EDU 807 - Intro to Selwyn - Group 03
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1 As we begin our semester, we jump into the ideas of Neil Selwyn, a professor in the Faculty of Education, Monash University. The following resources are imported from:
- 2 Selwyn, N. (2017). What We Talk About When We Talk About EdTech. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhG7tsYTW2c
- 3 Selwyn, N. (2019, January). Teachers and technology: Time to get serious. Retrieved from Impact.chartered.college website: https://impact.chartered.college/article/editorial-education-technology/
4 Discussion Activity
5 As you listen to his talk and read his article, consider the following questions built from the 4A's protocol:
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What Assumptions does Selwyn hold about educational technology?
- 7 What does he believe about educators? Students? Corporations? Government?
- 8 What does he believe about ideas of power, inequality, democracy, the common good and other ways that ed tech is talked about?
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Jan 20Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : After reading the article, my assumptions about Selwyn is that he believes most school organizations don't have a coordinated effort for the use of technology and a. scope and sequence for its purpose with use.
Jan 22Kendra Moyses Kendra Moyses : I can definitely see that point Shalika but I would also argue that's not a bad thing based on Selwyn's comments that tech implementation is incredibly individual and local. While having a tech plan, scope and sequence is always a great idea it is also [Edited]possible that even within a district tech won’t work in the same way in every situation. So to me, yes, we absolutely need an intentional plan for integration and we also need to be flexible to know that not everything is going to work in the same way.
I would also say that Selwyn thinks that there should be more partnership and buy in from all audiences around tech integration. It shouldn’t rest with one person or one entity but to be sustainable, it has to be a partnership between invested stakeholders.
Jan 23Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : Selwyn's opinions of having all stakeholders have a role and responsibility in the efforts are correct. I just think instead of attacking the notion, provide more guidance for it. Especially for novice entities like K-12 schools.Paragraph 8 0
Jan 20Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : He speaks about the use or misuse of language relating to Ed. Tech. and how contradictions need to be teased out and the educators need to set the example for this and not allow for profit organizations speak & present solely on behalf of Ed. Tech.
Jan 22Kendra Moyses Kendra Moyses : That is also what I took away from the article and the video. That if someone tries to tell you tech solves all problems and is the greatest thing in the world that you should be skeptical!
Jan 22Lots of comments here about power structures. Who really decides on what is used in schools? Admin? Government? Big tech companies?
Jan 23Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : I think the order goes a little something like this, large companies (i.e. Apple, Google), government and then schools maneuver between the guidance and mandates imposed by the government and the latest technology from the corporations. - 9
What do you Agree with in Selwyn's speech/writing?
- 10 As you consider the principles from the video and the article, which ones resonate most for you? How does he describe educational technology in ways that make sense to you and the ways that you want to be critical of ed tech?
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Jan 20Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : I can appreciate the 9 themes he spoke of in the video along with the challenge of the loose language and catchy titles to sell products. He describes Ed. Tech as more than just a new found gimmick or concept, he speaks from experience and knowledge.
Jan 22Kendra Moyses Kendra Moyses : For me, all nine principles from the article resonated with me. I think that we presented concrete ideas for educators to think about when exploring tech. I think that his ideas to be skeptical and ask questions and not believe something if it's too goodto be true are important to consider. When much of ed tech is talked about with buzz words and knowing from week 1 readings that much is created without testing or educator input, it becomes that much more important to be critical of what we choose and why. To me, starting with the end in mind is something that I can do to ensure that I am always keeping the outcomes of what I want to students to learn first, and using tech to support those outcomes and goals — not getting sucked into the fancy buzzwords.
Jan 23Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : I must say even though I agree, it made me ask the question "why am I going into this area of education" I had a small dose of regret after the video but a little more hope after reading the article. He provided more solution based thinking.
Jan 24Kendra Moyses Kendra Moyses : I had that same twinge but then remembered that we can make things differently as we walk in our different circles.
