WebedtecH

For years now I have wondered about the term “educational technology.” What does it mean? What does it contribute to the world at large? Does it actually make a difference to the students as they graduate and move into the real world?

There is a reason the word technology takes second billing in the phrase. Technology is a tool for helping deliver the education. The hammer and the pneumatic nailer are both tools that reach the same result. One is technical, requiring understanding and practice to use safely and at peak efficiency. The other is a hammer. Are we teaching our students and staffs how to use the nailer at the expense of the hammer or at the expense of being able to choose the right one at the right time?

Each new technology that comes down the pike with furor and fanfare will be replaced by another “superior” technology. Chalkboard to whiteboard to interactive multimedia presentation system. Has the message on the media changed or are we just pandering to a perceived short attention span mindset? “This is the computer generation people! They can’t learn without digital tech!” Funny, I still see groups of kids sitting around a teacher as she reads aloud and turns the pages of a (GASP) book! Why do we have such a hard time accepting the fact sometimes a teacher just wants to use a whiteboard?

Listen, I’m not damning all educational technology. You know me better than that. What I am challenging us with is getting off the high horse that technology is THE answer and look at it as AN answer. We must spend time working with our staffs and helping them think through their options. We also MUST be willing to accept part of a technology solution is the willingness of the user to use the system. We must also accept sometimes the most technical answer is not the best one.

Stop screaming in the echo chamber. Prove you know what you are talking about to people outside the technology field. Present intelligent discussion and options to your staffs and stop the Luddite branding if technology isn’t the chosen solution. In the end it’s all about Benjamin, baby.

Think I’m wrong? Bring it on.

I recently received a question from a parent about how it would be best to manage and filter their child’s web site explorations at home.  Here’s my response:

---

Sit down with your child at the computer and ask him to teach you about Webkinz and Neopets and the other sites he is interested in.  Don’t take it from the position of evaluating the sites but rather from a sincere interest in learning more about them and what he is interested.  By doing that you will gain several things:

1. You will have a better understanding of these virtual worlds and the types of interactions that can happen in them, both positive and negative.
2. You will be able to spend some time and observe his/her interactions with the games and see what aspects of them he tends towards.  Boys by nature gravitate to more action-oriented sections of games where girls traditionally gravitate to puzzles and interactive environments.  (Of course there are always exceptions to the rule).
3. Gaming environments can be very engaging, especially if a child has a vivid imagination or tends to get immersed in things easily.  Compare his game reactions to the reactions he has to movies and cartoons.  Are they similar, stronger, or weaker?
4. Look for common themes in the types of characters he/she chooses to play.  If he/she chooses one over another, don’t hesitate to ask him why.  There may be commonalities in his decisions, such as powerful versus weak, a specific look, gender association, etc.
5. This may be the biggest stretch for you…but ask him/her to help you set up your own characters and take you through the world.  Aside from it being good quality time you will be establishing credibility with him when it comes time to execute parental control on worlds and places he should not be entering.  Do not hesitate to try the sites he is visiting on your own when he is not around.  The more you learn about the sites the better off you will be.
6. Check in with him.  Every so often ask him/her how his characters are doing (make a point to learn the character names and the names he/she gave them).

There are systems available that can be used to filter web sites from kids (we use one at the school called OpenDNS [http://www.opendns.com] that is free and provides a great deal of control at the machine level.  However, no technological solution can replace building the understanding between you and he as to the types of things you consider appropriate and not.

The sites he/she has identified so far are known kids sites and many have protections in place for child safety.  (Gaia is targeted for PG-13 so I’d recommend against that.)  Most sites that draw kids will have some sort of parental information available easily from their home page.

He/she will want to explore and try new things, that is a given.  Working with him/her is the best solution in preparing him/her to be responsible as he/she grows on the internet.  I equate it to when he/she starts to drive.  The driving lessons will be invaluable since at some point he’ll have to leave the parking lot.

---

Comments?

