Take the Technology out of the Equation
Maybe it is time to take “Technology” out of the equation at our schools. Who still wants bring in technology for technology sake? Technology Integration is not about the skill set, but about the mind set and above all about STUDENT LEARNING. So why is there still resistance (open and quiet) from teachers and/or lack of support from administration?
Let’s not turn the discussion to the reasons and excuses why teachers have no time, no equipment, no interest, no skills to integrate technology and concentrate WHAT schools need to do to support their students in becoming the best learners they can be.
Let’s turn the discussion to what is required to teach well? Now (not last century)! In this society (abundance of cell phones, internet access, video games) !With students of this generation (always connected, instant gratification, accustomed to media rich interaction)!
- How do we teach students how to learn?
- How do we motivate and engage learners?
- How do we create a climate where learning is valued, not test scores or a covered text book?
Maybe we need to find common ground among the teachers and administrators at our schools. Take the word “technology” out of the discussion. That word seems to mean too many different things to too many different people (even scare). Maybe we need to be talking about something no one can deny as a priority in our schools: STUDENT LEARNING. Maybe we if we talk on that common ground, there will be less resistance, more collaboration and communication on how to achieve that.
I was trying to come up with a visual that could serve as a starting point in this new conversation.
How does learning look like in the 21st Century?
I started out by brainstorming within Wordle keywords, then asking my Twitter network to contribute their thoughts.
Darren Kuropatwa and participants from an international PLP cohort collaboratively worked on a presentation titled : Teaching Well.
Slide 2 especially resonated with me with a quote from Benjamin Zander
The conductor of an orchestra does not make a sound…he depends for his power on his ability of making other people powerful.
Benjamin Zander by flickr user World Economic Forum
At the same time that I was looking at Darren’s presentation, a tweet from Nancy vonWahlde came about her new blog post Global Collaboration 102. Nancy writes:
Perhaps my job title next year should be Global Collaborations Conductor as these projects all can fit easily into the current curriculum and learning 21st Century skills. I would choose “Conductor†over “Coordinator†as I would create long-term plans to make the collaboration more meaningful and also be present each time a related activity was implemented with the class.
Technology Integrators becoming “conductors” in order to empower teachers to support learners.
I then came created the following visual, using PowerPoint’s Smart Art Graphics.
What are your thoughts on finding common ground among our school’s stakeholders? What does learning mean to you and for your students?
Technology has almost become a dirty word- I can see others wince when saying “the word”. That, and the idea that if we teach our students how to use PPT well we are integrating technology. I agree, we need to start from scratch and take “that word” out of the conversation because it is/should be a given if our classrooms reflect the current world- instead, talk about specific tools that would lend themselves well to achieving the learning goals.
Great post!
You have raised important questiions: Its all about teaching and learning! what is good teaching? what is conceived as good learning taking place?
If learning is acquiring knowledge and skills, can we ignore technology?
The other point of what “technology” means to people is true and relevant!
Perhaps we should use a different term when trying to introduce ICT to teachers?
[...] Langwitches has just shared another great resource. This time, it’s a slideshow from Darren Kuropatwa and others who created a presentation titled Teaching Well. [...]
What a wonderful post, and I love your analogy of a conductor. When students are engaged and learning, it is definitely a harmonious symphony.
Yes, we must clearly begin with student learning first.Great post! The word that makes me cringe though, still is not “technology” it’s “integration.” To me that implies to me that we place something into the mix after curriculum, lessons, and learning targets are created. Here’s a metaphor: The “technology” isn’t the whipped cream on the waffles, it’s the eggs to make the batter. Unfortunately, as you said, we still have teachers who either don’t like whipped cream, or are afraid to use the waffle iron.
I have recently read Mishra and Koehler’s research: “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge” (TPCK). In it, they suggest that all three components need to be addressed in any teacher training program, and that staff development needs serious overhaul.
As you suggest, they start with the “learning” but also recognize new knowledge needs to be created and mastered.
Outstanding post – so true. I wonder, with so many people ‘resisting’ technology, maybe this is the ultimate ‘end around’ strategy? How can they resist if the focus is improving their teaching? Who doesn’t want to improve? (Wait, don’t answer that…)
Along these lines, I recommend Angela Stockman’s recent post, “Goomoodleikiog: Transforming Teaching in Plain English.” It includes what is in my view at least the best “Commoncraft” style video I’ve seen yet (by someone other than Commoncraft):
http://tinyurl.com/cjym6z
Finally, I’ve been searching for a new email signature quote, and thanks to you, that search is over. Benjamin Zander will be gracing the end of my emails for the foreseeable future…
Thanks for the inspiration,
-kj-
[...] Tolisano at http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/03/29/take-the-technology-out-of-the-equation/ expresses the energizing wish that we educators (teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and [...]
This has been an “ah-ha” for me in the past few years as well. Whenever I get the label “techie,” I cringe only because people are missing the point of the work that I do—which is completely designed to get kids engaged in learning.
What I wonder is whether the word “technology” has a different impact depending on the role that one plays in the system?
When I talk technology to teachers, they often groan, knowing that anything I say is going to mean more work for them—-getting up to speed about how new tools can fit into their philosophies about education.
But when I talk technology to principals or district level leaders, they jump into action! It’s a hot-button issue for them, and one that I’m more likely to get their buy-in on than almost anything.
Isn’t that an interesting dichotomy?!
Bill
You might enjoy Blogush’s new post on this same topic: “An Incomplete Thought on Tech Intergration” (sic) http://blogush.edublogs.org/2009/03/29/an-incomplete-thought-on-tech-intergration/#comment-640. I referred him to your post, too.
[...] A Mindset not A Skillset y Take the Technology out of the Equation [...]
You’ve got me thinking:
I just finished Disrupting Class. There’s a chapter in the book about how industries (and in this case, schools) change. He talks about the most effective and lasting change happens when we agree on two things: what we want and how we get there.
I think this is the problem: we might all agree on our vision or mission for the school (a focus on student learning). However, we definitely don’t agree on how we’re going to get there and what that might look like. Even if we focus on student learning, I’m not sure all teachers (in my school anyway) would agree on how we can improve student learning.
Too many competing interests, too many personal passions, too many years of experience (gasp!). Maybe if we took the conversation entirely outside of education and focused only on society, what people need in our global society to be successful, we could agree on what improved student learning would look like? Or maybe those diverse life experiences would lead us to different conclusions anyway?
I’m still working this through in my mind, but I can see the diverse expertise of all of our teachers being a strength and also a weakness, and I’m just not sure how to move forward.
Either way, I can also share that we’ve tried to take “technology” out of the equation here. My job title being 21st Century Literacy Specialist is one piece of that task. In the end, we’re finding that taking the word out doesn’t change what we’re trying to say – and in some ways makes it more convoluted. Now we’re defining 21st Century Literacy, of course without using the word technology, but really we are talking about effectively using technology. So does that make it easier to understand or harder?
Clearly, I have no answers, only more questions. But thanks for making me think!
Great post! It’s so easy to forget that technology is nothing more than a tool to facilitate learning.
[...] Take the Technology out of the Equation [...]
[...] Tolisano at the Langwitches blog wrote a great post on the 29th called “Take the Technology out of the Equation”. This post is worth a read if you have not had a chance to work through her thoughts and the links. [...]
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[...] I am hearing, reading and thinking more and more about the change (or shift) we so desperately are trying to inspire in our schools. That change does not seem to come from “whether we integrate technology or not”. It goes much deeper. Back in March, I cautiously wrote a post “Take the Technology out of the Equation“. [...]
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