Jan 22I felt the article did a nice job in giving a sense of steps of action for being involved in committing to use and work with technology. Other than specific hardware he used…I would add that when using tech it can be a procedure or routine that might be powerful in student learning. For example using skype to bring in experts in the field for the class or now they have class rooms guessing where in the world other classrooms are. Impact, outcome, and results can be useful in trying to implement a tech.
Jan 25Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : In all of these discussions David, I never thought about using Skype for something like that! Shame on me. I really think we under utilize VR and simulations a lot in K-12.
Jan 26Hi Shalika
Your comments remind me alot that many ideas are not shared enough or in a systematic way in schools to know what can be done with tech so the circle of knowledge of using tech never grows for some teachers.Why do teachers have to feel they have to come up with the ideas? Just as in curriculum I think district should have examples to share how to use the tech they have and give them examples. This work gets pushed back and the only emphasis in my experience is “Does the tech work in the classroom” meaning is it not broke then we are good! There is so much more meaningful ways to use things.
So another issue if you dont use the tech how can you be critical about it and over a critical eye. This has been something I think alot about and will bring up more as we go along.
For instance I have never driven a sports car and if I ever purchase one until I drive one how will I know I have chosen one to fit my needs? Reading, research, usage and communication with others can help us really understand a product.
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What do you want to Argue with in Selwyn's speech/writing?
- 12 As you consider the principles from the video and the article, which ones do you disagree with? Are there points that you disagree with?
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Jan 20Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : His mention of Ed. Tech being promoted for introverts, promoting non-collaborative practices and such can be argued to a degree. I understand what he means but I could argue some of his interpretations.
Jan 22While I would agree about using tech in routines that teachers might be use to (for sure instead of drill) but I would argue in the article about low hanging fruit being whiteboards/textbooks. For instance I purchased $80 portable doc cams for our special ed staff and they love it for usage with Zoom. Bring in real world examples, excerpts from books, show math examples etc. and the teachers felt it was impactful.
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What parts of Selwyn's speech/writing do you want to Aspire to (or Act upon)?
- 14 Based on what Selwyn describes here, what key themes resonate with you and may encourage you to take action in your EDU 807 work?
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Jan 20Mrs. Shalika Robie Mrs. Shalika Robie : Reading the article made me want to research the Matthew Effect, because this aligns with my research project interest & the Cambridge Analytica and the Edward Snowden NSA to further understand the references and the deeper connection to Ed. Tech.
Hi Shalika!
I have to admit, I sure was not uplifted by the video. I think that is what you are discussing. We are use to hearing the “great” things tech does. Does it always?
one being that discourse is a good thing to help us challenge our ideas and thinking and hopefully find solutions that make sense and can be implemented in intentional and meaningful ways.
I do have some mixed feelings about Selwyn. When I first saw the title my first impression was “time to get serious?” Teachers carry so many hats so I feel he did provide some good conversation points and my impression is that he wants educators to do more on voicing their opinions. I have to admit I disagreed with the whiteboard and textbook idea. I have been in tech for over 20 years and having all classrooms with whiteboard and digital textbooks in theory sound like low hanging fruit but in reality that is not achievable for some districts. It also does not account for how there would be unintentionally actions as the result of going for this first. Support, budget, access and the list goes on. It is surprising to many administrators that I have worked with over the years that thought the same thing that its easy to get all the money to do all of that. It is complex but more is being done to get there in some places. Now we have interactive projectors that are less costly but textbooks are still a challenge.
have paper when I’m reading to understand and learn.
Yes – in some cases there are not enough devices or even less technical support when there are issues with login. The process of logins still needs to be simplified and unified for students to not have to spend time doing those things and more time with working with the content.
I think the digital textbook conversation is full of mixed opinions. As well as the whiteboards. I was a teacher who loved using the interactive whiteboards when they first arrived on the scene. I must admit, I was intimidated by it but the more frequently I used it the more comfortable I became with it. I run into teachers today (more than 12 years later) whose white borads are still in great condition from lack of use.
