Yesterday morning, Kevin Honeycutt posted the following question on Plurk.
"Greatest tech integration challenges. What do you think?"
That, as they say, is the $20 Million Dollar question.
I don't necessarily think there is a single answer to the question. The issues are far too varied and complex. But I'd like to share a few thoughts.
Let's start with what we know. I think there's more than enough educational software out there to get the job done. Open source software and web based applications have also greatly reduced the cost and complexity of integrating technology into most classrooms. The hardware is certainly there. The present day cell phone is more technologically advanced than the supercomputers we used to send a man to the moon. What we don't have is a systemic, easily replicable design for how to bring all of these resources together in an easily digestible, pedagogically sound manner for teachers who may or may not be tech savvy. In other words, the key, I think, isn't better hardware or software, but better curriculum design. Because better design leads to better pedagogy and better pedagogy leads to better educational outcomes.
So I think we should start with design.
And how should we do that? Where does design start? Well...if you've hired an interior designer, contractor or an architect, where do you start? Do you go out and buy a bunch of bricks, wood, glass and mortar, dump it in a pile and say, "Here you go."
Of course not.
You start by watching HGTV.
Just kidding.
As simple as it sounds, you begin with a conversation.
I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter what we put into our classrooms, meaningful technology integration cannot work and will not work unless and until teachers are a part of the design process at the outset because teachers, not technology, will dictate the success of our efforts. Although one of the goals of 21st century pedagogy is "learner-centered" instruction, this does not mean that the use of technology in our classrooms should be the instructional equivalent of The Lord of the Flies. Yes, the role of the teacher should change from the industrial age model of the "sage on a stage" to a 21st century "guide on the side," but the kids can't teach themselves. Meaningful technology integration is a process. It doesn't begin because you've invested in a room full of really great looking computers, whiteboards and other pretty, shinny stuff. It begins with a great teacher who facilitates and guides the learning process.
So if we are to design a meaningful architecture for technology integration and 21st century learning, what should Step #1 be? Forget about the technology. Make it invisible. Start by focusing first on teachers and understanding what they need to encourage better learning.
Now I know some of you might think, "Whoa...wait a minute. Focus first on understanding and meeting the needs of the teacher? Shouldn't we focus first on meeting the needs of the student or the desired learning outcomes?"
That's the conventional wisdom. But I don't think so.
When attempting to improve outcomes, the really successful private sector business owners that I know, and I've known a few, don't necessarily start the conversation by asking what the customer needs or wants. Based on the occupation or context, that's almost implicit. They start by going to their employees and asking them what they need in order to give the customers what they want. Because the product doesn't sell itself. The product is channeled through and fueled by informed and motivated people who then produce the desired result.
I think the great failure of most efforts at educational reform lie in the fact that they were top down efforts; fueled and formulated by politicians and policy wonks, not educators, who then essentially dumped their "reforms" into the laps of teachers with demands to just do it. And too often these "reforms" were sharply out-of-sync or out of touch with the day-to-day reality faced by most teachers. (Think NCLB). So if we want different results, we have to approach efforts at education reform differently. We have to invite the teachers to the party at the outset.
So be wary of pre-packaged "solutions" wrapped in grandiose promises of renewed and revitalized classrooms. Before buying more stuff, think about how you can teach your teachers how to better use their existing stuff. Start small. Keep it simple. Think about starting by engaging a small group of teachers who are open and receptive to the idea of technology integration. If they're tech savvy; great. If not, that's okay. Because being tech savvy isn't a prerequisite. What is? Teachers who understand that in the information age, the best teachers are also the best learners. Teachers who are willing to go out on a pedagogical limb and try something unfamiliar and new are the teachers who will innovate and lead in the 21st century.
That's why District-wide implementations at the outset tend to be tough. It's generally too much too fast. But you don't need an entire district to make your case. You don't need an entire school. Start with a handful of kids and a few teachers within each school and work your way up and out. Build on success. Use the technology that you have access to share your stories with your stakeholders, particularly your parents. Create a classroom website (it's easy). Make the students and the work they produce using technology your ambassadors for change.
But start by engaging your teachers.
"Greatest tech integration challenges. What do you think?"
That, as they say, is the $20 Million Dollar question.
I don't necessarily think there is a single answer to the question. The issues are far too varied and complex. But I'd like to share a few thoughts.
Let's start with what we know. I think there's more than enough educational software out there to get the job done. Open source software and web based applications have also greatly reduced the cost and complexity of integrating technology into most classrooms. The hardware is certainly there. The present day cell phone is more technologically advanced than the supercomputers we used to send a man to the moon. What we don't have is a systemic, easily replicable design for how to bring all of these resources together in an easily digestible, pedagogically sound manner for teachers who may or may not be tech savvy. In other words, the key, I think, isn't better hardware or software, but better curriculum design. Because better design leads to better pedagogy and better pedagogy leads to better educational outcomes.
So I think we should start with design.
And how should we do that? Where does design start? Well...if you've hired an interior designer, contractor or an architect, where do you start? Do you go out and buy a bunch of bricks, wood, glass and mortar, dump it in a pile and say, "Here you go."
Of course not.
You start by watching HGTV.
Just kidding.
As simple as it sounds, you begin with a conversation.
I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter what we put into our classrooms, meaningful technology integration cannot work and will not work unless and until teachers are a part of the design process at the outset because teachers, not technology, will dictate the success of our efforts. Although one of the goals of 21st century pedagogy is "learner-centered" instruction, this does not mean that the use of technology in our classrooms should be the instructional equivalent of The Lord of the Flies. Yes, the role of the teacher should change from the industrial age model of the "sage on a stage" to a 21st century "guide on the side," but the kids can't teach themselves. Meaningful technology integration is a process. It doesn't begin because you've invested in a room full of really great looking computers, whiteboards and other pretty, shinny stuff. It begins with a great teacher who facilitates and guides the learning process.
