If you work in edtech it can be VERY easy to lose sight of the "ed" in favor of the "tech." Or the marketing. Or the sales. Or whatever it is you are working very hard on at this moment. The investment of my time that feels MOST costly and which also has the HIGHEST RETURN is getting into classrooms or, failing that, watching and analyzing classroom video. Time in classrooms is the best inoculation against the tech & business fantasies that are so contagious right now. So I'm happy to offer all of my edtech colleagues a 2.5-minute opportunity to step into the classroom of Liz Clark-Garvey and watch a teacher, her students, and their technology work as one, making a moment that's greater than the sum of its parts. Check my newsletter if you'd like some more words on what's so special about this moment—the authenticity of Liz's invitation. https://lnkd.in/gkeXwv57
It's easy to get caught up in the tech and business side of EdTech, but nothing beats the value of spending time in the classroom. It's where we truly see the impact of our work and understand the needs of educators and students. Thanks for sharing this opportunity to witness the magic of teaching and technology coming together!
Long story alert: The name of my 1st position out of the classroom was Instructional Technology Facilitator, but most people abbreviated it to Tech Facilitator. I'd always, doggedly correct them and say we put the Instruction in the title on purpose. I'd also tell them that the printer was not the tech I was there to troubleshoot.🙃 And as I fixed the printer anyway I'd also find a way to see what the instructional needs were in the classroom. You have to start with instructional purpose. Otherwise you're just a shiny car with nowhere to go.
Great example. IMHO, the biggest stumbling block for teachers embracing #EdTech tools is the curricular redesign. Imagine how this teacher used to teach this concept before she had a visual tool that each student uses. I've also noticed how tools in math and #stem areas tend to be more open-ended and let students play around to discover concepts. I wish the other disciplines had similar learning environments instead of more rigid applications.
Having worked in the 'tech' that said they live for and love the 'ed' it seems to boil down to the 💰💰💰 and not actually the why which is the bit that I'm invested in! Your posts at the moment have the sting of frustration which I've felt for a while. Getting back into the classroom is the ONLY way I've found I can make a difference.
Great example of how the simplest tech tool can be harnessed for powerful learning outcomes. In our PD sessions we differentiate between edtech (educational technology) and technology in education - the former emphasizing the tech, the latter emphasizing the education. We should always focus on the process first before we choose what tools to use - there is no shortcut here unfortunately!
This is exactly what im saying! You need more ed in the tech than tech in the ed? I think that makes sense. But you nailed this.
💯 Very much enjoying your nuanced notes of caution re #AI, kids and the often ineluctable back and forth that makes up the profound interaction of teaching and learning.
This is the first time I've seen desmos' curriculum
EdTech Researcher, Founder | CEO @ LiveBook | Innovation for Educational Inequality and Social Impact
2moI have to say being in classrooms are some of the most rewarding but also discomforting experiences we have had as ed-teach peeps. Rewarding in the sense that you are bound to have frequent eureka moments when observing the learning process bottom up from the “ed” side rather than top-down from the “tech” side in-and-of-itself; and then, discomforting because it takes incredible humility to interrogate and then throw away so many of your received presumptions. (There is also a one-off stage of severe cussing at your self for not having made in class field work a stable part of the discovery process sooner ,doh :)