"I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter."
Don Henley, "The Heart of the Matter"
Why haven't we been more successful at integrating technology into our curriculum and classrooms? Why is technology, and all its power and promise, still relegated to the back of the educational bus by many school boards and district administrators? Why hasn't there been a howl of protest from outraged parents demanding that schools integrate 21st century learning tools into our schools right now?
Yesterday, I read a plurk from "Beth," a teacher with 27 years experience who might be losing her job along with 14 other technology integration specialists because their jobs were considered "non-instructional." This would leave, I believe, approximately 1 technology integration specialist for every 1500 students in this particular district.
The reaction was one of shock and outrage while "Beth" lamented over what she could do. As I tried to sleep last night, I was haunted by something Beth wrote: "It will be the students who suffer the most."
So what do we do?
Beth's plight, and the plight shared by so many teachers, principals and administrators across the country trying, with varying degrees of success, to meaningfully integrate technology into our schools and classrooms is rooted, I think, in one core cause.
It's time to get down to the heart of the matter.
It's time to appeal to the heart.
When we are moved, we act. When we feel, we respond. Right now, those of us "in" education technology do a great job....of talking to ourselves. I'm continually inspired and informed by the leaders and visionaries of the ed tech movement. I marvel at their use of technology and ability to identify new and clever widgets, gadgets and applications. NECC is a blast (loved Nashville, wasn't so hot on San Antonio), but after two years of attending, is it just me or does it seem like we're primarily still just talking to each other?
I think what we need to do is tell a better story. We need to get people to care. We need to find a way to engage that fifth grade teacher in Indianapolis who doesn't give a damn about computers but who is sick and tired of looking at bored and blank faces every day. We need to better engage school boards who see us coming, clutch their wallets, and think: "Oh no. YOU just want us to buy a bunch of computers and we have MUCH bigger fish to fry. We don't have money for teachers or textbooks and you want us to invest in laptops?"
The foundational issue isn't the merit of our cause, but how we share and frame our message. How do we reach our audience? How do we effectively share our vision with our school boards, administrators and the thousands of teachers who have never heard of NECC and will never attend? Too often our message gets lost, diluted or muddled. Or it becomes confusing and technocentric.
So do we do that?
How do you do that?
What I have found, for what its worth, that the least compelling way to talk about technology is to talk about technology. It's boring. Cold and boring. And in my humble opinion, presentations that involve pointing and clicking through an application in front of a large roomful of people are painful to watch. (Organizers at NECC, please take note). If the people pointing and clicking would simply turn around and look at the people in the room, they would often see a room full of confused and disengaged faces (and these are teachers we're talking about). Process and applications should be addressed in smaller, more hands-on sessions. Inspire people about why. Make the case why technology is important; why technology is meaningful, why technology engages our students and why technology improves student outcomes. Because if we don't get beyond why, we'll never get to how.
One of the best presentations that I've ever attended was by Dr. Tim Tyson and it was one of the least technical presentations I've ever attended. But it was beautiful; moving. It made we want to act.
My challenge to you is make us feel it. Make people care. Appeal to the heart, not just to the mind.
How you do it is up to you.
But if you have ideas, share them. Because if we're going to win this fight; we're going to win it together.
"Beth" this post is dedicated to you.Don Henley, "The Heart of the Matter"
Why haven't we been more successful at integrating technology into our curriculum and classrooms? Why is technology, and all its power and promise, still relegated to the back of the educational bus by many school boards and district administrators? Why hasn't there been a howl of protest from outraged parents demanding that schools integrate 21st century learning tools into our schools right now?
Yesterday, I read a plurk from "Beth," a teacher with 27 years experience who might be losing her job along with 14 other technology integration specialists because their jobs were considered "non-instructional." This would leave, I believe, approximately 1 technology integration specialist for every 1500 students in this particular district.
The reaction was one of shock and outrage while "Beth" lamented over what she could do. As I tried to sleep last night, I was haunted by something Beth wrote: "It will be the students who suffer the most."
So what do we do?
Beth's plight, and the plight shared by so many teachers, principals and administrators across the country trying, with varying degrees of success, to meaningfully integrate technology into our schools and classrooms is rooted, I think, in one core cause.
It's time to get down to the heart of the matter.
It's time to appeal to the heart.
When we are moved, we act. When we feel, we respond. Right now, those of us "in" education technology do a great job....of talking to ourselves. I'm continually inspired and informed by the leaders and visionaries of the ed tech movement. I marvel at their use of technology and ability to identify new and clever widgets, gadgets and applications. NECC is a blast (loved Nashville, wasn't so hot on San Antonio), but after two years of attending, is it just me or does it seem like we're primarily still just talking to each other?
