How Tech Is Taking Social-Emotional Learning out of Its Silo
July 6, 2019
By: Caitlin Krause
Source: EdSurge
When I started out as a high school teacher in the early 2000s, I was using a lot of technology designed for connection. It was the advent of SmartBoards and podcasts, voicethreads and vlogging. Yet even in the midst of all the excitement, I didn’t feel completely connected with my students.
It was only when I coupled tech with meaning—with my own pedagogical practices of mindfulness, attention and presence—that the social-emotional skills and the academic learning began to take off. I realized then what’s always been true: Meaningful, authentic learning is connected and interdisciplinary by nature, and communities thrive when there’s social care at the core.
This year’s ISTE 2019 conference in Philadelphia marked nearly 20 years since I entered the education profession, and I’m seeing a tidal shift in the approach to integrating technology in learning. No longer are social-emotional learning and edtech siloed, or even separate entities. In a way, you could say it’s all connected.