The textbook conversation is a bit of a double edged sword for me personally. I love the access to digital textbooks especially from the financial perspective but then there is the notion of those students who still need a physical book for various reasons and schools are becoming less apt to issue physical textbooks due to the digital ones. One of my kids went through this in high school and I had to make a fuss for her to get a physical book without paying for it myself.
Hi Shalika!
Thanks for sharing with us your perspective on whiteboard and digital books.
My perspective is that the school itself needs to have a plan for usage of whiteboard and have people do training/mentoring. The usage has to be moved forward and the problem is that not everyone buys into it so they either don’t use it or use it minimally because not all are tech inclined. Do we not try new strategies for student achievement? I think leadership has to find a way to help the conversation to see why it is still not being used.
As for digital textbooks, I think there needs to be a balance to use digital books and regular books. Too many times we think we have to do one or the other. Evolving means taking steps for change not just pushing people into the cold water!
Lastly I think tech changes need a systematic plan for change. Each year the school should be discussing what tech may be up and coming and give people heads up for information and training so its an understood thing that things will change. Again I believe in my experience that when strong relationships and communication are built its much easier or less complicated when things do change.
agree that they aren’t doing it because it is cool or they are trying to keep up with other schools or districts.
and this would be very helpful in determining the types of workshops and formats that would be most helpful for communities. We typically do focus groups around content but haven’t included questions about technology needs/wants/likes/dislikes/barriers. This would be really helpful to integrate into our work on this because it would not only enrich what we are designing but would also allow for integration of feedback from constituents and could help us also think through those unintended consequences/barriers of technology integration.
Hi Kendra!
Sounds so great to think about how to use tech to do outreach. I have lots of questions to learn more about your goals and your population you are trying to serve. As you move forward understand how would your customer access what you are trying to do? Do they already have access to a way you could use? Such as facebook or other social media? Or are you thinking like Webinars?
What is great is that now there are so many ways to get information to customers. We are mini marketers now!
In my work with technology, this article and researcher aspires me to do what I always have done to help people “decide” what works best in their classroom. I want to be the tech advocate, researcher, professor and most of all the trusted person in the district that helps put light on the good and the bad of tech in a way that helps good investment of dollars and good support of teachers and students.
I would like to make them less afraid to venture out and try things without penalty.
Be great to talk more Shalika as you go along. The IT person in a district wears many hats — for sure I am the IT coach, IT janitor, IT mentor, etc etc. I encourage, clean up, help others and offer my opinions on my experiences with technology currently in a district and in the past.
How do you teach that? I think just as some courses teach how to be a special ed director or curriculum ..you get more of that in IT director but that needs some work too from some of the things I have seen in connecting real world and theory. Comes with the job as well and through projects with teachers.
So making people less afraid is done by finding items that work best and keeping on that road. If something doesn’t work well pull it out or do something. That is what teachers want —action. Time is limited.
15 Please offer at least one comment on the video and one comment on the text to begin the conversation. Then, reply to each of your classmates' initial comments by asking questions, making connections, or sharing follow-up ideas that may push their thinking.
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helps us to actually move the conversation forward and challenge what we know and what we think about the status quo — which then helps us to challenge that status quo in intentional ways. I’m going to have to give this another listen to keep digesting what was said entirely but overall, he gave me lots to think about and helped reinforce this idea of being skeptical (which is a good thing) and continuing to question.
This is one video I had to watch a few times and then watch portions over a few days.
I feel many of his questions we can relate to when we either use a new tech or even a new product. When you plan to purchase something you may have several questions in your mind before you purchase. You need to ensure its the “right” fit – meaning it meets all your needs and it “does” what it says it will do.
What then comes across is “how” will we know?
I really liked the portions of the video where in essence he basically wants people to be aware of tech. Ask questions, demo, challenge the sales people, do not believe its a silver bullet but remember its a tool and that tool gets best used by an educator who has an interest and a plan for a results-driven outcome.
17 Teachers and technology: Time to get serious
18 Although classroom computers have been with us since the 1970s, schools have only recently become truly ‘digital’. Now, every school seems full of digital devices and display screens. Anything that can be digitised is stored online. Lessons are live-streamed, resources are downloadable and communication takes place through apps and email. Behind the scenes, schools maintain their own servers, host school-wide WiFi and run complex management systems. In contrast to even a few years ago, today’s schools depend upon substantial amounts of digital technology.
