By Tamara Fyke
As an educator and parent, I have been navigating the challenges of screens and digital devices for more than a decade. In classrooms and at home, technology can either distract or connect us. Students and adults alike can find it difficult to remain present when apps and notifications compete for attention. Rather than wage a constant war against screens, I’ve shifted my focus to making technology a starting point for learning, creativity, and problem-solving.
Technology is an integral part of modern life—students need digital skills to thrive. From everyday tasks like checking out at a store to staying in touch with distant relatives, technology supports daily living. The critical question is how we teach young people to use these tools: are we guiding them to become creative, thoughtful users, or are we training passive consumers? My goal is to help learners use technology to solve problems, create value, and develop higher-order thinking skills.
Teaching students to use technology effectively requires cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset: identify a problem, ask the right questions, and develop a solution. In entrepreneurship, mentors and investors always begin by asking, “What problem are you trying to solve?” That same question can anchor classroom projects. When we let students choose problems that matter to them, learning becomes relevant, motivating, and authentic.
When students take the lead in problem-solving, the teacher’s role shifts from directive instructor to facilitator and guide. This change can feel uncomfortable for some educators, especially in systems where leadership styles favor top-down control. Effective school leadership values teachers as partners—empowering them to innovate within classrooms, across schools, and in the wider community.
To engage learners at higher cognitive levels—application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation—use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide. But academic engagement depends on more than cognition alone. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, learners must have their physiological, safety, and belonging needs met before they can operate at higher levels. This is where social-emotional learning (SEL) becomes essential. SEL supports students’ emotional well-being and interpersonal skills and also requires adults to be intentional in meeting basic needs and modeling healthy relationships.
EdTech and SEL are inseparable. When technology is used as a starting point rather than a battleground, it creates opportunities for collaboration, reflection, and skill development. Digital tools can offer safe, low-stakes environments for students to practice decision-making, communication, and resilience. Mistakes become learning moments rather than final judgments.
One simple example from my life illustrates this approach. My daughter and I visited New York City for her 16th birthday. As newcomers from Nashville, we struggled with navigation and found ourselves lost several times. My daughter identified the problem: we were wasting time because I couldn’t find our way. Her solution was practical—she downloaded Google Maps, planned our subway and walking routes, and navigated us efficiently to our destinations. The experience taught her real-world navigation skills useful for college planning, saved time, and reinforced character traits such as courage, patience, and perseverance. Technology enabled a learning experience with tangible outcomes.
Drawing on Vygotsky’s ideas about play and the zone of proximal development, technology can act as a digital playground where learners try new behaviors and build SEL competencies with guided support. Educators and parents should intentionally help students reflect on what they learned during digital problem-solving activities—connecting the dots between the task, the skills used, and the personal growth achieved.
Here are practical project ideas that combine EdTech, SEL, and real-world problem solving:
- Give each student a monthly budget in a simulated real-life scenario. Ask them to plan housing, food, transportation, and entertainment within that budget. Encourage reflection on trade-offs, priorities, and financial decision-making.
- As a class, examine current headlines or local issues. Challenge students to create a positive social media campaign or digital awareness project designed to promote community, empathy, or civic engagement.
- Have teams identify a problem in the school or neighborhood. Ask them to research the issue, propose a feasible solution, and develop a digital prototype or presentation to share with stakeholders. Include steps for feedback, revision, and implementation.
These projects build digital literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, and empathy. They also provide opportunities to practice SEL competencies such as self-awareness, responsible decision-making, social awareness, relationship skills, and self-management.
Teachers and leaders who create space for student-driven problem solving will find learners more engaged and better prepared for a future that demands adaptability and creativity. By valuing both EdTech and social-emotional learning, educators can help students use technology not as an end in itself, but as a tool to solve meaningful problems and grow into capable, resilient adults.
About the Author
Tamara Fyke is an educator and creative entrepreneur passionate about children, families, and urban communities. She is the creator, author, and brand manager for Love In A Big World, a program designed to equip K–8 educators with a research-based, practical social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and supporting resources that empower students to become socially competent, emotionally healthy problem-solvers with purpose.
Tamara is editor of Building People: Social & Emotional Learning for Kids, Schools & Communities, a collection that offers multiple perspectives on SEL for educators, parents, and leaders. She also shares ideas about SEL, education, and community development through her writing and public engagement.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research and news organization focused on the shift to digital curriculum in education.