Education Trends, Uncategorized | Jun 28, 2011
Stop the tech snobbery
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
Stop the tech snobbery
By Angela Watson
If we want to ever get technophobes comfortable with technology, those of us who love the stuff have got to stop being tech snobs. I’m at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference where tech lovers in education unite. Unfortunately, there are occasional wafts of divisiveness that kill the otherwise pervasive spirit of collaboration and enthusiastic learning here:
- Said to a publisher in the exhibit hall as he walked past dismissively: “I don’t read [printed] books. I have no use for them.”
- Tweeted on Twitter: “I can’t believe tech people are hearing things at this conference that are 100% brand new to them. Very SCARY.”
- Announced by a presenter in a session: “It burns me up inside when teachers tell me they’re using technology and then show me a PowerPoint they created. Doesn’t that burn you guys up?”
Um, no, it doesn’t.
You can’t shame educators into using technology any more than you can shame kids into behaving. Does it work? Yeah, sometimes. But it also breeds resentment, bitterness, and fear which make learning twice as hard.
If people are resistant to your ideas or slow to adapt them, it might be because they sense a patronizing, conscending attitude, one that you don’t intend to show but shines through nevertheless. They know you’re mocking them behind their backs to your fellow techies, which makes them resistant not only to you but to all the wonderful technology that you represent. It’s tough for learners to be open to new possibilities when they feel judged and defensive.
So, if you really want non-tech people to incorporate tech use into their instructional practice, you have to inspire them, not embarrass them. You have to demonstrate the passion you want others to exhibit. Be so enthusiastic about what you do that it’s contagious. Make experiences with technology so enjoyable that people can’t help but shift their paradigm.
Model. Support. Scaffold. Meet the non-tech users right where they’re at. Praise and encourage them in their small wins. Acknowledge that the learning curve is tough, and you’ve been there too…but the payoff is worth the perseverance.
That’s the way we treat our students. It’s the way we need to treat each other, too.
Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
Discussion
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Hi Angela,
I think this is a very well written observation and reflection on our behaviors. It can be very easy to stay within our own bubble and begin to believe that everyone else should be “where we are” with regard to technology skill & knowledge because everyone else in our bubble is in the same place.
I think it is helpful to remember a few things…
As you have stated, “I believe the way to inspire true inner change is not with outrage and accusations, but with kindness and compassion.” I couldn’t express that any more clearly than you have and I agree completely.
I know some people critique the “Technology Adoption Model” as being too simplistic to match reality (looks like the typical normal distribution curve and divides people into categories such as “early adopters,” “early majority,” “late majority,” and “laggards”), but in my experience it very closely resembles the average distribution of technology knowledge, skill, and “willingness to learn” that I have found on most school campuses. Not everyone will always be at the far end of the curve as an “early adopter.”
At the very least, anyone attending a major (and expensive) conference such as ISTE does deserve our respect (regardless of their current level of skill or knowledge) for their willingness to be open to learning more about technology as evidence by their attendance at the conference.
Finally, with regard to the model described above, most of us will fall into different places on the curve at different times and with different technologies. While I might be on the “early adopter” end of the curve with social media, I am probably on the opposite end with some other technologies. None of us can be experts in everything. Additionally, with the rate at which everything changes now, it can be challenging even for us to keep up with all areas of technology innovations — the “end point” is constantly being moved and we must remain constantly in motion (learning, exploring, experimenting, etc.) in order to stay “caught up” with all of it or even with a subset of it.
We are all learners, and we all have our own learning process, pace, and timeline. If we want to inspire others to join us, we need to meet them gently where they are and we need to have patience for their individual learning process, pace, and timeline.
Hi, Stephanie! Thanks for your thoughtful response. I really like your point about the “end point” constantly being moved. This is probably the most exasperating part of technology integration for the technophobe: no matter how much they learn, it’s never enough. There’s always something more, something new, something better. Everything upgrades so quickly and the projects they put their heart and soul into now become obsolete in a few short years. Their attitude then becomes, why bother trying? It’s impossible. This is the heart of teacher resistance and apprehension, as I see it.
Therefore, if we’re going to address the underlying problem and not just a band-aid solution like mandating tech use, we have to create a culture of innovation. We have to do exactly what you said: inspire others to join us, and make the process enjoyable and worthwhile rather than a race to be tech compliant. We have to celebrate every step along the way, because the journey IS never-ending. And that’s kind of the best part. 🙂
Great post! Cheers!
Thanks, Melissa! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
I had a conversation with Scott Meech (@smeech) at Edubloggercon where we talked about the fine line between ‘naming the problem so we can solve it’ and ‘shaming/blaming.’ For example, suppose I say, “Most of the administrators in your district don’t know what to do to create learning environments that prepare kids for a digital, global world.’ Is that ‘naming the problem so we can solve it?’ Yes, absolutely. But depending on how sensitive you and/or those administrators are, it may feel like ‘blaming/shaming.’ So perspective and individual sensitivity are important here. As many know, I’m less worried about some people feeling put upon if the alternative is avoiding the problem and thus not fixing it. In other words, I care about people’s feelings but not at the expense of reforming the system.
Hi, Scott! Thanks for reading, and for a great session at ISTE, as well. You bring up a very valid point. We can’t worry so much about hurting sensitive people’s feelings that we allow them to stay in the place they’re at. In fact, true compassion and empathy compel us to help move people along toward a better place.
My point in this post is more of a motive check for tech lovers: a call to examine our own attitudes, and ensure that when we push for ed reform, we’re doing it for the right reason. It’s a plea for us to check our intentions and make sure we’re looking to create constructive change and not just draw attention to what’s wrong or shame someone for not meeting our standards. The attitude of the heart always shines through, so it’s up to us to make sure we’re coming from a positive place and make that apparent in our conversations and actions.
Angela,
You are speaking about ME! Thank you a million times! I want to learn to use technology and implement it in my lessons, however, I have only two computers that are OLD and barely work. I also do not have the money for all the latest gadgets with the newest bells and whistles. I am trying to raise a family on one income and have to prioritize. Thank you for sticking up for us!
Hey there, Ruby! You are so not alone in that experience. There are so many teachers out there who have limited and outdated tech that keeps them from doing as much as they’d like. Sometimes trying to integrate old, unreliable tech is so frustrating that it’s just simpler to stick with pencil and paper stuff. Just keep working with what you’ve got, and advocating for the best for your students. Experiment with different things and reach out to other educators for support and ideas. One of my plans this summer to is to add a whole section to this website on classroom management with technology–hopefully that will be a good resource for you. 🙂
Angela, one more thing I wanted to add has to do with your comment about the lack of presentations centered around urban education. You are so right…there are great teachers doing great things with few resources in urban environments (@engaginged are among them 🙂 ) I hope to hear more from them at future conferences…and I hope to become more involved in this strand of the conversation, as I’ve come to believe that ed tech, especially its myriad free Web 2.0 options, can help to “level the playing field” when it comes to keeping up with the more affluent suburban “high-achieving” districts.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there and just say thanks to you, Angela, for a thought provoking post.
For those following this discussion, Ben is referring to a comment I made in this blog post: https://truthforteachers.com/2011/06/best-and-worst-of-the-2011-iste-conference.html.
Ben, you’re so right that tech CAN help level the playing field for urban students, which is just one more reason why it’s so valuable. After that post, someone approached me about putting together a panel presentation at ISTE12 to talk about urban ed. That’s definitely something to consider. Sounds like you may have some things to add to that discussion, with your experiences in Detroit schools. Let’s definitely keep this conversation going. 🙂