19 This is not to say that technology use in education is now straightforward. If anything, digital technology is more of a headache for teachers than ever. On the one hand, schools are bombarded with claims from software vendors and technology enthusiasts about the power of various new technologies to transform what goes on in the classroom. On the other hand, the impacts of technology use on teaching and learning remain uncertain. Andreas Schleicher – the OECD’s director of education – caused some upset in 2015 when suggesting that ICT has negligible impact on classrooms. Yet he was simply voicing what many teachers have long known: good technology use in education is very tricky to pin down.
20 At the same time, it could be argued that the technologies featuring most prominently in teachers’ professional lives have little to do with teaching and learning at all. Instead, it often feels that digital technology is primarily a managerial tool for keeping tight control over what goes on in the classroom. Digital technology is certainly a key part of school data-gathering and teacher monitoring, as well as a means of extending schoolwork long into evenings, weekends and holiday time. While IT firms continue to make millions of pounds from selling their products to schools, teachers could be forgiven for never wanting to switch on a laptop again. We have come a long way from optimistic endorsements of classroom computers as ‘the teacher’s friend’.
21 This issue of Impact therefore coincides with the growing realisation that everyone in education needs to get serious about how technology is used in schools. We are no longer in the ‘booster’ decades of the 1990s and 2000s, when it was fashionable to enthuse about anything ‘cyber’ or ‘virtual’. Instead, as we enter the 2020s, people are becoming decidedly wary of digital technology. Incidents such as Cambridge Analytica and the Edward Snowden NSA revelations have prompted notable pushbacks against the use of technology in schools. Parents are increasingly unhappy with purchasing £1,000 laptops for their children. Politicians are calling for bans on smartphones in classrooms. Teaching unions are challenging the influence that ‘big tech’ companies such as Google have over public schooling. Civil rights organisations are raising legal and ethical objections to the increased use of data and analytics. While no one is arguing that we should get rid of computers completely from schools, there is growing suspicion of the technological ‘opportunities’ that are being pushed onto education.
22 Against this background, teachers face a tough task when it comes to making sense of technology. There are still many benefits to be gained from digital technology, but this is an area that requires careful attention. Unfortunately, there are no quick or easy answers to ‘what works’. Instead, perhaps the most helpful thing to do at this point is to offer seven brief bits of advice for any teacher wanting to make sense of the technologies that are featured in this issue. In no particular order…
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#1.
Be clear what you want to achieve
The implementation of digital technology in schools often fails where there is no genuine purpose for its use.
While this might sound obvious, many schools continue to purchase the latest devices and apps simply because they ‘look cool’, or because other schools are buying them.
Instead, technology implementation works best when teachers start by identifying a ‘real-world’ problem.
Only then will they begin to think through which specific technologies might offer an appropriate way of addressing that problem… or perhaps whether any technology is required at all.
The actual device or software package should be the final piece of the process, not its starting point.
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#2.
Set appropriate expectations
It certainly helps to have modest expectations of what might be achieved through the use of any device or application.
On one hand, educational technology has long suffered from being an area beset with hype and grand ambitions.
It is still common to hear people talk about digital technology ‘transforming’ teaching, boosting engagement or fostering ‘21st-century skills’.
These claims are so vague as to be meaningless – setting the technology-using teacher up to fail before they have even begun.
On the other hand, technology use can also suffer from being attached to overly specific ambitions.
Even if such changes do occur, it is impossible to say whether the use of a particular app was associated with a two-per-cent increase in graduation rates.
Schools are complex ‘ecosystems’, where there are many confounding factors behind why something happens (or does not happen).
Instead, it helps to set broad goals and exhortative targets that relate to appropriate areas of classroom practice.
Digital technology might reasonably be expected to give students more convenient opportunities to access curriculum materials, but it would be foolhardy to expect technology to somehow ‘cause’ a 10-point grade improvement over a semester.
