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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.

Ok, I posted a bit ago about how good an idea it was to create quick reference cards to helpful web tools for teachers (since the observation that they never throw out ANYTHING that’s laminated). Here’s the next step. I’ve attached a template I just threw together in Powerpoint (for lack of a more accessible tool) you can fill out and print. It’s sized as a 3″ x 5″ card, so with a single hole punch in the corner and a locking ring through them they should be very helpful.

John Page over at Educators’ eZine wrote an excellent article talking about some of the reasons for technology in education. As usual, I have my own opinions to add, so…

Reason 1. Expansion of time and place

Bottom line: information technology allows learning anywhere, anytime; not just in one particular classroom for one hour a day.

The concept of “time-shifting” when it comes to education or work is near and dear to my heart. Being a highly-mobile kind of guy, teaching students they aren’t tied to a desk or specific location to learn, study, and be productive is paramount to their success in the world.

Reason 2. Depth of Understanding

Interactive simulations and illustrations can produce a much greater depth of understanding of a particular concept. When virtual manipulatives are used in a classroom setting they can go far beyond chalk and talk.

I will agree with the common wisdom of the more senses you can engage, the better a person will learn and retain a topic. Unfortunately there’s also just as much of a chance of sensory overload and shutdown if care is not used. “All things in moderation,” to paraphrase Ben Franklin.

Reason 3. Learning vs. Teaching

Technology allows the tables to be turned. Instead of teaching (push), students can be given projects that require them to learn (pull) the necessary material themselves. Key to this is the ability to get the information they need any time anywhere, without being in the physical presence of a teacher.

I had to think about this a bit. It was then I realized I’m not a good student when it comes to being taught, but I’m a great learner. Perhaps the availability of technology in the classroom COMBINED with teachers and administrations who are willing to adopt the understanding that learning and teaching are not one in the same can reach those students like me.

Reason 4. New media for self-expression

Using modern technology, they can: make a PowerPoint presentation, record/edit spoken word, do digital photography, make a video, run a class newspaper, run a web based school radio or TV station, do claymation, compose digital music on a synthesizer, make a website, and/or create a blog.

No questions here. There are hundreds of ways for students and staff to express and communicate using technology. The issue is, are there too many? Educators should experiment on and demonstrate everything they can, but they need to show restraint in identifying technologies that students “have” to use.

Reason 5. Collaboration

A vital skill in the new digital world is the ability to work collaboratively on projects with others who may not be physically close. This can best be done using modern computer tools such as the Web, Email, instant messaging and cell phone. Rather than laboring alone on homework, students can work in small groups wherever they happen to be and at any time.

The challenge here isn’t in teaching students how to work as a group and collaborate on projects using technology (just watch them texting with cell phones some time.) The challenge is getting the educators themselves to learn how to use technology to collaborate with their peers and expand their skills so they can lead the students by example.

Reason 6. Going Global

The worldview of the student can be expanded because of the zero cost of communicating with other people around the globe. The internet permits free video conferencing which permits interaction in real time with sister schools in other countries. From an educational viewpoint, what could be more important than understanding other cultures through direct dialog and collaboration?

I struggle more with this one than any of the others. Yes there’s value in the global contacts but when viewed in context with all the other benefits, this falls pretty far down the list of student needs. Educators however are different story entirely.

Reason 7. Individual pacing and sequence

Students are, of course, all different. Information technologies can permit them to break step with the class and go at a pace and order that suits each student better. Without disrupting the class, they can repeat difficult lessons and explore what they find interesting.

Individual pacing is a big leap for many educators, especially those who have to “teach to the test.” Viewing the technology as a supplement to the learning process rather than the core in these cases is probably best, but it’s also a case where discussion with colleagues would be extremely helpful.

Reason 8. Weight

Right now, students are getting back injuries lugging around a tiny subset of what they need in the form of black marks printed on slices of a substance not all that different from the papyrus used by the ancient Egyptians. And it’s just static boring text.

Valid…but weak. I don’t think you’ll get a lot of grant responses based on Johnny’s bookbag being lighter.

Reason 9. Personal Productivity

Students need productivity tools for the same reasons you do. They need to write, read, communicate, organize and schedule. A student’s life is not much different from that of any knowledge worker, and they need similar tools. Even if they are never used in the classroom, portable personal computers will make a student’s (and teacher’s) life more effective. To cash in this benefit, schools need to go paperless.

Now we’re struggling for reasons. Productivity skills and techniques are not technology dependent. They can be learned with or without the bits and bytes. Personally I’d rather see students who can learn from the notes they took no matter what they took them on.

All in all I agree with most of John’s points when it comes to technology and education. It boils down to this. Technology is here, it’s not going away, and it’s foolish to ignore it. Educators need to get educated on technology themselves before they can truly help their students benefit from it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent chatter in the edublogsphere (made up word) about the “cocktail party” and “echo chamber” for writing and being read as part of this community. I think it’s time we shift our thinking. Rather than wasting time worrying whether the bloggerati (another made up word) are following what you have to say and the profound effect it is or is not having on the world at large, let’s focus on the the people we can truly make an impact with…the teachers and staff we deal with on a daily basis. Strategic planning and conceptual models are good for creating mission statements and visions but if they’re never followed up by operational discussions, implementation plans, and success reviews we’ve become nothing more than pointy-haired managers avoiding real responsibility and accountability for making a difference in education.

If you want something to write about of value, get away from the theory and “fluffy thinking” rampant in ed-tech and concentrate on the practical, tactical aspects of what can be done to deliver more value to the students and staff. Digital citizenship, immigrants vs. natives, and all the 30,000 foot discussions floating around the internet deliver little practical value to the students and staff members who are trying to make this stuff work day in and day out. If you want to be read write about something worth reading such as the successes you’ve had implementing certain technologies or better yet the challenges you encountered and how you overcame them.

Based on this I am stepping away from the theoretical discussions. I leave those to the experts. I’m a strategist with an eye for implementation and that’s where I’m focusing my time, my writing, and my blog from now on. As for the cocktail party…I’ll be down the street having a coffee at the diner.

I’ve started using Diigo to generate more content for my blog.  Here’s a basic diagram of how it’s working right now:

Once a bookmark is grabbed it can be sent through as a blog posting.  It also shows up as part of my Diigo tag cloud and my Diigo bookmark tag roll.  The blog editor is a little weak, but the overall solution is robust and easy to use.