Montclair State University

Joseph Bavazzano

My career taught me one consistent lesson: the tool is never the point; the experience is. I would get just as excited as the next person about a new tool that promises to “revolutionize the classroom”—then watch it sit unused because it really didn’t work for the educator or actually improve any outcomes for the students. We don’t need to work for the technology, because if we do, we won’t use it. My vision is grounded in a learner-centered design approach: start with the student experience and the pedagogical goal, and then ask what technology serves that need or solves the problem.

At Montclair, our Center’s philosophy combines innovative tools and traditional learning to ensure we are improving the student experience. That matters tremendously for how our patrons interact with us, use our services and how pre-service educators we train experience the incredible impact technology can have on their classrooms.

Change Is the Hardest Thing to Adopt

The biggest challenge is change. Asking instructors to rethink courses, adopt new tools, and respond to shifting student expectations—all while their core responsibilities haven't shrunk. When technology adoption lands on top of a mountain of daily responsibilities, engagement suffers on both ends. It is important to ensure adequate support, training, and time when implementing anything new.

“Students want intentionality — technology used when it genuinely improves the experience, not as a default.”

A second large challenge is the gap between what institutions think students want and what students actually want. There's an assumption that because younger generations are “digitally fluent”, they prefer digital-first in every aspect of their lives. Students want intentionality— technology used when it genuinely improves the experience, not as a default.

The Digital Classroom Should Feel More Human

I think overall we are trending towards a more personalized and asynchronous model, but with an important caveat: community and belonging will be the differentiators. The pandemic proved that you can move content delivery online. What students couldn't and didn’t want to sustain was the loss of connection—to each other, to their teachers, to a sense of purpose. Institutions are evolving how students think and interact with these digital “spaces” not just for content delivery but also for relationship building. Artificial intelligence is helping to accelerate all of this, and institutions that can correctly harness this power will be able to free up human attention for what only humans can do—mentorship, genuine feedback, and meaningful dialogue. The digital classroom of the future should feel more human to our students.

With all technology-enabled learning, accessibility is a design value, not just something to check off the list. If something excludes a segment of learners, we aren’t innovating—just creating a new problem. Designing, planning and implementing tools and strategies with inclusive practice in mind makes the experience better for everyone. Pilot with purpose. I don't ever encourage adopting new technology just to be first. It is important to always run a structured pilot with clear questions and a real commitment to acting on what is learned — including stopping what isn't working and pivoting to a better solution. Being able to pivot may not always be easy, but the outcomes will speak for themselves. Trust the teachers, they know their subject area, classroom, and students in ways no administrator or Director of a Learning Technology Center can. My job is to provide resources, reduce barriers, and ensure our educators feel confident in using new technology that will actually improve academic quality, not just add to the list.

Start with Relationships before Solutions.

The people who make a lasting impact aren't the ones who arrived with the best strategy, coolest tech, or shiniest gadget—they're the ones who built trust with educators and know how to make an impact. Change in the education field is usually no easy or simple undertaking, but it is human, and someone who understands change and their stakeholders will be successful.

Get comfortable with ambiguity. The landscape moves faster than any plan can account for (can you say “AI Fatigue”?), but crafting a plan with intentionality will allow for constant evolution.

Keep a clear vision. I like to always know how whatever tool we are training on will impact student learning and equity, sometimes you need to be creative, that's part of the ride!

Tell your stories, share with your network. Data matters, but narratives move people. If something is working, document it and share it, and if what you’re doing falls flat, chances are someone else has experienced that too.