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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Angela,
I wish our paths had crossed at ISTE! First, I applaud you for writing this post! Beginning with our arrival to the conference on Sunday, I noticed the self-congratulatory grouping of teacher educators, as well as the “tech snobbery”. It was disheartening to say the least. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve taught, what degree you have, what position you have (teacher’s assistant, classroom teacher, admin, higher ed, IT, etc.) or where you teach (urban, suburban, rural, public or private). Everyone attending ISTE was there because they want to make a difference in the lives of children. Nothing is more important or more sacred. Let’s stop celebrating individuals and start celebrating our profession! As many heard me say at the conference, “Swoon over the profession not the individual.”
I will continue to focus my attention on our amazing profession and those who are committed to change, open to collaboration and willing to make a difference in the lives of all children everywhere.
Hi, Marialice! Our paths probably did cross a bunch of times and we didn’t even realize it! You are quite right that we need to focus more on the IDEAS in ed-tech that help kids rather than any one particular person. We as educators have an amazing opportunity to make a difference for kids, and we have to make a conscious effort to continually refocus our efforts on that.
“I don’t read [printed] books. I have no use for them.”
Astonishing. I was recently considering buying myself a Kindle, but realized that I have almost no use for an e-reader.
Wow, that’s funny! And interesting when I really think about it. I’ve heard people say they can’t afford an eReader right now, and that they prefer printed copies, but I haven’t heard anyone say they don’t have a use for it. I have an iPad and am relying on it more and more for my reading. I like not having to make trips to the library to get new books (it’s all done online) and being able to switch quickly between different books even when traveling. It’s definitely lighter and more manageable. I guess it depends on what you’re reading. Are the books you typically buy not available in eBook form, or not as practical in that form?
Well, I could find some use for a Kindle. It would be really great to have access to Wikipedia at all times, for example (I don’t have a smartphone, or really much of a cellphone at all), and I do occasionally read a book that I could get on the Kindle. But most of the books I read these days are textbooks, and when I’m not reading those in actual print, I use my laptop. At this point, I would consider a tablet computer for myself (especially an iPad!) to be a crazy extravagance.
On the more general topic of using technology in teaching, I was once extremely interested in using every possible bit of tech that I could to make course material more lucid and intellectually accessible. But over time, I have increasingly come to the realization that this is counterproductive. I have learned the somewhat counterintuitive educational benefits of cultivating student frustration, and have seen the research supporting that view. To the extent that technology seeks to make a subject more easily digestible, I can’t condone it. I see in another post that you lament the absence of brain research at the ISTE conference. To be frank, I’m not surprised; I suspect that an honest discussion of the long-term effects of some kinds of technology in teaching might be a bit of a downer.
In short, there are those of us who take a dim view of certain instructional technologies for deeper reasons than personal discomfort or unfamiliarity.
Boy, you’ve really given me some food for thought here. I’m glad you called attention to the fact that not every person who is slow to integrate technology is reluctant because of personal discomfort.
As to the reason why there was a lack of brain research at an ed-tech conference…I hadn’t considered that the connection between the two topics might be negligible. I assumed that if people are passionately pushing for certain techniques to be implemented nationwide in classrooms, the neuroscientific research would certainly back up those ideas. There was a lot of talk about how students need to learn in the 21st century, but is there a connection to what brain researchers tell us about how our minds work? This is definitely an are that I want to explore in more depth…