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#3.
Aim for small-scale change
Often, the best way to encourage the take-up of technology throughout any school is to aim for ‘low-hanging fruit’.
Most technology adoption in schools is gradual, slow-burning and aligned with established ways of doing things.
As such, the digital technologies that take hold in schools tend to be those that fit comfortably with how teachers and students are accustomed to doing things.
For example, the use of interactive whiteboards follows neatly on from chalkboards.
Similarly, the use of digital textbooks follows on from paper books.
These technologies support practices that teachers, schools and students feel familiar and safe with.
Despite the grand talk of technology transformation, revolution and reinvention, thinking small and keeping things simple can often be the best way to encourage lasting technology adoption within a school.
What I used to do with several paper notebooks/planners, I now do with a smartphone. However, there was a transition period with getting used to it and it had to fit my needs. I think this is the same with technology that’s adopted and this paragraph makes perfect sense to me. The more comfortable we are with technology the more likely we are to use it.
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#4.
Pay attention to the ‘bigger picture’
Everything that takes place in school is influenced by a variety of people, processes and other pressures.
In this sense, it is important to think through how any technology use will ‘fit’ with the whole-school context.
This includes familiar issues such as lack of time and resourcing.
It also includes a range of within-school issues that do not usually get talked about when it comes to technology use – from the physical layout of classrooms and school buildings, to staffroom micro-politics.
Similarly, technology can be influenced by a range of outside-school factors – from National Curriculum requirements through to local neighbourhood characteristics.
This means that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ way of getting technology to work.
Successful technology use requires a lot of planning for the specific contexts and circumstances of your own school.
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#5.
Think about unintended consequences
Even if you are clear what you want to achieve with technology, it is important to give some thought to what other consequences might also result.
Using any technology in the classroom might have unexpected implications for pedagogy, student behaviour and group dynamics.
At the same time, technology use also raises issues that stretch well beyond the classroom.
For example, what data is being generated by the software you are using and where does it go?
Is data being sold to third parties, or used by school authorities to measure and monitor performance?
Perhaps most important are concerns relating to fairness and equity.
Research shows that technology use tends to benefit particular students over others – usually those who are already most advantaged (the so-called ‘Matthew Effect’).
So, which students are likely to gain most from your use of technology, and who else might actually suffer?
In the words of the media critic Neil Postman, the most important considerations are not questions of what technology will do, but questions of what technology will undo.
accessible, but we don’t always intentionally consider the negative effects (even unintended) that come along with technology. It’s good to keep this in mind when considering technology and what those unintended effects are as well as how you might mitigate them.
development and in some instances actually rewire brain connections. However, in this day and age, it’s unrealistic to think that children aren’t exposed to technology before 2 years old.
Hi Kendra and Shalika
I read alot about how tech is affecting young people and the addictions and other things that are happening even in adults. Truly a tragic thing when we are learning the interesting things that tech can do with learning, communication and collaboration.
We must be aware of these items as leaders and as Researchers. Is it what comes with the territory? Will people overuse? of course and will people use tech in wrong ways — yes
Many things are like that in life with things being over done or used in wrong ways. I guess from my two cents — is how am I using it and how do I want to make a difference in communicating with others the power and the responsibility that comes with its usage. I wish we could save the world in usage but what I can do in my world is model and communicate.
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#6.
Technology use is a collective concern
There is a longstanding tendency for successful school technology projects to be those driven by ‘charismatic champions’.
The introduction of new technologies into school is understandably reliant on the expertise and energy of committed individuals – from the enthusiastic IT-using teachers who drag colleagues into projects, to the technicians that keep everything running on a shoestring.
The trouble with this approach is that once these individuals move on, then the impetus for technology use often moves with them.
Instead, sustained technology use is best achieved by making digital technology a collective, communal and shared concern.
Rather than one person pushing things through, technology works best when teachers work together – talking with each other and getting the whole school community on board in working out what to do.
The days are of education technology being a personal passion project for just a few teachers are over.
