It seems like about a week ago the algorithm changed what it was feeding me, and suddenly I’m back in an alternate educational dimension that I thought I had left a few years ago.
My feed is overflowing with technology as the solution to engagement: Google this, Canva that, YouTube playlists, Google Docs, choice boards, digital scavenger hunts, hyperdocs, playlists of websites and articles, and countless activities built around students “guiding their own learning.”
What I’m seeing is also heavily centered on student-led discovery and inquiry approaches where novices are expected to navigate collections of websites, videos, and articles while the teacher serves primarily as a guide on the side. In many cases, the technology seems to be doing the teaching while the teacher manages the experience.
What strikes me is that much of the engagement being celebrated is often a poor proxy for the kind of cognitive engagement we should actually be talking about. Students being busy, entertained, compliant, collaborating, or clicking through activities is not the same thing as students thinking deeply about the content.
I thought the conversation was beginning to shift away from “Are students engaged?” and toward “What are students engaged in thinking about?” But based on what I’m seeing lately, that assumption may have been premature.
It’s like I’ve wandered back into an educational version of The Twilight Zone.