What is the purpose of Ed Tech?

Courtesy Liz508 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz508/7795990614/

Hey, Technology Is Supposed To Make Our Lives Easier, Right?

@joe_edtech

Last night I was reading the Januszewski & Molenda piece Educational Technology: A Definition with Commentary  (Wait - you weren't????) and I was reminded of the epithet that is usually lobbed at me as profanely as possible when someone can't make their computer work the way they want it to. "Hey, isn't technology supposed to make our lives easier?" Well, um...no.

From the book:

Educational technology can improve the performance not only of learners but also of those who design and deliver instruction. It can reduce learning time and increase learning effectiveness, both of which enhance the productivity of instructors and designers. Equally importantly, educational technology can help create instruction that is more appealing and respectful of human values, thus aligning instructors and designers with their highest professional commitments. (2008, Chapter 3).

I think the default thought process is that we can use technology in education to do the same things we've always done, but it will be easier because it will be automated. I have two things to say to that. First, computers are dumb. They do what we tell them to do. If a process is to be automated, we have to automate it and that can be a long, tedious process. They are computers, not magic boxes.

Courtesy Manfrys 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manfrys/2226178289/

Secondly, technology in education can help us "improve performance" which "enhances productivity." The idea isn't that we can do the same things more efficiently, it is that we can do different, better, more productive, more engaging, more profound things than we could do before. 

For instance, Google Docs revolutionized my classroom in my last two years of teaching. In the days before Google Docs, collaborative writing meant one kid wrote the essay and maybe he showed it to the other kid. In Google Docs, kids compose collaboratively in class, at home, synchronously and asynchronously, and I can see all of the changes they make, individually. Google Docs didn't make classroom writing easier, in fact the grading became a little harder and more involved. It did, however, help make the writing better and the learning deeper.

Adding educational technology to your classroom isn't easy - but it can be powerful.

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How has integrating technology improved your teaching? Please leave a comment in the box below.