Stop Eating Raw Meat: Why Digital Fluency for Students Starts With Teachers

Imagine it’s 800,000 BCE. You’re sitting with friends who have just discovered fire. They’re cooking their food, unlocking nourishment and energy in ways no one thought possible. But you don’t understand fire. No one showed you how it works. So you keep eating raw meat and tell yourself it’s fine.

Slowly, though, the gap widens. Your friends thrive. You fall behind.

Digital fluency is the fire of our time. It is no longer optional for students, and it is no longer something teachers can be expected to figure out alone.

Higher education and the future workforce demand digital competence. But if we want students to use digital tools critically, creatively, and ethically, teachers must first feel confident, inspired, and supported in using them. That requires far more than one-off professional development sessions. It requires immersive learning experiences and job-embedded coaching.

The Digital Divide in Teacher Preparation

At the National Science Teaching Association’s 2024 conference, I asked a room full of educators if they had heard of ChatGPT and other AI tools. Nearly every hand went up. Then I asked who had used them in their teaching. Almost every hand went down.

This disconnect is widespread. An EdWeek survey found that 56 percent of teachers feel they lack sufficient training to use digital tools effectively. Another survey reported that 83 percent of teachers had not used generative AI at all in the past month. These numbers point to a systemic gap. If teachers don’t feel confident with digital tools, how can we reasonably expect students to be?

Digital literacy is not just technical know-how. It’s discernment. It’s understanding when, why, and how to use tools in ways that support equitable and meaningful learning. Even basic technology, when used well, can help teachers differentiate instruction, increase accessibility, and engage students through multiple modalities. But that kind of judgment doesn’t come from a slide deck. It comes from supported, hands-on learning paired with mentorship and coaching.

Seeing the Magic Firsthand

In 2023, I participated in a generative AI design sprint hosted by Harvard Business School. Very little time was spent listening to lectures. Instead, we worked in small groups using generative AI models to develop full business plans and working demos, which we later presented to a panel of potential investors.

That experience changed everything. I used best-in-class tools, learned from experts, collaborated intensely, and most importantly, had fun. I didn’t just hear about what generative AI could do. I experienced it.

Too often, teacher professional development misses that spark. Teachers are shown tools but not given time to play, iterate, or imagine what those tools could unlock in their own classrooms. When I returned to school, I shared my experience with our Director of Technology, who immediately saw its value. Today, our school has hosted its third annual Generative AI Design Sprint. This year, we expanded access to frontier AI models, invited parents to serve as judges, and cancelled all classes for the day so students could fully immerse themselves in the process.

Building a Culture of Digital Pedagogy

These experiences matter most when they are reinforced by school culture. At Pine Street School, digital literacy has long been embedded into our instructional vision across grade levels and disciplines. As an Apple Distinguished School, we have technology mentors embedded within our faculty who support colleagues in real time.

Teachers are encouraged to explore, take risks, and seek out new learning opportunities. That might look like integrating 3D printing into a geometry unit or using QR codes to enhance a science investigation. The message from leadership is clear: digital fluency is not an add-on. It is part of who we are.

Curiosity is encouraged and rewarded. Recently, my Head of Middle School recommended that I attend a lecture on quantum computing hosted at an architecture firm. The event was inspiring and reinforced something important: if we want students to thrive in a rapidly changing world, teachers must have access to the same kinds of inspiring, boundary-pushing learning experiences we hope to create for them.

Beyond Another PD Day

This isn’t about scheduling one more professional development day. It’s about rethinking how schools support teacher growth altogether. Administrators must move beyond traditional PD models and encourage bold experimentation through expert-driven, immersive learning experiences. Just as importantly, that learning must be sustained through mentorship, professional learning communities, and aligned incentives.

Without follow-through, even the most exciting training fades. With it, digital fluency becomes part of a school’s fabric.

Beyond Cooked Meat

True fluency with any technology, from fire to large language models, is ultimately about mindset. It’s about preparing students and educators to adapt, question, and innovate in the face of change.

Digital coaching is an equity issue. Every student deserves teachers who feel confident, capable, and courageous enough to design transformative learning experiences. When we invest in teachers’ digital fluency, we are not just keeping up with the future. We are shaping it.

It’s time to stop eating raw meat.