The closing keynote was done by that high energy pair, Michigan educator, Elliot Soloway and Texas educator, Cathleen Norris. Now there is a likely pair, Elliot without a tie, without a jacket, hair aflame and eyes on fire, and Cathie, with business suit, well groomed, and calm, until she gets started. What they have in common is E N E R G Y and an equal degree of passion for learning with technology. They are promoting handheld computers in the classroom, and although there is a certain amount of logic to their arguments, and I learned a lot from their E N E R G E T I C presentation, I remain unconvinced that this is the only way — I can certainly be wrong.
What really got me thinking today was an early morning conversation that I half-way participated in. I left the house early, anticipating the constant possibilities of major traffic jams in Research Triangle Park during rush hour. So I got to my room early, and set about working on the slides for my video game presentations. I’d had some mad ideas I had last night on my way to bed.
While I worked, a young man from a mountain county walked in and started talking. He admitted initially that he was a fifth grade teacher, not a technology educator, and that he had not even heard of wikis before the conference. But he observed that what was getting missed at this conference was that it was all about the teaching and learning, not about the technology.
I found it interesting that a non-tech educator, on the up-hill side of his career, was making this observation and sharing it at the conference. This is why it is so important that ed tech conferences do everything that they can to promote themselves to audiences other than tech education folks. Go after the classroom teachers, the history teachers, the health and PE teachers, and definitely the librarians. Go after the principals and secondary grades directors, and go after the community and schools coordinators, and the superintendent. Tech ed conferences can so easily be perceived as about the tech, and the first question that I want to ask, when having a new classroom activity described, is, “what technology are they using?”
We need broader audiences to generate the broader conversations that we need to be having. We really do need to diversify.
David:
I’m glad to read your response to the closing session today. As the speakers tried to convince us that handhelds are the wave of the future, I would occasionally glance over at you to catch your reaction. I do hope you will address this initiative in a future blog. I’m still not sold 100%, but would like another opinion. But, on the energy level, they were off the chart.
I enjoyed your session with Francis Bradburn. The in-the-round was a great format. I don’t believe that we spend enough time just talking to each other. The ideas that were floating around the room were very beneficial. Now, if we could just “fix” the world of education :o)
Danita
I totally agree with your comments about promoting the conferences for those folks other than the tech eds. Sure would be nice to have some of the dialogue we had today with superintendents and principals in the room! Wonder how we can bring about their participation?!
On the way home from the conference today, my colleague and I had this same conversation. What are some ways we can get the diaglouge started with principals, superintendents, etc? One thing we thought about doing, as instructional technology specialists, is participating in THEIR conferences. We talked presenting at the conferences they are attending by offering sessions that will hopefully encourage the conversations like we have at “our” conferences.
Hi David
An interesting read as a quick reflection. Thanks for sharing again.
My quick thoughts flew to the lines that would cross my mind as I walked into the classroom..
“What is the learning?” and “How is the technology adding value to that?”
regards
Phil
Danita,
If I read David correctly, he remains “unconvinced” of the importance given to handhelds in the classroom, and obviously, you agree. While I am an avid user of a Palm Treo, I have found few constructive uses of them in classrooms. I too have heard Elliott Soloway, but we have to put everything into the perspective of “bang for the buck,” and by this I mean meaningful learning experiences first, and use of technology for that when appropriate. Handhelds and smartphones are essentially the same now, and continue to evolve. Thus, students need concepts and the ability to learn and apply critical thinking far above significant time spent with “trendy units” that will be in the dustbin tomorrow.
I have heard the argument that handhelds have the power of yesterday’s computer. So? Today’s full PC has umpteen times more power (not just processing, but software, add-ins, etc.), and the gap can only widen, not narrow. If you can get yesterday’s browser onto today’s handheld (you can’t), just think about what is missing from today’s browser and what a gigabyte connection can bring to a PC screen. They will surely continue to be useful in classrooms, but only as a niche player.
Armand
Hi David, we quickly ran into the issue of being the “Tech Guys” when we do our consultation for student affairs, so we are changing the word tech to tools. We are promoting “tools” that will help to increase student engagement on campuses.
This might help to allow those who are techandicaps to be open to the ideas quicker.