Teachers shouldn't have to be technology superstars
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 07:59PM Since when has the world of computer software design been about what people want? This is a simple question of evolution. The day is quickly coming when every knee will bow down to a silicon fist, and you will all beg your binary gods for mercy. - from Bill Gates interview spoof
A couple days ago I listened to a very enthusiastic teacher/techie explain how he built a "roll your own" content management system for teaching online classes. Discontent with Moodle, he created a stew of a half dozen free Web2.0 apps and a little HTML and Java coding and, voila, he had system he loved.* And I sat there thinking, 'What teacher in his/her right mind would not only refuse do this, but be able to keep from running screaming from the room at the thought of having to do this?"
Let's face is - teachers should not and cannot be expected to be technology experts in order to use technology well. It's like asking good drivers need to be good car designers or good cooks to be good farmers. I don't think so. I want my teachers thinking about teaching and learning, not technology.
Nathan left an interesting response to my last blog post in reference to creating a program that uses mobile computing devices systemically in schools. He observed:
We've brought in a ton of iPod Touches in Special Ed with Stimulus money this school year. Monday we visited another school that was hosting a site visit, to check if we were missing anything. The key thing I came away with that day is it is ALL about great instruction. The 7th grade math teacher we observed was inspiring...and made me wonder if we had anyone that dynamic in our district to really extract all that technology has to offer in the classroom. To be fair, they might not have another teacher like him in their district. I felt good knowing we weren't behind the curve and ahead of pretty much all the other districts there, but worried that we might not have the players to pull it off. The Yankees do well because of Mark Texiera and CC Sabathia win games...not the grounds crew, the GM or the owner.
But here's the thing, Nathan, - teachers should not have to be the instructional equivilant of Texiera to be able to use technology in the classroom effectively. The technology should be transparent (simple, intuitive, powerful) enough that any teacher who is open to new, or even enhanced, ways of teaching would quickly and willingly use the "stuff." Period.
And it is our job as librarians and tech integration specialists to evaluate technologies with this in mind. We should review and reject the junk that is overly complex, time consuming and just plain badly designed. And keep it away from our hard working teachers.
And yes, I've been beating this drum for a long time. ('Tis a Joy to be Simple, 2001)
* If this fellow spent as much time on course content buidling as he did on creating the CMS, it must have been a terrific course!
Reader Comments (11)
I always wonder about defining "time consuming". Fact is, learning anything new is time consuming. I usually try and use the sales pitch - ie climb the learning curve and you save a ton of time later on.
It's just that the learning curve can't be too steep. Nor, conversely, can it be too shallow. It's the goldilocks problem of PD.
Reminds me of when we got our first Apple ][ computers back in 1977/1978. I was teaching computer programming at the time. I offered a course to teachers on how program in BASIC so they could create programs for their classes.
Shortly after that I authored an article for a major periodical at the time titled "Teaching Teachers Computers, Not Programming." The next offering I had for teachers in our district was called "How To Talk To Your Apple" and concentrated on software like AppleWriter and Print Shop :-)
Honored to make a Blue Skunk blog post! Not everyone needs to be Kirby Puckett...you need Ken Hrbek to pull Ron Gant off the bag too. Everyone needs to play a role...meet the needs of different kids. But, people need to be willing to play ball. My main frustration isn't necessarily a lack of talent but the willingness to try new things, to move on out of the 20th Century. Technology needs to be somewhat easy to use, but the skill set needs to evolve. I've had to evolve from social studies teacher to librarian to media specialist in charge of technology to district technology trainer, all in 7 years. I don't think takes a great deal of talent to work with students on research skills, not just sending everyone to Google and have at it...or a business ed teacher to move off keyboarding skills at the secondary level and foster project management skills with collaborative online spaces....or to learn how to connect a projector...or check if the wireless card is turned on the laptop. You don't have to be the Joe Mauer of teachers to do those things, just be willing to do some tee work before you get to the plate.
Hi Zac,
I've been giving your comment about later time saving some thought. See today's? entry.
Thanks for stirring my thinking!
Doug
Hi Craig,
I think you and I are of a generation. I took an Apple II home for the summer in about 1980 along with a book of simple games one could program. I remember calling Apple in Cupertino directly and they taught me how to INIT a floppy disk so I could save all my hardwork!
There will always be teacher/tinkerers, but I don't know we expect that of the majority!
All the best,
Doug
HI Nathan,
OK, you've exhausted my scant baseball knowledge!
You are exactly right about the willingness to try new things as being the primary disposition necessary to be an effective teacher.
All the best,
Doug
Doug,
Could you be the only voice of reason out there in the EdTech world?
