Putting the Education Back in Ed Tech
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Putting the Education Back in Ed Tech
by Patrick Woessner | Wed, 01/28/2009 - 15:51
I am fortunate to be able to participate in a wide variety of professional development opportunities, both online and face-to-face. This week, I attended an educational technology conference that drew participants from several states. Although turnout was low due to inclement weather, I couldn't help but notice that the most popular sessions focused on tool-based technology integration. Web 2.0 applications were all the rage...and I'm not sure why.
To be clear, I am a proponent of the Read-Write web and regularly employ Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. Considering their low learning curve and ease of implementation, however, I cannot understand why they merit hour-long presentations. Time and again I heard ohhs and ahhs from teachers who were discovering "new" tools like Ning, Flickr, and Delicious. Where have these people been for the last few years?
Sessions on systemic change, culture shifts, redefining literacy, and other weighty topics were sparsely attended, and that is very disconcerting. The "quick fix cool tool" is taking precedence over sustainable, meaningful transformation of teaching and learning. As school budgets shrink while the expectations placed upon them rise, teachers have an obligation to become more independent in professional growth; get online and see what's out there.
While I applaud the presenters who engaged their audiences and exposed them to some truly powerful tools and techniques, I hope that in the not-too-distant future, educational technology conferences become more about education. Technology is more than an interactive tutorial, publishing platform, or organizational tool; it is a vehicle for empowering students to take ownership of their learning.
Maybe I'll propose a session on that next year; I wonder if anyone would attend....
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Comments
Patrick, I admire your
Patrick,
I admire your recognition of how important educational technology is for not only the student, but also the educator; in order for educational technology to be successful in the classroom, the teacher needs to understand and be able to use it effectively. School budgets are indeed shrinking and unfortunately, many schools cannot afford to educate teachers on technology or can only do so on a limited basis. Although it is disheartening, I agree “…teachers have an obligation to become more independent in professional growth; get online and see what’s out there.” There are numerous ways for teachers to expose themselves to technology with a limited budget or without one at all and using the internet is a great starting point. Those “oohs and ahhs” from teachers who are new to certain educational tools are an excellent examples of why schools should attempt to include educator development in their budgets because for whatever reasons some teachers are not being exposed to educational technology and its multiple uses.
I also agree that often these “educational technology conferences” largely focus on the technology of the tools; however I do believe it is vital to understand the technology first and then focus on integrating it with pedagogy, which I believe will ultimately, as you stated, empower “…students to take ownership of their learning.” While there is such a huge focus on educational technology, it is important not to forget how it can aide and improve some of the topics you mentioned in your blog, such as culture shifts and redefining literacy. I do not feel that technology is a “quick fix cool tool”; however I understand how some teachers may be lead to believe this.
As I previously mentioned, I agree that it is a teacher’s responsibility to further their development with or without the support of a school budget, even though it may be difficult. Exposure to different and new types of educational technology can help give students the tools and skills they need to succeed and become lifelong learners, which as teachers we can model by getting online and seeing what’s out there!
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