I am incredibly lucky to be sharing a new journey with 33 educators from all around the world. In two weeks we will be heading to Mountain View to attend Google's Innovation Academy. You will find many similarities in our cohort- a love for kids, a passion for education, a fierce protection of teachers, and an almost embarrassing nerdiness when it comes to technology in our schools. (Which I must tell you is a point of pride among us all.)
Our mission this week was to read over the Vision Decks our #mtv16 cohort submitted as part of our application process. I was blown away by the creativity and innovation our group exhibited in these presentations. ( I was also a little intimidated by the wealth of knowledge-that's another post altogether.) One Vision Deck, in particular has me pondering the "what ifs". Stacy Yung, an innovator from California brings to light the technology gap between students and teachers. She aspires to "challenge educators to be willing to integrate technology in the classroom " and "inspire educators to take risks and try new lessons with technology" among her other fabulous ideas.
What if Stacy accomplishes her goal- What if educators decide to become risk-takers when it comes to technology? What if student engagement increases because of the brave teachers who decide that "doing things the way we always have" isn't working for them anymore? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation for both students and teachers?
As I was reading through Stacy's Vision Deck- I started thinking about the divisions occurring in my own neck of the woods. The teacher-teacher gap. You know, the pressure from the veteran teachers- "that's not the way children learn" or "how can you spend all that money for devices-when kids will be playing games all day?" These teachers mean well, I am sure they do! But- how can we sit back and listen to antiquated ideas when we know the truth? What if we pointed out that in order for our students to be college and career ready- they need to be able to access and utilize technology beyond the smartphone or gaming system? What if we explained to them that all students, some of whom are already facing an achievement gap- are now- in even greater danger of falling behind due to the inequity of access to powerful technology? What if we provided examples of technology increasing student engagement and achievement with the added benefit of decreasing office referrals?
Would any of this matter to someone who is dead set against the use of technology in the classroom?
It might and then again it might not...
What if we didn't listen to the naysayers and we did what is best for all children? Imagine what we could accomplish! When I return to my district on Tuesday- I am going to focus on the courageous teachers in my district who are stepping out of their comfort zones and embracing the technology available to them. Together, those fantastic educators and I are going to do what we know is best for our children- we will leave a bridge for others to cross when they are ready BUT we are no longer going to stand by and watch the divide expand!
Thank you Stacy Yung! I love your heart for students and teachers, You made a difference today!!!
The nice thing about tech is that it is hard to resist. Even those resistant are eventually going to hear about something that appeals to them, and they are going to start using it. There are also so many different levels available to use: from super easy to advanced. We (techies) need to be careful not to make judgments on people who are just starting out. I heard a lot at METC16 about using tech "above the line," meaning using tech in more advanced ways. But we need to honor people's journey through adapting to tech. As long as they do not stop at putting kids in games or adding worksheets to the computer, there is no reason why they cannot start there. I love that you are dedicated to helping people on their journey and to stop listening to the naysayers! That is definitely the attitude to adopt.
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