Technology in math class is not the problem. The question is how we use it.

A few years ago, if you had asked me whether technology belonged in math class, my answer would have been simple.

Absolutely. And honestly, I still believe that.

I use technology and I love many of the tools available to teachers. I have built an entire business around helping educators use technology more effectively.

Tools like Desmos, ASSISTments, Snorkl, and AI can create opportunities that would have been difficult to imagine years ago.

But after the last few years, I’ve started asking a different question.

Not:
“Should we use technology?”

Instead:
“When should we use technology?”

And maybe even more importantly:
“When shouldn’t we?”

That shift has changed the way I think about technology in math class.

More technology does not automatically mean better learning

This episode is about being more intentional with technology, not removing technology from classrooms.

This year, I started noticing something that made me rethink the role of devices in my classroom.

When students had access to technology all the time, it sometimes became less of a learning tool and more of an escape route. A Chromebook sitting right in front of a student makes it very easy to avoid discomfort. (And math requires discomfort.)

Students have to sit with challenging ideas. They have to make sense of problems. They have to experience productive struggle.

That process is not always easy.
Sometimes students were not avoiding the assignment, they were avoiding the feeling of not knowing.
And technology can make it very easy to step away from that moment.

The difference between using technology and using it intentionally

One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is the difference between having technology available and actually using it purposefully. Just because a tool exists does not mean it improves learning.

The question I keep coming back to is:
“What is this technology helping students do that they could not do as effectively without it?”

That question has pushed me back toward ideas like TPACK and SAMR.

Good technology integration is not about adding a digital tool just to make a lesson feel more modern.
It is about asking whether the tool helps students:

• understand concepts more deeply
• receive better feedback
• explore ideas
• communicate their thinking
• access learning in new ways

If it does not support the learning goal, then it might not be the right tool.

Where I still believe technology shines

There are plenty of places where I think technology adds incredible value.

ASSISTments is one example.

I love the immediate feedback students receive. They can see where they are making mistakes, revise their thinking, and continue learning without waiting days for feedback.

Snorkl has also changed the way I think about student explanations.

Hearing students explain their thinking gives me a level of insight that a completed worksheet sometimes cannot.

Desmos activities can be powerful when they are used intentionally.

Students can explore patterns, test ideas, visualize mathematics, and make connections that are difficult to create through traditional methods alone.

The tool itself is not the issue.
The purpose behind the tool is what matters.

What I’m changing about technology use next year

The biggest change I’m making is simple.

I do not want technology to be the default, I want it to be a choice.

I want students spending time:

• thinking
• discussing
• reasoning
• whiteboarding
• making sense of ideas

before they immediately move to a screen.

The goal is not less technology.
The goal is more intentional technology.

Those are very different things.

Rethinking the role of calculators

One unexpected part of this reflection has been thinking more about the TI-84 calculator.

Somewhere along the way, many of us started assuming that tools like Desmos completely replaced graphing calculators.

I’m not sure that is always true.

There may still be valuable opportunities for students to explore, model, graph, and notice patterns without immediately opening a Chromebook.

This summer, one of my goals is to learn more about what those calculators can do and rethink how they might fit into a modern math classroom.

The newest tool is not always the best tool.
The best tool is the one that supports the learning students need.

The real goal is intentional learning

At the end of the day, I do not think technology is the problem.
I think unintentional technology use is the problem.

Just like curriculum, assessment, and lesson design, technology is a tool. And tools only become effective when we are clear about the purpose behind them.

The biggest shift I’m taking into next year is this:
Learning comes first.
Technology comes second.

When we start there, technology becomes something that supports thinking instead of replacing it.
And that is the kind of technology use I want in my math classroom.

Join the July Math Therapy Book Study

This July, we’re reading and discussing Math Therapy together.

We’ll explore how math identity, confidence, productive struggle, and emotional experiences shape the way students learn mathematics.

If you want to read along with us, grab your copy here:

Physical book:
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Audiobook:
https://amzn.to/49nV55D

Want help creating more meaningful math experiences?

If you’re thinking more intentionally about projects, performance tasks, and when to use practice in your classroom, grab the free Project or Practice guide here:

https://moorethanjustx.myflodesk.com/practice

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