I’ve found now as processors have gotten faster and programs have gotten smarter, there’s some pretty musical tools that are showing up in the digital world. The tools are better……the tools are much better today than they were 5 years ago, certainly 30 years ago; but now that everyone is empowered with these tools to create stuff, has there been a lot more great shit coming out? Not really.
You still have to do something with those tools…….You should really have something to say
Trent Reznor from the documentarySound City.
This week during our Voxer Iowa Educators group discussions we have been discussing social media, education technology, and why so many educators are afraid or lack a knowledge on how to use these tools to their benefit.
At the same time I see a major issue when schools go all in on textbooks and packaged curriculum. Or even a school or district wide initiative to bridge technology in the classroom.
Education tools are much like music tools, they are improving and becoming easier to use, more powerful, and slowly starting to identify the needs and provide solutions.
But at the end of the day it is all wasted effort, time, and money if teachers don’t have something to say. Do our lessons and teaching practices have a purpose? Are we passionate about what we are teaching? Is it connected to the standards? Do we have inquiry built in to allow for student voice?
If these elements are not in your classroom culture, then the technology does not matter. I often think that sometimes schools try to mask poor teaching with technology and we wonder why things don’t improve.
Trying to mask poor teaching with technology…How Not To Do It, 101.
The heart of the matter is the people. People, not programs. People, not tools. If the people don’t believe in the goals of the tools/programs, it’s not going to make a difference. There must be a culture of learning and excitement before any program or tool can make an impact.