I am half tech integration/ half social studies and I find that Tech can only comprehend the tools (and their endless updates), and tout the "power" of the tools, without thinking how this really impacts instruction. On the other hand, I have encountered far too many Teachers who feel bad when they don't understand the technology -- a majority of tools that are certainly powerful, but not transparent and intuitive (ahem, Blackboard).
Sometimes I feel my actual job is simply saying NO to Tech and their latest/greatest tools and cheerleading/handholding Teachers who are admirably patient with these often frustrating tools.
How do we bridge the gap in our schools between these two groups? Thanks!
It's that gap between the technology enthusiasts and the rest of the world that is the biggest blind spot in our field. Doug's post underlines this problem and we have to take it seriously. Year after year, we go to ISTE and see the latest and shiniest new toys. For most of our colleagues, however, the simplest tools, used well, can make a huge difference in the classroom.
But it's our own techno-lust that keeps pushing towards the "next best thing," and I think most educators who are passionate about social studies, or literature, or health or the whole child see right through our gadget-worship. Technology education has suffered for almost 100 years with this problem--- when are we going to look it square in the eye and, as Doug urges, get simple?
Hi Spiro,
Thanks for the kind words. I think my opinions and decisions about technology have been primarily shaped by my experiences as a classroom teacher and school librarian myself. It makes me nervous to see tech depts being headed by those have never been in a classroom or have the naivety to believe everything tech salespeople tell them!
Keep things real!
All the best,
Doug
Hi Renee,
Thanks for the comment. Your fine reputation in the field gives your words weight!
You are right on that a passion for education should drive tech use, not the other way around. And I see plenty of teachers who are passionate about what they do using tech effectively to do it better! But it can't start with the tech.
All the best,
Doug
Great discussion Doug! I agree with you to a large extent, but I would like to build on your analogies to make a point. I don't need to design a car to know how to drive it, but my Dad taught me early on that knowing just a little bit about car maintenance and repair would ultimately make my driving experience more enjoyable. Turns out he was right. Thanks Dad!
Nathan's point that we need to be willing to play ball is so true. Let's focus on education, but let's not ignore the realities of our field and our students' futures. It is awfully difficult to argue that students can understand the implications of all these tools on their futures without our guidance and the ability to apply these tools in academic ways.
It should be easy for all of us to get on the same page and say if everyone just knew these three tools... but the reality is our students, and therefore, our teachers, need to be adept at applying a variety of tools to their learning and their lives.
Hi Dave,
All great points! Thanks for the comment,
Doug
Doug,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and thought provoking response to my last minute presentation at the TIES KIC meeting last week. For those who want to see the slidedeck you can view it here: http://carlanderson.blogspot.com/2010/05/roll-your-own-lmscms.html
I have to agree with you on this one and would like to clarify a few things. First, my early ventures into "roll your own" did not include any html or javascript editing. In fact, the kids I had in my classroom helped me put together most of what we did using wikis, blogs, and online drop boxes. I also am not opposed to teachers using Moodle or other LMS tools. My venture into "Roll your own" was a result of lack of access to those tools and I hoped my presentation would be a blue print for those who are in similar situations. The other important fact is I teach web design and media arts, therefore there is an embedded curricular reason to venture out beyond the walled garden and so for me it makes sense to build my own LMS (or have my students help me build it).
The other point I was trying to make in this presentation was that schools who use tools like Moodle & Blackboard should also be careful to consider the effect of using a "walled garden" and consider the educational value of taking down those walls from time to time. But, as far as kicking and screaming goes, I totally agree with you that most teachers (who do not teach or use HTML or Javascript) probably should not be expected to go as far as I did with "Rolling their own LMS." But, this can easily be done without such skills by pulling together web 2.0 tools. And, I think it is an insult to teachers to think that learning how to use web 2.0 would be beyond their mental muscle. By definition of the term web 2.0 and the read/write web is designed to make use of such tools easy. If its not, it is likely the result of the same kind of learned helplessness you described in your TEDxTalk.
-Carl
Hi Carl,
Thanks for the comment. I hope I did not sound too critical of YOU. I am a long time admirer of your work and enthusiasm. You make a great point that motivated individuals should not have to wait for a district to provide resources to try online learning.
I agree most teacher's have the "mental muscle" to learn Web 2.0 tools. My questions is that the best use for the time they have to spend learning? I would rather they spent the time learning to use a simple tool like Moodle effectively from a teaching/learning standpoint than learning to write code or locate and learn a bunch of tools.
This is an interesting discussion! Thanks again for your comments and my apologies if I sounded too negative,
Doug