The big understanding I am coming back to after working in this module is the idea that I’m not alone. I feel like such a stick in the mud when the first thought that comes to my mind is “Ugh!” when some new tech challenge or mandate is thrust upon me as a teacher. To hear and read posts from other educators who feel similar actually helps my confidence a little bit. There are critical questions that are totally acceptable to ask in a situation where the “new” may OR may not be helpful.
One thing I want to revisit is the ideal piece of tech written exercise we did. I wrote about having a pop-up video style presentation of class content films (Schindler’s List, Glory, etc) where I could pop into the filmn with a text box offering relevant information without pausing the film and taking away from the power of the film. I think there is potential here and with a little bit of digging, it’s a program I imagine may already exist or there is some work-around that would allow me to present a film with the textbook open so that I could offer that information. As i sit typing this, little boxes of text called “texts” and “reminders” are flitting about the top right corner of my screen giving me momentary pieces of information without totally distracting me from my main goal right now, typing up this reflection. This is at the same time my 4 year old is sitting next to me recoevering from a short illness and watching cartoons. In other words, there’s sort of a proof of concept that already exists and I am motivated to build in some time to my spring (or more likely summer let’s be realistic) to put in some work creating this tool.
Something that came up in the readings that was interesting to me is the overall societal impact of all this tech and all the questions surrounding it. There are real concerns and real questions about what skills and knowledge we should be encouraging and preparing young people with as we progress to new levels of advancement with tech. We are innovating at such fast rates that by the time we think about the questions and discussions we have and need to have, it’s too late and we are grappling with the consequences. It’s hard to be pro-active when it’s hard to even imagine or fathom what’s coming down the pipe.
For example, I have stayed tuned into the controversy over TikTok over the last couple years. Here we have a fast-acting social media and video sharing site that would already be a concern due to the addictive nature of it and the sad fact that it is holding kids attention over arguably more important things like family interaction, positive friend relationships, and schoolwork. Not to mention, it is fairly well-established that the data collected by the Chinese parent company that runs TikTok could be used for future nefarious purposes.
The whole concept of technology is bigger than classroom challenges and applications and that is a big piece of what stays with me. I am interested in the big picture view and the micro-classroom view. There’s an economic principle called “creative destruction” where any new thing is inherently destructive because it replaces an already existing thing. Think the TV replacing the radio, or the smartphone replacing digital or disposable cameras. There’s both tragedy and opportunity in technology and the rampant growth we are seeing.
Moving forward, I am unsure what offerings or opportunities I would want to see offered via PSU and the CoLab. I admire the mission of the Co-Lab and the nature of improving pedagogical outcomes. I love collaborating with other educators and would be interested in exploring instructional strategies or assessment tools/strategies with other folks who can offer a wealth of backgrounds and content areas.
