Montessori vs. Technology: Have my values changed?

I hold the Montessori philosophy and values very close to my heart. I boast that I went to Montessori for most of my early schooling. I have always said that if I ever have children they too would attend a Montessori school. (If possible the Montessori I attended!) The life lessons I learn there are still with me today. At Montessori, I had teachers that carried about my personal growth as well as my academic growth. I could write for days about many of my fond memories from my days there. Memories like finding the largest tree in the county and how many students it took to go around it.

Many of the recommendations Montessori gave my parents when I was little are still in place at their home.  They still compost everything.  I always say we were organic before organic was cool.  Growing up we didn’t watch tv, or play video games, in fact we didn’t get a gaming unit until Christmas 2010! My brother and I played outside until Mr. G would blow the horn to send all the neighborhood kids home. We hardly ever drank sodas or kool-aid, it was always milk or water.  Mom or Dad always cooked dinner and we would sit as a family. Yes, Montessori had a huge impact on who I am today.

But, how did Montessori school help me become the teacher I am today? I always say I get my love of project learning from Montessori. I pride myself on having my students solve real problems, while learning required content information. However, after finding a blog entitled “Montessori in the Real World,” it sent my brain spinning. The article from the blog “The Effects of Technology on Child Development” made me wonder… Do I still hold my Montessori values as close as I once did? Or have I gotten caught up in the world of technology we live in today? Currently I am working towards a master degree in instructional technology.

Am I contradicting my own values? I embrace technology in the classroom. Always trying to find new ways to use technology in the classroom, now my students take their test on the computer, create online posters, build web pages… you name it…I will try it in my class. Am I taking way some of the concrete learning my students need to be doing? I use many of these web 2.0 tools to make my life easier… for example… students take test on the computer so that I can read their answers and not have to lug papers home. I had to giggle when I read “schools throughout the country are removing cursive writing from the curriculum.” Only because I can remember how trying it was for me when I was learning it… in fact to this day I dislike writing things out, if I can type it I will! But what if handwriting skills were still in the curriculum…would I be able to read more students writing by the time they get to me in 8^th grade?

I require most students use the computer at home nightly for homework. Am I adding to the obesity issue in our country? Am I making it too easy for them to just sit in front of the computer for hours on end?

Over all, I want technology to be used when it is necessary. I agree there does become an overload. Technology has changed the way humans interact with each other. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of texting from the dinner table… now I do it all the time! (and its usually to a student about a homework question!) Am I allowing myself to get too caught up in the technology era? Am I forgetting how to interact with humans? The biggest question is… AM I MODELING THESE BEHAVIORS FOR MY STUDENTS?  

How do I use technology in the classroom and model my Montessori values for my students?  I don’t know that I have the answer yet, but there has to be a way for me to do both.