At a recent education award ceremony, a prominent education leader being recognized began the acceptance speech by saying “I am not a techie”. At first I was a little upset, because these awards were for educators, and not technology educators. I had to catch myself and hold back my criticism, because I often use that same phrase with educators, but for a different reason. It is actually a symptom of a decades old and continuing discussion in education.
We are now living in a world that is technology-driven, requiring a minimum amount of digital literacy from anyone who hopes to function, if not thrive, in that world. Many educators do not feel that they are sufficiently versed in technology to adequately prepare their students for the world in which the students will live. Much of this is a result of the way technology has evolved in education. Technology was not integrated as a tool for learning from the start, but rather it was almost a mystical, or a magical thing that had its own department and staff, as well as specially trained teachers to work with it. In the beginning it was an add-on. It also started in the wealthier schools. Colleges were not adequately preparing pre-service teachers in the use or integration of tech. Some colleges struggle with the very same issues today. Technology and education were like trains on two spate lines of track.
Some tech blended in immediately with little resistance. When the first electronic four-function pocket calculators came out in the seventies, teachers could not buy them fast enough at a time when report card grades were due. The cost back then was about $100. The other quickly accepted tech was the word processor. This was probably because it closely resembled an accepted form of tech, the typewriter. The methodology in using a word processor is very different from a typewriter. I am willing to bet however, that there are still teachers requiring kids to do a rough draft, final draft, on paper in pen, and then to type that into the word processor.
Being an educator today requires that we be digitally literate. Beyond that we also need to have a basic understanding of these technology tools for learning. The ultimate plan for education is to have kids learn to intelligently communicate, critically think, collaborate and create in their world. The very tools that they will use today to do all of this are technological. The tools that they will use in their future will be even more advanced technology. Educators have a responsibility to deliver a relevant education to their students. That requires digital literacy.
I often had to debate some of my higher ed colleagues as I incorporated more and more technology into my education courses. Colleagues telling me that I was not teaching a technology course, but rather an education course often challenged me. I would insist that I was teaching an education course, and using technology tools for learning that the future educators in my class need to understand. However, in the minds of my colleagues technology and education were two separate entities.
If we are to accomplish the goal of educating our educators about digital literacy, we need to stop apologizing out of embarrassment for shortcomings. For an educator to say, “I am not a techie” and consider that ample reason not to use digital devices, or not to permit Internet access in a 21st Century classroom is depriving students of skills and sources that they will need for better understanding and a better ability to compete in their world.
That Award winning educator found herself in an auditorium of connected educators and made claim to not being a techie. She wrongly assumed that connected educators in that room were all techies. In fact although some were techies and some were geeks, most were just digitally literate educators; a goal that should be held by every educator who wants to be relevant and effective.
When I tell people I am not a techie, it is not because I fail to use technology as a tool. It is because at my age I learn about whatever it is that I need to know to stay relevant. I emphasize that digital literacy is not a generational thing; it is a learning thing. I am a life long learner and that requires digital literacy to maintain. Technology and education have merged in many ways. We cannot separate them out any longer. Educators should not need a degree in education and then another in Educational Technology in order to be a digitally literate educator.
Beyond the mindset we need to change the approach to professional development. We do not need to be teaching the bells and whistles of a technology application. We need to ask teachers what they are doing first, and then see if the introduction of an application will benefit that goal. Chances are good that it will. We need the Technology staff to understand pedagogy and methodology in order to incorporate technology into education more seamlessly.
We will not be effective as a profession of techies and teachers. We will succeed if we are all digitally literate educators. An illiterate educator is an ineffective educator. To better educate our children we need to better educate their educators.
Tom,
Neither am I – but I do love my toys!
We really have to put his “fear” of EDtech behind us (note the emphasis). We are all “users” now (and I meant that in the nicest possible way) – not “techies”!
We all know that so many many of our kids are not LEARNing the way many of us TEACH – kids are heavier-users than us and we need to be TEACHing more the way they LEARN (or use).
