Adding Value : Adding Value Avoiding Trendy Tech Traps in Education
Ed Tech Day, Bridgewater State University
18 August 2011 Christopher Dawson
WizIQ, Inc.
ZDNet/CBS Interactive
I am a… : Chris Dawson I am a… Dad Husband Geek Writer Educator Marketer Activist Researcher Hacker Talker
More specifically : More specifically Vice President of Business Development, WizIQ, Inc.
Writer, ZDNet/CBS Interactive (ZDNet Education)
Author (a work very much in progress)
A guide to Untangle
Virtual classrooms in modern education
Adding value, not just cost centers (sound familiar?)
Former school district tech director, admin, math teacher, etc.
But why “former”? : But why “former”? Because it’s time we changed our approach to ed tech
Because sometimes we can affect change from the outside better than the inside
Because “Value” has many forms
Because I had too many words in my head waiting to make it onto paper (digitally speaking)
Because the world has changed
So where does the value come in? : So where does the value come in? Tech is rarely cheap
Hardware is always out of date
There is always something shinier, newer, flashier, and better (cough, Apple, cough, sputter)
Fads and trends abound
Administrators and school committees often know just enough to be dangerous
Value=?
First, let me tell you a story or 3…
The Kindle : The Kindle How many of you heard administrators, parents, and school committee members talk about Kindles, textbooks, and the saga of the heavy backback?
Kindles are great for
Reading fiction and non-fiction
Newspaper and blog subscriptions
Assistive technologies Has a single Kindle ever actually lightened a backpack? Have you ever seen a rich, engaging e-textbook on a Kindle?
Tablets : Tablets How many of you have iPads?
Other tablets?
Are you deploying them to
Students?
Teachers?
Different audience here, but… Just because they’re tablets? Without a clear understanding of app models and deployments? Without curriculum or pedagogy to support them? Without training to ensure they’re tools and not toys? Without a platform to leverage the new constant web connectivity? How many iPad rollouts do you know of…
I love… : I love… Kindles
Tablets
Interactive whiteboards
Netbooks
Thin clients
1:1 computing
I’ve written about how wonderful
each of these things are.
But only when…
There is… : There is… Careful planning
Stakeholder buy-in
Management of expectations
Training
Associated curriculum
Measurable, attainable, student-centered goals
Direct impact on student achievement
Not tech for the sake of tech or “21st Century Skills”
And speaking of 21st Century Skills… : And speaking of 21st Century Skills… What they are not
How to use Word
How to use a computer
How to search the Internet
How to use a tablet
How to build and maintain a PC
How to program
And speaking of 21st Century Skills… : And speaking of 21st Century Skills…
All the tech goodies CAN : Which would
you prefer? Waste scarce resources
Distract students
Introduce unnecessary complexity
Teach skills instead of concepts
Increase digital divides
Turn focus to tech instead of instruction
Give the illusion of achievement Add extraordinary value
Engage students
Improve teaching efficiencies
Enhance learning
Improve access
Differentiate instruction
Improve student achievement All the tech goodies CAN
So how do we make sure we’re adding value? : So how do we make sure we’re adding value? The SDLC is your friend
Train, train, and train some more
Let the experts guide you
And now for the tech portion of this slide:
It’s all about The Platform
The Platform is where the value’s at : The Platform is where the value’s at Individual hardware, devices, particular software investments, etc., rarely have much long-term value
Hardware is a commodity – anyone can buy a new computer or e-reader or tablet
What we as educational technologists need to do is create spaces, platforms, and environments that improve engagement and increase student achievement
We need to guide the smartest hardware purchases possible to support the bullet above
The Platform : The Platform Learning management systems
Moodle
Blackboard
Instructure
Many more
Student information systems
Follett Aspen
PowerSchool
Information platforms
Databases
The web
Collaboration platforms
Google Apps
Microsoft Live 365
Wikis
Interactive platforms
WizIQ
Skype
My Big Campus
Security Platforms
Untangle
Technological frameworks
RTI
Adaptive learning
A WizIQ anecdote : A WizIQ anecdote Why I left the public schools
Why I joined WizIQ
Where the value lies in
K12
Higher Ed
Independent education
It’s a platform
And how it relates to 6 Geeks
Some parting thoughts : Some parting thoughts Things can be expensive and still have value in education
Adobe Creative Suite
Powerful workstations
Macs
Things can be free and still have value in education
Wordpress/Joomla/Droopal
MIT OpenCourseWare
Moodle
Value does not mean cheap
Value means direct impact on student achievement
Questions? : Questions? Questions?
Thoughts?
Comments?
Contact me
Chris Dawson
978.895.1699
cdawson@6geeks.net