Learning conference focuses on effective technology use in classrooms
Learning conference focuses on effective technology use in classrooms
Publish Date: 2026-06-21 17:28:00
Source Domain: www.chicagotribune.com
School districts considering going back to a “No tech ever” model will likely discover the 180-degree swing isn’t the answer to their problems, either, according to a former teacher-turned-tech blogger.
Teachers instead should be “crystal clear” on how they want their students to use the technology they’re given, said author Matt Miller during the South Shore Summer Learning Conference at Purdue University Northwest recently. Banning it completely won’t change teachers’ deepest concerns about its use, anyway.
Buddy Berry, superintendent for Eminence Independent Schools in Northern Kentucky, laughs with attendees over a student’s expensive error during the recent South Shore Summer Learning Conference. (Michelle L. Quinn/Post-Tribune)
“When a carpenter works on a project, they think through the steps and use whatever tool gives us the result they want, right? They’re not saying, ‘Tech is ruining carpentry;’ they use power tools when they make it better,” Miller told the group. “Folks, I have something to tell you: That’s a story abou teaching. Do we really know what going no-tech will bring?”
Getting rid of tech, particularly AI, won’t stop cheating; in fact, like most forbidden things, it becomes only more attractive, Miller said. And whether teschers want to admit it or not, AI plagiarism detectors aren’t all that great, so error rates alone raise doubts about relying on them.
Plagiarism detectors, because of the way they’re trained, also show bias against non-native English speakers, he pointed out.
“(Using plagiarism detectors) is a no-win situation; it takes the focus off learning and into catching cheaters,” Miller said. “And if you say using AI is cheating and to never use it, you only make it more appealing for students to use.”
Teachers, then, should focus on teaching students how to use AI to get the results they want.
“What if AI gives the student broad ideas? Can it be used as a research assistant or…
