digital technology in schools.
Technology Before Computing?
Digital student training seems essential. But before "throwing" them into the digital age, it is essential to remember right away that these technologies are ... a construction of the Man. And to explain in this way the underlying functions, what is precisely called technology: computers, cables, waves ... These are fascinating subjects and trainers of the scientific spirit on the one hand, but especially critical thinking. By understanding how the world is done, the student can then exercise his ability to retreat: his understanding of fundamental technologies (the "hardware") will allow him to grow his overall understanding. But do not we see today the opposite? To entrust children with more and more modern tablets and their "turnkey" software is to put the student in a "global" system when he has no idea of the fundamental technology. If the school has a role to play vis-à-vis the digital, it is to give keys to technological understanding to his students.
A tool anchored in reality
Once the technological aspect is approached, the learning of digital technology and its applications should be anchored in reality. Because what will be difficult for a child is to distinguish between what is virtual and what is real. Digital applications are for the most part not virtual, but in the service of the real: emails serve to correspond between two real people, it is the same for video conferencing, or an instant conversation. And in a world where artificial intelligence is emancipated (the development of personal assistants or deschatbots testify), where suggestion algorithms abound (suggestion of friends, restaurants, etc.), it is absolutely necessary to educate the look of our children.
This look is a "relearning" of the real, the concrete, the real. If the school educates to the "true" then the child will be able to distinguish what is not, and still develop his critical mind, his freedom to think. Specifically, to address the problem of learning to social networks, it may be envisaged to deploy a private network, confined to the school and governed by the same rights and duties. It is important for the student to be aware that the use of a digital tool within the school must follow the same rules of conduct as those of the school, and not make a distinction between a digital tool that is "virtual" and "real" life. The tool will be an educational medium if it is anchored in reality.
To educate, we must consider the establishment of a charter, written between the students and the teaching staff, while highlighting good practices and of course the pitfalls to avoid. And as in "real" life, one can imagine sanctions, such as the temporary expulsion of the "digital sphere" of the class or a working group. The child will understand perfectly well that he has transgressed.
In parallel, motivational tools called "incentive" can be set up to reward and highlight the good work and learning acquired. A system of virtual badges, in a private social network limited to the school, would thus be the perfect extension of class note systems or "good points".
The race for the digital "plus"
The initiatives are not lacking when it comes to digital with students: "Twictée", exercise dictation to discover the social network Twitter, creating a Facebook page dedicated to the class or even a Snapchat account to interact with other institutions. However, the use of digital at school should remain in the school sphere. Not in the only school of the child, because one of the primordial uses of the Internet is to be able to communicate at a long distance, but in the school sphere.
Why not communicate, work or play two classes in the same department together using a simple collaborative tool? For this, we can consider the exchange of messages in a private sphere, that is to say only accessible to the faculty, students and possibly their parents. Digital is a powerful tool and the teacher has a duty to protect the student. The tools chosen must protect the child and not expose him. For example, during school events, the dissemination of class photos must imperatively be mastered and must, therefore, be based on trusted tools.
Once supervised, protected, students will enjoy the power of technology. The video is, for example, a perfectly adapted support on which it is interesting to rely. One can imagine mini-video projects, where a student presents, face camera, his presentation. This method makes it possible to teach pupils to express themselves in front of a group and to work on their elocution. By posting this video, in a private circle always, the other students will be able to review the sequence, comment on it and be inspired for the next passages, avoiding any drift since the teacher, as in class, would be the administrator.
Digital is, for the school, a wealth, an opportunity. However, sliding a tablet into the hands of each student without worrying about what he will do next is not a good thing. And above all, this "testimony to modernity" is not a guarantee of equality of opportunity as one would have us believe by demagoguery! We expect more from school for our children: we wait for her to think about what to educate and pass on to them. And above all a culture, a knowledge to live together, and values. Where is the digital here? Anywhere or anywhere.