So if we are to design a meaningful architecture for technology integration and 21st century learning, what should Step #1 be? Forget about the technology. Make it invisible. Start by focusing first on teachers and understanding what they need to encourage better learning.
Now I know some of you might think, "Whoa...wait a minute. Focus first on understanding and meeting the needs of the teacher? Shouldn't we focus first on meeting the needs of the student or the desired learning outcomes?"
That's the conventional wisdom. But I don't think so.
When attempting to improve outcomes, the really successful private sector business owners that I know, and I've known a few, don't necessarily start the conversation by asking what the customer needs or wants. Based on the occupation or context, that's almost implicit. They start by going to their employees and asking them what they need in order to give the customers what they want. Because the product doesn't sell itself. The product is channeled through and fueled by informed and motivated people who then produce the desired result.
I think the great failure of most efforts at educational reform lie in the fact that they were top down efforts; fueled and formulated by politicians and policy wonks, not educators, who then essentially dumped their "reforms" into the laps of teachers with demands to just do it. And too often these "reforms" were sharply out-of-sync or out of touch with the day-to-day reality faced by most teachers. (Think NCLB). So if we want different results, we have to approach efforts at education reform differently. We have to invite the teachers to the party at the outset.
So be wary of pre-packaged "solutions" wrapped in grandiose promises of renewed and revitalized classrooms. Before buying more stuff, think about how you can teach your teachers how to better use their existing stuff. Start small. Keep it simple. Think about starting by engaging a small group of teachers who are open and receptive to the idea of technology integration. If they're tech savvy; great. If not, that's okay. Because being tech savvy isn't a prerequisite. What is? Teachers who understand that in the information age, the best teachers are also the best learners. Teachers who are willing to go out on a pedagogical limb and try something unfamiliar and new are the teachers who will innovate and lead in the 21st century.
That's why District-wide implementations at the outset tend to be tough. It's generally too much too fast. But you don't need an entire district to make your case. You don't need an entire school. Start with a handful of kids and a few teachers within each school and work your way up and out. Build on success. Use the technology that you have access to share your stories with your stakeholders, particularly your parents. Create a classroom website (it's easy). Make the students and the work they produce using technology your ambassadors for change.
But start by engaging your teachers.
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7 comments:
It is important to share what you are doing in the classroom to engage your students in a meaningful way. This week, I was reminded that there are still people out there that do not understand why it is necessary to integrate technology into our classrooms. I actually had someone say... "The technology aspect is neat and glamorous, but if the child cannot read it is all for not." Technology is neat and glamorous? Technology can be meaningful, engaging, and challenging. We need to display what is occurring in our classrooms so we can break that perception of "neat and glamorous".
I agree, and I've seen the top down, "we're doing this to you" approach fail time and time again. The movement must start with the people, the teachers in partnership with parents and students. Where do we want to go and how can we get there? Win the heart and have the supplies and support right there and ready!
Kevin...it's funny you talk about winning the heart because that is the very topic of my next post.
I absolutely agree, it has to start with the teachers. This is an idea that has been rattling in me for a while now. I work directly with teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. The more I work with teachers, the more I am convinced that technology is not the goal. Simply adding technology into the classroom is not going to transform learning. If we are teaching the same old way with the teacher as experts and students regurgitating information back in the form of worksheets, no amount of technology is going to enhance student learning. If our goal is to produce great test takers then we are succeeding. Our students are masters at memorizing information we tell them is important for the short term. As soon as the answers come out on a worksheet or a test that short term memory is filled with new information for the next test. This is not learning. It is essential that we take a new approach to teaching. Teachers have to change the way the classroom looks. We need to be challenging our teachers to create learners. Students who know how to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively. If we can create classrooms full of learners, the technology is going to enhance the learning and make it meaningful. Technology is not the goal. Changing the way that we teach so that we produce thinkers...that is the goal. Thanks for the post Mike!
My school has had two staff develoment days this year (one each semester) and we tried something different. We set the days up for break out sessions like what happens at large tech conferences. The five tech saavy teachers in our building polled the other teachers to find out what they wanted to learn about technology. We then designed our sessions to meet their needs. I had the privilege of teaching two beginner sessions. The first one dealt with cutting and pasting and how to post homework to their eBoard note. The second session taught them the steps to properly set up lessons in a software package that the students use during computer lab time. Overwhelmingly the evalutions from these sessions stated that these two days were the best staff development that our teachers had ever attended and they praised the presenters for meeting their needs at their level.
Teachers can not integrate technology until they themselves are comfortable with it. Wouldn't that be like asking an illiterate person to teach reading to a class of students? Since so many teachers are still stuck in the "sage" mind set, it is very uncomfortable for them to admit that they don't know something. When they learn to be comfortable saying "I don't know but let's find out together" they will then be ready for technology integration.
Lately, I have heard over and over again from teachers or admin staff "that I'm afraid of technology". Why fix something if it isn't broken?" We have many of the "sages" that are hesitant about embracing technology. They are fearful of the unknown. In faculty meetings that focus on new ways of implementing technology, I have seen the tech facilitator say, "click here, here and here. And...that's all there is to it! The faces of the un-techs (teachers without technology skills) have blank stares of total confusion and despair. Just as we teach the building blocks of reading and math to our students, instruction to the un-techs should be presented in bite-sized, easy to follow steps that ensure success and can be applied to a daily task. Just as PNaugle stated, we must meet the needs of the teachers at their level to gain their trust and support for integrating technology into their classrooms. Using technology, we need to demonstrate how lessons can be done differently, as well as, how to do different lessons that will improve our teaching and learning.
Bravo Mike, bravo!
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