As an administrator in a Boston public middle school where every child had a MacBook, I got to watch the way teachers learned about and integrated technology into their teaching. I was surprised that the young teachers (“digital natives”) had as hard a time integrating technology as the “baby boomers.” It seemed counter-intuitive and I wondered why it was so.

I observed many different teachers, classrooms and student interactions, and I viewed many student projects and digital work products. What I learned was that new young teachers were very good at using technology to learn, to play, and to socialize. In other words, they knew how to do research and write a paper for school, to play on-line games, and were comfortable with social media. They easily tweeted, shared via Linked In or Facebook, could Skype and g-chat with the best of them. They just could not teach with technology.

Why not, I wondered? So I asked.

What I learned was disappointing. Many of the young teachers had attended college and learned about teaching from folks who did not use technology. Their instructors rarely modeled the potential uses and many did not even discuss the potential for technology’s role as an educational tool.

That led me to wonder why the older teachers were more comfortable integrating technology? So once again, I asked.

I learned that many veteran teachers have a few advantages that their novice colleagues do not.

First, and I think most importantly, veteran teachers have generally figured out how to successfully manage a classroom of students. They develop a rapport with their students, maintain a level of appropriate on-task learning, and generally can multi-task to keep on top of what the students are doing. Most veteran teachers have a reputation in the community and the students all know what to expect.

For example, as a teacher, my pet peeve was chewing gum. I would not tolerate gum in my class. I hated that it was stuck under the desks and chairs, I found the noise annoying, and I felt it was disrespectful. If a student was chewing gum in my class, I would pick up the trash can and bring it to their desk so they could spit out the gum, all the while continuing my instructions. I never had to say a word. Everyone knew.

Second, teachers with longevity are much more confident saying “I don’t know.” One teacher’s class at the middle school created the most fabulous iMovies I have ever seen. I was really impressed by the quality, by their efforts to avoid copyright infringement, by the depth of their understanding of the content, and by their genuine desire to share what they knew with the public.

I mentioned to the teacher that I did not know she was such an iMovie expert. Her response was to laugh and say, “I have no idea how to create an iMovie, I relied upon the students entirely to both learn and to teach each other. I know the content and I know copyright laws, so I could help them find legitimate and legal sources of information, pictures, and music.”

I do hope that as time passes that we increase our efforts to focus on the potential of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Perhaps the day will come when we do not have to “teach” 21st century skills. Perhaps we will begin to fully embrace the power and opportunities by engaging in classroom learning experiences that require their use.

This article was written by iKeepSafe Advisory Board member Deb Socia as a guest contributor for iKeepSafe and reposted with permission by iKeepSafe.

Deb Socia has been an educator for 32 years. Her most recent position was in Boston Public Schools, as founding principal for the new Frederick Middle School on Columbia Road in Grove Hall. She worked with then Rep. Marie St. Fleur to successfully pilot the first urban one laptop per student program in an urban middle school.