But....(and doesn't there always seem to be a but when you start working with new technology)
One of my pet peeves about technology is that it is always changing. I can't tell you how many times I've purchased a new phone without ever fully understanding the old phone. What I'm getting at here is that many of us haven't mastered our shiny new Macs yet, so the task of learning new software is doubly trying. I know Dropbox, been using it for a couple of years now, but it looks and behaves differently on a Mac than a PC. How could I have a chance at effectively teaching the program, when I can barely navigate the hardware?
In a nutshell, my issue is this:
I don't feel like I will ever be an "expert" in teaching with technology because it evolves too quickly. All I have to offer my students is a glancing knowledge that can be easily stonewalled by a glitch or a just a question I have no ability to answer. I know that teachers aren't supposed to know everything, but we shouldn't be offered so many opportunities to look stupid. That's right. I said it. When technology doesn't work as planned or when we run into a techno-stumbling block...we look stupid.
I know that teaching with technology is new. I think the way we are approaching the task of integrating technology is old. There needs to be a comprehensive way to learn and it has to start early. We can't be expected to properly wield a tool that we are only passingly familiar with. Situations like that are accidents waiting to happen.
What do you think?
Until next time, I remain
Simply Serious
I feel as if I know exactly where you're coming from. When I made my Evernote handout last week, I found that most of my struggling was related to my lack of acquaintance with my new Mac on top of my unfamiliarity with Evernote, which was not as easy to navigate as I presumed it would be. I was terribly discouraged and I felt alone in this endeavor to learn the fundamentals. Just letting you know you're not alone! I just remind myself that even though it can be frustrating now, we are continuously learning more and therefore, more possibilities are being presented to us. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie,
ReplyDeleteI figured someone was in the same boat. I don't have an issue with 504 itself. The class is great and I learn quite a bit from each session. However, I know that I need a broader foundation before I could consider myself to be tech-savvy. Keeping up with the new stuff requires time to learn it. No matter how user-friendly the tutorial.
The rub here is that the time that technology is supposed to save us, is not equal to the time required to learn and master the skills required to use that technology. So - technologically speaking - some of us may always be a day late and a dollar short when it comes time to pay the piper.
But I will press on!
Thanks for responding Carrie!
Simply Serious, I love the title of your post. I'm not new to Macs, but I've moved to a newer model/operating system, and even that has all kinds of slight changes with which I'm not familiar.
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right that technology changes so fast that we rarely become fluent before it feels as though we are forced to take on the latest and greatest. Sometimes this forced change is the result of tools no longer being available (uh, what do we have to learn when Aviary goes away?!). I think, though, there is also a phenomenon at work that I think of "cyber peer pressure." When we don't keep up, we do look stupid.
I also think you are spot on about pointing out the problem we face when "the time that technology is supposed to save is is not equal to the time required to learn and master the skills required to use that technology." Unfortunately, there seems to be an unspoken mentality that if someone stuggles — that is, takes "longer" to learn — there is something wrong with the person not the technology. Again we don't want to look stupid. So we keep our mouths shut and pretend we know what we are doing, all the while feeling very insecure of our control of these tools. In that way, technology is not empowering.
Hi, SS -- I put a few links in CTools --> Resources (and in the Diigo Group) with some basics about Mac use. Maybe when the dust settles in August, they'll help fill in some gaps? A "Mac for Dummies" book or one of the Missing Manuals published by David Pogue for O'Reilly Media might also help bridge the gap. (And just to be clear, you are no dummy -- it's just a book for folks new to a system!) Check your public library or MLibrary!
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying. I agree that technology changes constantly, but I don't think a teacher would look stupid if there was a glitch. Glitches are somewhat common, so I think when there is a mishap, people understand. The key is to have a plan. If the technology does't work go to plan b. My technology approach is mostly guess and check, but at some point the group has to get the information, so if I can't navigate the technology I would just walk them through the steps as if I could. Also, when we are actually teaching we might have 1, 2, or a whole class of experts that can help with the glitches.
ReplyDelete