On his blog, Dave Cormier shares his experience of helping K-12 teachers use sustainable technology to support learning in their classrooms. He addresses the concern around digital citizenship and the dilemma many educators face around using new innovative technologies while managing the hidden upsells of these new technologies.
As a K-12 educator, I examined the different lenses I would need to consider before introducing change in the current technology. Currently, our district has policies around technology and what can be used, specifically when it comes to storing data. The data must be stored inside of Canada To create change within the technology used I wonder about the legalities of introducing new technologies that do not align with current school or district policies around technology? Can the policies be changed to include new technology if the technology has the potential to benefit students learning? Will exceptions be made, or will we forever use the same policies despite introducing new technology? How do we measure the risk and the reward of introducing new technology? What are teachers supposed to do when some students have consent and permission while others do not? It is bound to happen. Some students are allowed to use the technology while others will not be. Are we going to ask our teachers to provide another layer of differentiation for students who can not use the same technology as their peers?
Cormier (2017) identifies building trust as an important lesson he learned through his project. I agree with Dave Cormier that successful change in the use of technology lies in the trust of the teachers that use it. As Dave highlighted, this is not the first revolution around education. Some innovations have worked, and others have not. Building trust with the teachers who will be innovating with the new technology is crucial.
Reference
Cormier, D. (2017, December 8). Our schools aren’t broken, they’re hard. Daves Educational Blog. Retrieved February 10, 2022, fromhttp://davecormier.com/edblog/2017/12/08/our-schools-arent-broken-theyre-hard/
Thanks London! I know that school policies and procedures are really entrenched, but this exercise gives us the opportunity to rethink that. What if the policies are out of date and therefore just plain wrong for this day and age? What recourse do we have? How do we change? Hamel’s Insurrection Method of change (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015) describes more of a “grassroots”, user-driven change methodology that might be necessary for a revolution like you have described.
References:
Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.
As an educator in the K-12 system, I felt that both Dave’s blog and the responses here were very relevant. Technology is constantly changing and growing, and there is a need to consistently adapt. As things change, there is always that gap between what students are being exposed to and teachers catching up to support or guide them. Sometimes, these are easy to learn or address, but other times, it is an uphill battle.
Similar to what London shared, in my school district, there is a need to follow guidelines to ensure student data is stored within Canada. This means several sites, apps, and programs are off-limits to many students and educators. Unfortunately, this results in it taking a pretty long time to get new technology approved and sometimes, what does get the green light isn’t the best. It isn’t uncommon for teachers to try new technology independently, but this is often met with many questions and concerns from administrators or higher-ups within the district. As this is not just a policy specific to my district, I wonder how this policy or the process of vetting new tech can be improved to make this simpler and quicker.
I am lucky to work at a school where many of us are interested in newer technology and want to support our students in building their understanding of how to properly and ethically use it. But there are so many teachers who either can’t or won’t. How can we support all educators in their quest to build their tech knowledge and comfort?