Technology: "Before and After"

Our third graders engaged in a discussion about the concept of change and how many things in our world look different "before and after" a change. We discussed this idea generally and also specifically in regards to technology. The students discussed ways that technology has changed young people's lives in school and outside of school and they then made art that reflected their understanding of how something may be different "before and after".

After this week, you may want to talk about how elementary school looked when you were a kid and how that may be different than today. For example, when my mom was late to pick me up from school, there were no cell phones and I hate to think how she felt while being stuck in traffic with no way to reassure the school that she was on her way. In many ways, we are lucky to be able to communicate quickly. In other ways, intentionally removing technology (and seeing how the feeling and attention of an activity change) can be remarkable to observe.