into trouble when we bring them along simply to make them the same same as
everyone else. We need to be able to articulate reasons for change that
reflect not just an abstract understanding of technology and pedagogy or
curriculum, but actually the concrete goals of a specific classroom. We
don't keep moving forward like sharks just to survive. We keep learning
because we are members of a learning community, because we're modeling
learning for our students, and because we always, always want to be
providing the best possible learning experience for our students. Really,
process is as important as the end-result here (as in so many places).
I'm engaged in a series of classroom observations from the vantage point of
our Education Technology department right now. In the end, as we think about
going 1:1 in the next couple of years, my goal is to have been in every high
school teacher's classroom, and to have had a discussion with that teacher
not about technology and teaching, but about teaching. Teaching. Period.
Full stop. _Of course_, when I talk to teachers, we end up talking about
technology and education -- it's what's in the air, and I'm who they
identify with technology -- but the conversation starts with a discussion of
what's going on in the classroom now, and then we can branch out into places
that that teacher would like to explore, is nervous about, is wondering
about, etc.. The hope, of course, is that this discussion and class visit
will be the first of many, not the last.
Renee really hits the nail on the head in describing the need for immediate,
personal support for teachers who are wrestling with technology -- as we
should also be providing immediate, personal support for teachers wrestling
with other aspects of teaching and learning, from classroom management to
lesson planning to assessment. Anecdotally, my experience has been that
teachers who are able to engage in a real conversation about their teaching
are much, much more likely to be willing to experiment with new techniques
and approaches as part of that conversation.
Of course, this puts an enormous onus on the school leadership, from senior
faculty on up, to be engaged in this sort of support of our faculty, in
addition to the manifold responsibilities of raw logistics, day-to-day
management, etc. that are on their/our plates.
-- S
Seth Battis / http://battis.net / seth@battis.net / @battis / (323) 638-7384
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