Suppose we didn't have to use every new thing
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 09:01PM Herb Wilburn gave me permission to take a response he made to this blog and creat this post. Herb's blog, Let's Just Suppose, is always thoughtful and you do worse than to put it in your aggregator.
Doug,
I've posted this, but wanted to send it to your posting since you are discussing teachers and technology adoption.
Let's just suppose we didn't have to use every new thing...
Today I cataloged and inventoried one of those interactive response units being sold to work with smartboards, whiteboards, and so on. The teachers using it are all excited, the kids think it's cool and I'm pretty sure the school tech people are cheering it on as well.
Well, not so fast, let's think about this. I've used these things at Dept of Ed meetings and as with most types of new technology, if one isn't careful, the lowest possible use is most popular. At the DOE mtg, we were given prefab multiple choice responses to the issues we'd met to discuss for two days. Now, rather than the give and take between thoughtful professionals sparking new ideas and conversation, we clicked on 1 if we wholeheartedly agreed, 2 if we sort of agreed, 3 if we didn't really disagree, and 4 if we just didn't care. OK, so those weren't the real choices but you get the idea. Worse, the instant gratification of this exercise was met with wows and gee whiz from all quarters. Sure we knew in seconds that 52% chose 1, but would they have chosen 1 if a passionate number 3 had spoken?
Now as professionals at a conference we should know how to correctly interpret and discard such nonsense when it occurs. What has me concerned is the underlying message we are giving kids by using this in classrooms. If we are just tallying up strictly objective, numerical, no doubter type answers, it's probably not terrible. But you know, you just know, that someone will want to be "on the cutting edge" and use it to gather responses to all sorts of questions. I'm afraid that the kids will come to expect, demand, immediate answers, immediate feedback as a matter of course. Life's not like that, at least not a considered, thoughtful life.
Sometimes, often, one needs to hear opposing views and think about them for a day or two. One might change their mind, it happens. I think I'm right when I take a position, but people and experiences have changed my mind many times. The idea that we will always arrive at the conclusion in one sitting is terrible training for our children.
I guess you can use these devices with my blessing if answer 4 is "Let me sleep on it."
How often do we as adults say and mean "let me sleep on it" before making a decision about technology - or anything else for that matter? And we complain our kids don't take time to reflect!
Device at left seems to be a required purchase for some Arizona State University students. Do note "confidence " level indicator.
Reader Comments (3)
As Tech Coach, I am in possession of 2 beautiful CPS units. What to do? What to do? I don't like the short, quick, no-doubt-about-it Q&A that advances nothing but a few seconds.
Instead, I offer teachers to use them just before the end of class. Pose an essential question about today's learning, topic, reading, blah-he blah-ha, and then give them the night to think, ponder, and consider the responses. Ask them, "Why would 42% side with Piggy?"
Better than a study guide. And a great way for the teachers to see if their students are more than just comprehending (which, yes, is still a big issue), but internalizing...and all those other good words that sound really good to say.
Hi Ken,
I think you and Herb both strongly make the point: it's not about just using the tools, but using them right. It makes me think of the conversation I had yesterday about Accelerated Reader. Seems like people love it or hate it rather than figuring out how to use it wisely.
Thanks for the insightful comment,
Doug
"Using it wisely"... not just tech tools, but our cars, our lights, our SOAP! (think of all that antibacterial stuff out there that's just breeding more resistant strains of bacteria.) Using things wisely, a major paradigm shift! But truly wise use, the time has come, (Well okay, it came a while ago.) but are we ready?