I think what we need to do is tell a better story. We need to get people to care. We need to find a way to engage that fifth grade teacher in Indianapolis who doesn't give a damn about computers but who is sick and tired of looking at bored and blank faces every day. We need to better engage school boards who see us coming, clutch their wallets, and think: "Oh no. YOU just want us to buy a bunch of computers and we have MUCH bigger fish to fry. We don't have money for teachers or textbooks and you want us to invest in laptops?"
The foundational issue isn't the merit of our cause, but how we share and frame our message. How do we reach our audience? How do we effectively share our vision with our school boards, administrators and the thousands of teachers who have never heard of NECC and will never attend? Too often our message gets lost, diluted or muddled. Or it becomes confusing and technocentric.
So do we do that?
How do you do that?
What I have found, for what its worth, that the least compelling way to talk about technology is to talk about technology. It's boring. Cold and boring. And in my humble opinion, presentations that involve pointing and clicking through an application in front of a large roomful of people are painful to watch. (Organizers at NECC, please take note). If the people pointing and clicking would simply turn around and look at the people in the room, they would often see a room full of confused and disengaged faces (and these are teachers we're talking about). Process and applications should be addressed in smaller, more hands-on sessions. Inspire people about why. Make the case why technology is important; why technology is meaningful, why technology engages our students and why technology improves student outcomes. Because if we don't get beyond why, we'll never get to how.
One of the best presentations that I've ever attended was by Dr. Tim Tyson and it was one of the least technical presentations I've ever attended. But it was beautiful; moving. It made we want to act.
My challenge to you is make us feel it. Make people care. Appeal to the heart, not just to the mind.
How you do it is up to you.
But if you have ideas, share them. Because if we're going to win this fight; we're going to win it together.
*************
The following video is one of several that I have created when presenting to educators. It's a rather serious, somber piece; but it is designed to be. You will also note that it doesn't talk about technology at all. (The word "technology" only appears one time at the very end). The idea isn't to sell the viewer on technology, but to elicit a mood where people will be more receptive to the idea of having a discussion about technology. Again, if people are moved, if you touch the heart, then they are more likely to listen. And if someone is listening, really listening, that's when a meaningful conversation can begin.
Primary sources: 2004 National Technology Report, "Shift Happens," USA Today
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4 comments:
You struck a chord on two points. First, I work with Beth and am one of the tech integrators who will probably be laid off in her district, so I'm also feeling the loss -- the loss of her as a colleague, because she's incredibly talented and knowledgeable, but also the loss of the daily opportunity to ignite sparks.
For students, the power of technology in the classroom is like the power of a driver's license to a 16-year-old: it changes their view of the world and gives them a heady, grown-up surge of self-worth, confidence, and independence. They become explorers and conquerors rather than a passive audience. Worksheets and textbooks cannot instill the sense of excitement and ownership in learning that technology can -- just as riding in a car as a passenger doesn't encourage a teenager to start paying attention to the direction of the road. It is the driving that makes the magic happen!
The second point you made that resonated with me is that we're talking too much to each other (techies talking to techies), which is limiting our reach, not to mention our credibility. There are scads of people out in the world beyond us who haven't the slightest idea what we do or why we do it. We need to start talking about instructional technology to non-educators, while continuing to reach out to the educators who don't understand what we do.
I have always been aware of resistant teachers -- those who shy away from the use of technology for whatever reason, and I try to be sensitive and responsive to where they are in the learning process -- I try not to push but offer to help. Perhaps, though, I have deferred too much and have allowed myself to disappear from their sight. Now I am even more determined to associate more with them, befriend them, and try to see their point of view. I will offer them "safe" opportunities to play with technology in a hands-on environment, rather than talk at them or shove handouts and slideshows at them.
Thank you for your insightful and sensitive post.
Thank you Sharon. I was deeply moved by the proposed cuts in your district and all I could think was: "Is there such a thing as a non-essential child?" Because that's who we're compromising when we lose people like you and Beth.
Michael, you are so right. We must stop talking to ourselves and get to the heart of the matter. I really appreciate this post and am moving forward to make this happen.
You hit "dead on" here: "If the people pointing and clicking would simply turn around and look at the people in the room, they would often see a room full of confused and disengaged faces (and these are teachers we're talking about)." I work in a school that had a technology specialist. That teacher was first a prep teacher and then became a supporting teacher who came to classrooms to "teach technology." The position was eliminated because the classroom teachers mostly disengaged as soon as the specialist walked into the room, most sat at their desks, some even left the room. These teachers had been offered or taked little opportunity to learn, practice and use technology in a meanful way, believed they could not take part in the class and for whatever reason didn't allow themselves to model learning in front of their students. We haven't had a technology specialist for years now. The good news is there is hope. The librarian has taken on the role as media specialist and is now infusing new excitement into pockets of excellence around the building using a few web 2.0 tools with a few forward thinking probationary teachers. She and I hope that using web 2.0 technologies in the classroom will catch on with tenured teachers before the end of the year and these innovative individuals become the victims of next year's budget cuts.
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