Using Technology Well

In most schools today, technology is king. All students are given tablets and everyone learns to code. We are told that this approach gives kids an advantage. It helps them thrive in the information age. It prepares them for a future that is becoming more and more digital every day.

Other schools reach back to a nearly forgotten past. A time of books with pages that turn. A time of letters written by hand. A time when science meant painting a flower, not tapping a screen.

Many homeschool parents yearn for the latter, and they turn to Charlotte Mason to show them the way. But is that the end of the story for the Charlotte Mason method? Is it strictly a nostalgic reenactment of Victorian days? An education with no screens?

Doug Smith grew up with technology and has been an early adopter for life. Along the way, he discovered Charlotte Mason, and with his skills he built a website to support home educators. That website became the platform of Simply Charlotte Mason™, the most recognized name in Charlotte Mason resources, a vibrant organization that Doug co-founded.

Doug found that enthusiastically promoting Charlotte Mason did not require him to put his computer away. He found kindred spirits in Charlotte Mason and the PNEU, who were early (and discerning) adopters of technology too. I recently had the unique opportunity to interview Doug on the question of using technology well. Hear our lively discussion about the place of technology in a Charlotte Mason education, and discover how caterpillars and computers can each have their place.

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