Developing technology use should be a collective responsibility for all staff, students and parents.
Back about ten years ago we use to have do a technology plan that would be approved by the Board so that there would be multiyear plan for what would be implemented. Unfortunately during those days people were not as interested in wanting to spend time with thinking that technology would be involved much with teaching and more with processes. In a district we now moved that to the district improvement plan to infuse tools but that is not as well known as well. More work needs to be done on this to share with all stakeholders.
community based education classes. Wondering if you’ve had good experiences with collaboration around ed tech integration?
Hi Kendra!
Back in my early days of working in districts I saw more outreach to the community. Classes were offered and resources for learning extended to parents and community members. I think due to the lack of resources that has been something that is gone to the wayside. There are opportunities but not as much as I remember. People are so busy trying to do various things so how would schools get in front of parents who work in two to three jobs? I remember doing an after hours workshop in how to login to our student information system. Two parents showed up! People are busy so we have to figure new ways to get our messages across (maybe more promo messages through social media and direct rewards).
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#7.
Beware of over-confident ‘experts’
Educational technology is an area that is fuelled by bold predictions, strong assertions and promises of improved teaching and learning.
There are many people who make a good living from telling teachers what technology can do for them.
Unfortunately, this is an area where no one can be completely certain of what will happen.
As mentioned previously, every school is a locally specific context.
What works in one school might not be applicable to another.
It is nigh-on impossible for researchers to ‘prove’ that education technology leads to particular gains, improvements and outcomes.
Anyone who is trying to tell you otherwise is either being cavalier with the facts, or else trying to sell you something.
The most useful education technology knowledge does not come from globe-trotting ‘gurus’, keynote speakers and product evangelists.
Instead, the best technology advice can often come from simply trying things out for yourself and/or speaking with colleagues working in similar situations and circumstances.
There is still a lot to be said for teachers drawing on local knowledge and trusting their own judgement.
work for others, so this make complete sense to me. There isn’t going to be a magic one size fit all answer with ed tech, but instead, intentional decisions on what works in different situations with individuals.
I agree Kendra!
No two districts do the same with technology and there are reasons why that is but is that a bad thing? Our society is all about choices but where do all the choices lead to? I think that is the question? or provides us more questions to think about?
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Conclusions
Set against the hype that usually surrounds education and technology, these low-key suggestions might not seem particularly exciting or inspirational.
Yet the actual implementation of digital technology in schools is rarely that exciting or spectacular.
Neither is school technology simply a ‘technical’ issue of what new device to buy next, or which app to get your class to download.
Instead, school technology is a ‘socio-technical’ issue – relating to the social, cultural and political aspects of people and schools, alongside the technical aspects of organisational structure and processes.
In this sense, getting the best from digital technology involves thinking about the specific contexts of your school, and how you can work with (and sometimes work around) them.
31 This all points to the need to approach technology use in schools in a manner that is realistic rather than idealistic. This involves being questioning, objective, discerning, disinterested and dispassionate when it come to the claims being made about specific technologies. This involves being curious about the problems – as well as potential – of new technologies. Above all, this involves seeing digital technology as something that requires plenty of forethought and collaboration with others around you.
32 Digital technology undoubtedly involves more (rather than less) thought and effort for teachers. Of course, there are plenty of benefits to be had from engaging with the vast variety of digital opportunities that are now available to schools. Yet perhaps it is most fruitful to always view digital technology as a choice. Digital technology is not something that teachers have to adapt to in the best way they can. Instead, digital technology should be something that you engage with on your own terms, to achieve your own goals and to address your own needs. Used appropriately, digital technology can be a powerful addition to any teacher’s repertoire. I hope that these articles provide you with plenty of food for thought.
I really like this last paragraph because it does give us a perspective into how complex the issue is with teacher usage, teacher knowledge of implementation, resources of the district, choices and a variety of other variables. These are all items that keep our conversation going and our perspectives from our roles. Thanks!
33 Remember: Please offer at least one comment on the video and one comment on the text to begin the conversation.
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