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bemusement a huge interactive display by Dell
computers at an airport. It was the size of about 12
TV screens and people had to try to figure out how to
get to the next level to unlock the game.
“I watched adult after adult push a couple of
buttons and walk away
not being able to even
get to the first screen of
the game. Then along
came a girl who was
about 11 or 12 years
old. She tried a few
times, put her hand
under her chin, and then
unlocked the game.
Balloons fell from the
sky on the screens and
she just walked away
like it was no big deal.”
Getting to the next
level of technology use is the classroom is a big deal.
Davidson said his travels across the country have
revealed quite a digital divide in public education. He
said that gap not only exists from district to district,
but also from school to school and even from
classroom to classroom.
“In one school building I saw a teacher using
Skype technology to connect her fourth-grade
classroom to a classroom in another state. The
‘lesson’ was for the students to try and figure out
where the other classroom was located by asking
questions like ‘Do you live by a
river or a lake?’ They were really
engaged. Across the hall,
another teacher might be pulling
down a map so kids could
memorize the states for a quiz.
“The change won’t move across
the hall until the superintendent
says ‘This is the direction we’re
heading and everyone needs to
get on board.’ “
Even then, Davidson cautioned
that the change will take time,
effort and patience. Maybe three
years’ worth from the time a
district takes the first step.
“It will require lots of professional development,
and it can’t happen overnight. It really needs to be a
three-year plan because that’s probably how long it
will take to implement digital education and truly
change the way we are teaching students.”
“The real message is the
importance of leadership in the
digital transition, That transition
occurs faster and better when it
comes from the top, and that’s more
important than at any time in
curriculum development because
it’s happening so fast and the
potential impact to reach individual
students is so great.”
- Hall Davidson