If we adopt more of the playfulness that our kids evidence when they use – we will get there 😉 It’s not rocket-science…and it can be so much FUN 😉
Take care,
T..
I have often uttered those very same words…”I am not a techie.” I usually say it thinking I’m putting teachers at ease by reinforcing the fact that my background is in the classroom and not in a server room or computer lab. I want them to connect with me as an educator, not be intimidated because they think I know so much more than they do about how it all works (because I don’t). But I completely agree with your take on digital literacy. That’s my “platform” this year. Just as we tell all our teachers that traditional literacy is not the sole responsibility of the Reading and English departments, digital literacy is not only for the technology teachers. We all need to teach and model the skills we know our students need. My challenge is making sure my teachers have the time and opportunity to learn and practice those skills in order to become digitally literate.
I still say I’m not a techie… This comes from the days when so much time was spent fixing printers, hooding up data projectors etc. Now I say that in asking for patience. When something goes wrong I usually need to read up and ‘play’ for a while before things get fixed. This has no bearing on my use of technology, the toys I have or my belief of the role technology plays in education.. It comes from others acknowledging my views but also assuming that I can troubleshoot or iexplain something straight away
Point well taken – especially your comment around pro d needing to be driven by educational outcomes and not bells and whistles.
[…] We are now living in a world that is technology-driven, requiring a minimum amount of digital literacy from anyone who hopes to function, if not thrive, in that world. Many educators do not feel that they are sufficiently versed in technology to adequately prepare their students for the world in which the students will live. […]
Hello Tom, I am not a techie either. A title that I overheard on the River Walk while attending ISTE-13 was, Learning & Innovation Coach. I may put that into my QR code.
[…] At a recent education award ceremony, a prominent education leader being recognized began the acceptance speech by saying “I am not a techie”. At first I was a little upset, because these awards we… […]
I can’t thank you enough for this post! I just assumed a new role in my district this year as instructional technology resource teacher — not because I’m a techie but because I try to stay tech literate and I see the ways technology can be used to engage students in learning. I sometimes fight an uphill battle with teachers who fear technology will replace them or have the mindset that they were educated just fine without technology so there isn’t really any use or need for it now. Kids are accustomed to having technology to communicate, work, and learn; teachers need to help students continue to improve their digital literacy as well as literacy in all other subject areas, not instead of those subject areas. Bravo to you and this post!
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Tom,
To a certain extent this could be a discussion that I have with fellow educators on a regular basis. I find it comes down to the difference between adaptive a embedded uses of technology. The use of the computer as a word processor to do the work of the old typewriters, I still remember using my first electric typewriter, but that is another story altogether, is an adaptive use of technology. Getting something new to do something that we have always done other ways in school. Then there is the embedded use of technology where it is accepted and often expected that the teachers and students are in possession of basic computer literacy skills so that the “tech” aspect is not the focus of what is happening in the room, the collaboration (internally, or with classrooms outside of the school or country) can be engaged in. For this I would include things like Google docs, titan pad, Skype out video conferencing units that allow for synchronous or asynchronous collaboration on the part of our students. I too would self identify as not being a “techy” but rather one who is digitally literate enough to leverage technology to take learning into the 21st. Century., Which reminds me that I have to tweet out the homework assignment to my grade 12 class. Thanks as always for your timely insights. It lets many of us know that we are not facing these situations alone or in isolation.
Ever since the “User Interface” (desktop) came out, computers have been easy to use. With apps on our phones, they are even easier. Additionally, we have many technical teachers (students/digital natives) right in our midst. Many PD sessions (yes, that can be fun, too) talk about good tools, such as Emodo and Shoology that can help us organize digital assets and discover new ones. With the advent of online (high-stakes) testing, we will be instructed how to do the testing. As long as we are open to learning and doing a bit of exploring, we will be OK.
[…] some of you may have noticed (from my last 3 posts…and mini-dizi) that I have had my “techie” head on of late. But, I have to admit it is the “TEACHer LEARNing techie head” or (as I like […]
[…] I had to catch myself and hold back my criticism, because I often use that same phrase with educators, but for a different reason. It is actually … […]