As I work in the secondary setting, I was thinking about junior high school students when completing this activity. The increasing complexity is certainly a necessary consideration if we want our students to question, think, make choices, and have informed opinions.

The challenges that this activity highlighted for me are:

1. The need for teachers to understand that just because today’s students have grown up with technology, it does not mean that they know how to use all of the technology that is available to them and, as such, time needs to be given to the development of these skills.
2. Cost is a factor. Teacher librarians are a great place to start when teachers and students are looking for useful and free apps and sites that support teaching and learning.
3. It is important to both use discretion and to have an open mind. Having a working knowledge of all that is available is simply not possible. Taking the time to investigate new technologies but also sticking with those that suit the needs of your specific cohort is an important step towards ensuring that you have expertise in the tools that are going to be used effectively. On the flip side, some students have confidence in a range of programs and apps that may be completely foreign to staff- let them use it, see how it works, learn from these students and work with them to discuss the pros and cons of the technology; empower them as experts.