The Edjurist Accord: The Ed. Tech Dominance of the Edublogosphere

While I agree with Justin on some of the aspects of his post (Lord knows I’ve railed about the ed-tech echo chamber before) I need to take a few minutes here to counter some of the points that both he and I have made before.

“…it is hard to bring in non-education tech. folks. It is a struggle just to get K-12 educators to visit blogs.”

Inspiring other future-tech (the term non-tech doesn’t sit well for some reason) teachers to follow blogs from the ed-tech space is challenging, yes, but not due to a failing of either community. When you’re new to a topic space you research and dig, looking for information and contacts who can assist you along the path of learning. The same thing occurs within the ed-tech space however there is an initial hurdle. Most of the information in the ed-tech space is shared using the very tools the future-tech teachers are trying to learn. It’s a catch-22 for most people.

“Second, largely the ed. tech. field seems to be expecting new bloggers to come to them. Why? Isn’t that the opposite of Goal #1 above? When you see the blogosphere as a competitive marketplace for ideas, other bloggers on different topics (who will probably not be giving you Technorati bumps) are competitors, no? Why promote another’s blog, especially a non-ed. tech. blog who is not going to reference you back? To me, that is the exact wrong way to visualize the education blogosphere if your goal is to nurture new edubloggers so that they can in turn help their students.”

I have to question this statement completely. The number of edubloggers who read and comment on the blogs of others is (in my completely unscientific estimate) proportionally higher than in other blog spaces. There is a sense of community and support obvious if you follow more than just the postings of the “big guys.” Bloggers such as Will Richardson and Stephen Downes put lots of content into the channel but also comment and encourage just as well. At least twice a week I’ll receive a Twitter posting touting a new edublogger who we should read, receive our comments, and support.

“I don’t blame ed. tech. folks for always pushing the envelop and wanting to try new things, that’s their job really, but it makes for a pretty scary learning curve that I am sure is discouraging to new bloggers.”

The possibilities may be intimidating, yes, but there are many, many edubloggers who write about the trials and tribulations of getting a blog off the ground and spreading the word. There’s a touch of vanity when it comes to monitoring your FeedBurner stats and your Technorati rating that adds a bit of thrill and anxiety to the task but when blogging we should all be thinking about the greater goal. If you’re producing content and sharing information that helps another succeed in being a better educator, that’s worth far, far more than any web metric.

“It is concerning to me that we are primarily using Web 2.0 devices to … talk about Web 2.0 devices.”

I’ll recommend this to anyone who feels this way: go to a couple blogs who you do follow now and look at their blogrolls (the list of blogs that author recommends.) It’s a great way to diversify your sources and see there is much more out in the ed-tech space than just the next Web 2.0 startup.

Why is it that the Educational Technology field seems to go through a regular crisis of identity? Every few months we’re trying to tag ourselves with another name to convey what we do and how we do it in using as few words as possible. The concept of being an “Edupunk,” fighting the system and pushing the boundaries is an old one. Do we really need a name? Should we call the ones who whine without acting “EduEmos”? How about the ones who charge in without thinking through the repercussions, “EduCowboys”?

Let’s stop worrying what our “brand identity” is this month and focus on what differentiates successful EdTechs from the unsuccessful ones:

1. Ability to change the rules of the game.
2. Adapt those rules that cannot be changed to make them work for rather than against your students.
3. Use the tools you have and innovate rather than always looking for the next, latest, and greatest thing.
4. Excellence in sharing your success with more than just other EdTechs but administrators and parents as well.
5. Recognition of the “echo chamber” for what it is. You can stand all day on the edge of the Grand Canyon and listen to your own echo, or you can hike down in and experience it for yourself.

What’s in a name?

Liliputing: MSI Wind to pack a 10 inch display and a $399 price tag

If they’re able to deliver on this price point and package offering this could be the Asus killer we’ve been waiting for.  A $399 price tag with a decent screen and 80 GB hard drive could seriously rock for students in the fall.  I’ll be looking forward to seeing this firmed up over the summer.