This post is a direct result of a conference that I recently attended with some of the brightest minds in education. The attendees were education thought leaders all. I was humbled in their presence, which is not unusual for me. I was an education lightweight compared to many in attendance. What struck me about this group however was their lack of relevance in the world of EdTech education. They were not at all a part of the model we have all come to believe is now the EdTech-influenced model of education for the USA. I was asked by some what a Blog was. Others had never ever heard of a Professional Learning Network. Somehow the model of education portrayed by so many and being sold to America by the press through some vocal politicians and financial influencers, who probably don’t have a clue what goes on inside most classrooms today, does not exist for these folks. Like many educators today, PowerPoint is the extent of their technology integration into education.
I am so very fortunate and grateful to be able to travel and participate in Education Conferences worldwide. My interaction with educators is not limited to a building, district, county, state, or even a single country. I talk to many educators from many places both inside and outside the USA. One factor common to all these educators is that they are attending some form of education conference. This is not a common experience for many, if not most, educators. Few schools budget for teachers’ attendance at conferences and the view that a teacher’s place is in the classroom is one that is probably the most prevalent view among most keepers of the purse strings.
As a result of limited teacher participation at many of these conferences, only the best, or the most innovative, or the most influential of teachers get to attend. Of course the number of administrators, movers and shakers, the decision makers, or those who control the budgets and purse strings are most often represented in greater numbers and repeatedly attend year after year at these conferences. Of course they are also the people most sought after to attend such conferences since most of these get-togethers are sponsored and supported by companies trying to sell their products to that very target audience. This is not a bad thing, but an element in considering the big picture of education conferences, especially in the area of EdTech.
Now that we have an understanding of who attends these conferences, let us consider the “what and why” of the sessions presented at these conferences. Often, the very companies sponsoring the conference to display their Tech wares will do their own informative sessions within the program. They are probably the most knowledgeable of their product, so it is a great way to represent the best potential of that product. The employees who demonstrate these products are trained to do so, and, more often than not, they are trained extremely well. Certainly their training exceeds a typical teacher’s experience with a PD session in school. Additionally, these demonstrations show off the latest and greatest version of the products. Companies are not stuck with older product versions because of budget restrictions that schools often face.
This is my personal view of what a typical education conference looks like. It is a showcase for the best and brightest schools have to offer with the help of EdTech companies supporting and promoting the teachers and districts that are effectively using their products. Unfortunately, with all the hype, public relations, and a need to put education stories out to the press, this is often touted as the picture of education in the USA: Teachers using technology to teach our digital native children in preparation for their world. This might be the perfect time to mention those flying cars of the future that we have heard so much about over the years.
The point here is that it is not representative of what is going on in education in the USA. We are not as fully tech-oriented as the press and politicians would have us believe. Many schools lack the budget, or infrastructure to support it. Certainly the way PD is provided today, as it has been in centuries past, is hardly adequate to get educators up to speed. Trying to maintain a 20th Century model of education in the 21st Century is not moving us forward either, yet it seems to be a dominating education philosophy.
We need to somehow take the vision of what we see in education conferences and mix it with the reality of what is actually being done in education. If we want to focus on a better education for our kids, we need to focus first on a better education for their educators. If the promise of EdTech is ever to be realized than we need to clearly establish where we each are in that picture and make specific individualized plans to get us to where we each need to be. It will not happen organically. We will never have out-of-the-box, innovative learning until we promote and support out-of-the-box and innovative teaching. Technology in education should not be limited to PowerPoint presentations and word-processed book reports.
The picture of what American education is has been blurred by politicians, well-intentioned business people, profiteers, and to a great extent educators themselves. I don’t know if we can describe a picture of a 21st Century classroom that holds true for all classrooms. I imagine that the most typical class in America still resembles a 20th Century class which is not far different from a 19th Century class: Rows, a board, and a teacher standing in front of the room. The frustration I have always had as an educator is that the vision for education is far better than the reality.
Reblogged this on that MADDENing teacher.
Thanks for sharing, Tom. I love hearing your stories about the conferences you attend and the multiple perceptions out there about education. How do you think we can spread the message of what’s really happening and what we really need? In the past few years there’s been considerable change in the system I work in–it seems like people here are starting to really incorporate new methods, tools, and think. There’s certainly room for greater change, but it’s nice that the change has started.
Well said Tom, I agree wholeheartedly. I’m lucky that I have an administration that supports learning, but so many of my colleagues are chained to their classroom. If they want to learn, it’s on their own time and that’s not fair. Voicing this observation will hopefully get the conversation started.
As you conclude, there is no description of American education that can hold true across all classrooms or even be generalized to across all schools in our nation. As I travel across the country and I am reminded of how insignificant any single contribution may be to the large-scale task and yet how important that contribution to the people touched. Everyday and in everyway, we must each do our best to bringing quality learning and teaching to all with the understanding that there is no one best way. Even if technology were the epitome of pedagogies, the infrastructures for technology continue to be unreliable in many areas of our country–even areas some might find surprising.
Last week I was in a school with a weak technologic infrastructure and with that came some peripheral assumptions on my part. I was pleasantly surprised to find a staff quite advanced in knowledge and application of current pedagogies that though they could use digital supports weren’t digitally centered.
This disparity of technologic distribution doesn’t mean we don’t continue to work towards improvement but that does mean we are flexible and innovative in design and delivery of teaching and learning experiences. The nature of American schooling focuses attention on the microcosms of classrooms, schools, and districts. That focus tends to diminish the wider macro-view, leaving educators with a sense that the way they do the business of teaching and learning is generally the way it is done. As I fly over hundreds of thousands of learners housed in the variety of educational institutions that constitute American schooling, I like to imagine the patchwork quilt of pedagogies and tools that comprise teaching and learning and hope…and hope that everyone, everyday moves on the continuum of preparedness for tomorrow.
I like what you have to say, Tom. So in my case and I’m sure as in others – how do we get the top decision makers, movers and shakers, and central office admin to give up THEIR seats at these conferences and REWORK budgets so classroom teachers have the opportunity to “see” and experience the possibilities of what’s available in the edtech world?
Like you, I’ve found that many times top administrators are NOT in the know, but some teachers are because they’re constantly searching for ways to make their classroom better.
Michelle
You have hit upon one of the big questions. How do we get the best information in front of the best people to affect change? I wish I could write that answer in a blog post, but I have yet to figure it all out.
Very true, Tom! I’m going to share this with my readers later today. Thanks!
Michelle’s comments are right on target. The average classroom teacher cannot afford to attend these conferences. In my experiences, I have not seen professional development money used wisely. An additional problem in my system is that teacher get a limited number of professional development/leave days. For someone like me who coaches the Scholar’s Bowl team and track, my allocated leave days are expended taking my students to quiz bowl competitions and track meets. If more classroom teachers were afforded the opportunity to attend such conferences, they could more effectively become teacher leaders if they were given the opportunity to share what they learned to a larger group in their system. When central office staff attends these conferences and then returns to train the teachers, teachers tune out. My colleagues would be more likely to be attentive if they are getting information from a fellow teacher, not someone who has been out of the classroom for several years.