ISTELive 26: Effective Learning Requires a Balance of Ed Tech Tools and Core Skills

“When we’re talking about artificial intelligence, virtual reality or anything involving ed tech tools, we really want to have some control over a few things,” she said. “The e-bike is a great example, because if I'm working on policy, I can take some steps back if I need to slow down. I can turn in a different direction and pivot if I need to. If I need to pull in new stakeholders, I can do that. When humans are not in control, it’s a little more difficult if we just let things out into the atmosphere.”

Research Touts the Benefits of Analog Skills

Bollinger said schools must protect core instructional practices while also preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce that demands digital literacy, artificial intelligence (AI) fluency and human-centered skills. She presented two pieces of research to support this case, focused on handwriting and mathematics.

In the post-pandemic educational landscape, where students complete much of their work on devices, handwriting competency has declined, she said. She cited research that shows there are cognitive benefits to getting students off devices and improving their handwriting. 

“It’s such a complex task that involves not just fine motor control but also visual perception and sustained attention,” she said. “The more time they spend doing some handwriting, that the more focused they can be. Handwriting is a foundational predictor of overall academic success and school competency.”

DISCOVER: AI has the power to transform learning in K–12 schools.

She cited a 2020 study that determined cursive handwriting produces more widespread connectivity than typing, promoting deeper cognitive processing and better recall.

“The overall implication of all of this is that digital literacy must be balanced with foundational tactile learning to maximize cognitive potential,” Bollinger said.

She then told a story about visiting a mathematics classroom where students were working individually on screens for 90 minutes, which she found alarming. 

“I think about all of the missed opportunities that are happening by just putting kids on devices,” she said. Technology is vital in math for assessments, simulations and other problem-solving applications, but it “should amplify mathematical thinking, but not become a substitute for mathematical reasoning,” she said. 

Early math research from the National Research Council reinforces this, she said. Developing strong number sense and geometry understanding before age 6 correlates with long-term success and computational thinking. For Bollinger, that means digital tools must come after conceptual foundations are secure, not as a shortcut to them.

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Kathleen Ouellette, chief education and innovation officer at VictoryXR, said immersive experiential learning is beneficial to student learning, which can be aided by technology.

“Students remember what they do, not just what they hear,” she said.

She described the benefits of pairing AI tutors with virtual reality environments. AI, she said, can deliver standards-aligned instruction, answer student questions in multiple languages and even work directly with uploaded textbooks. But despite the sophistication of these tools, Ouellette was adamant that they should not replace teachers. 

“Teachers need to remain at the center of the education,” she said. “You’re the professionals, you know your students, you’re with them every day. You are the experts. This is what tech can’t do, and this is what we are constantly saying about AI. You’re supporting the student’s emotional intelligence, and you can’t ignore classroom culture.”

READ MORE: Districts are taking a responsible approach to AI adoption.

Workforce Readiness Should Put Human Skills First

Preparing students for the future requires balancing core academic skills, technological literacy and critical thinking. 

“Future-ready does not mean screen-ready,” Bollinger said. “We’re not trying to prepare our students to just be on screens, but it means that students possess the foundational knowledge and human skills to leverage technology effectively.”

Warnock cited the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs reports, noting that complex problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity anchored the top 10 skills in 2015, moved into the top three by 2020 and remain in the 2025 outlook.

“We haven’t really shifted in 11 years what the World Economic Forum is saying we need to be doing for kids,” she said. “So, the question becomes, what are we doing inside of schools on a daily and hourly basis that prepares students to do these things?” 

She challenged attendees to be able to answer specific, observable questions: What does it look like when kids are analytically thinking and being innovative? What does complex problem-solving sound like in a classroom? Are we allowing kids to fail first?

WATCH: Huntsville City Schools prioritizes career and technical education.

Serving on Utah’s state board has given Bollinger inside look at a wave of legislation on technology in schools, from screen time limits to AI guidance and extensive data privacy rules. But she noted that these rules often don’t take into account the nuances of technology use in the classroom or the breadth of applications schools are using every day.

Bollinger introduced a balanced ed tech framework that can be applied at the state, district, school or classroom level. The goal is to ensure “evidence-based, informed decisions” that keep technology tethered to learning outcomes. She encouraged educators to ask four questions: Does it strengthen learning? Does it improve instruction? Does it build safe and ethical digital citizens? Is there evidence it improves student learning? If the answer to those questions is no, the tool may not belong in the classroom

Ultimately, the conversation is about people, not platforms, Bollinger said.

“The two things that are most important in the big picture are teacher quality and school leadership,” she said. “This is where we’re going to move the needle when it comes to learning. It’s not the big policy. Yes, they’re going to make all of these rules and laws, but we have to support teachers in improving their understanding of technology.”

Visit this page to catch up on all of our ISTELive 26 coverage.