Technology In Education: Software is the New Hardware

The paradigm in education has shifted.  Web-based technology, apps and the devices that run them are the driving force behind the shift. Early adopters recognized this shift and "got on board" in spirit and then, in fact, more than 6 years ago when 'Web 2.0' became a reality. Many educators have embraced learning networks, blogging, wikis, i-Pads and have used these to learn, create, collaborate and teach.  And yet, so many more educators have not taken steps to embrace the new realities and opportunities that emerging technologies represent.

REDEFINING 'TECHNOLOGY'
Administrators and teachers who have a fixed definition of technology have also been slow to adopt anything new and may even be skeptical of all of the tablets, iPads, cloud-based apps and their potential drain on school bandwidth.  Those in this camp have 'seen it all before'.  Technology to them is stuff.  Technology to them is the Device-the tablet, the computer, the iPad, the Smart Board, the smartphone, etc.. And, to them, the devices will all go the way of dinosaurs soon enough.  Fair enough.   However!  Current technology that is useful in education-for learning and for teaching- is not about the device.  Technology that is useful in education is about the applications that assist teachers in discovering, collating or curating resources. Technology that is useful in education is about the applications that assist students in learning material in multi-dimensional, differentiated and media-rich ways.  Technology that is useful in education is about the networks that allow administrators, teachers and students to learn from and in collaboration with each other.  Technology that is useful in education is cloud-based allowing data and information to be accessed from anywhere, anytime, regardless of what device is used to access that data/information.

NEW POSSIBILITIES
Current technologies change how things have always been done in education.  True differentiation is now possible using learning applications that have programmed in multiple levels of concept mastery. Current technologies by their nature allow for student-centered approaches in the classroom. Global collaboration is a possibility cheaply. Relevant Professional Development for Educators is a click away. And the ability to create and publish projects and products that demonstrate learning are exploding.

Some leaders of schools/districts have recognized that the paradigm has shifted permanently in favor of learning/education as other leaders lag behind thinking technology is about stuff that will become obsolete soon enough.  I am willing to bet that those that have embraced this new app-driven, networked learning paradigm have more engaged students.  I am certain that students in those schools/districts are being better prepared for an even more app-driven, cloud-based, networked future regardless of the devices that may be invented to connect to them in the future.

Changing Minds As Ed. Reform

One of the things I most admire about High School Principal /Twitterer Eric Sheninger is that he wasn't always as open or as tech savvy as we now know him to be. He is proof positive that Educators/Administrators can, indeed, change. Once upon a time, he supported blocking sites that could be useful in the classroom. Until he was educated about the benefits that could be had there.

It almost seems crazy. He's a very regular Twitterer and Blogger and has a healthy Social Media presence. Every one of his tweets and blog posts have value (either philosophical or practical). He appears to be the icon of 21st Century Ed. Tech Leadership? Yet only 3 years ago he wasn't-and he admits this.

That is the fact that matters. He admits that he changed. He admits that he once held a worldview that potentially limited resources that could better student's education and lives. But he listened. He learned. He changed. And the best part is that now he's right out front singing the praises of instructional technology and tools that can assist, ignite and enhance the learning process.

His story, because it is real, is that one that we can tell our local administrators. His story can change minds one at a time. When minds get changed, the web opens up and our schools can enter the 21st Century.