I’m not sure how I ended up forgetting to do a blog post last night. I think my brain has finally reached a point of overload. If I were more organized, I’d have a to-do list or calendar to help me keep track of these things, but alas….
The exercise and discussion yesterday around the Teachers vs. iPads article was a fascinating study in information literacy and the way emotion can get in the way of reason. Like everyone else in the class, I responded instantly to the content. Not only did I respond emotionally to the idea that iPads are replacing teachers, and that boards are spending “public” money on untested technology, I did so in a way that was unproductive. It was honestly eye-opening to reflect on how an article like that can whirl teachers into a bit of a frenzy after which we start throwing our iPads into the ditches and returning to slate (maybe a bit of an exaggeration?). For the remainder of the class, when identifying things that stand in our way, we tried to broach it from the lens of “well what do we do about it?” rather than merely griping.
As for my final project, I accomplished absolutely nothing. By the time we looked at the article, had some open and honest discussion about the ultimate goals of school boards, administrators, and the BCTF (and how much that matters/what we can change if necessary), and enjoyed some great 10 minutes of fame presentations, the class was over! Today is going to be the day to really get into it… because tomorrow is Friday, and that’s really scary!
I’m glad that I’m not the only one who noticed the frenzy… I felt very alone in the classroom as my connection to the article seemed different that most everyone else. I was immediately criticizing it, hugging my iPad closer, and wondering how people can so quickly abandon what we had been talking about for weeks. If someone made a move towards my iPad, I was ready to rumble.
Reading and discussing the iPads vs Teachers article was a perfect example of the kinds of cognitive, cultural and technological challenges teachers are facing. For too long, they have adopted a passive disengagement from the situation. Now, it can no longer be ignored. What we are talking about is a change in professional practice. Teaching is no longer about memorizing the contents of a textbook and delivering a chapter lecture each week with accompanying quizzes and final exams. It is about engaging the public, students, parents, administrators, and policy makers in the real work of the profession of teaching and gathering the necessary support to transition the profession, and schools, to the 21st century.