EDU 807 - Intro to Selwyn - Group 04
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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:
- Selwyn, N. (2017). What We Talk About When We Talk About EdTech. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhG7tsYTW2c
- 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/
Discussion Activity
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?
- What does he believe about educators? Students? Corporations? Government?
- 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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What do you Agree with in Selwyn's speech/writing?
- 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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What do you want to Argue with in Selwyn's speech/writing?
- 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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What parts of Selwyn's speech/writing do you want to Aspire to (or Act upon)?
- Based on what Selwyn describes here, what key themes resonate with you and may encourage you to take action in your EDU 807 work?
I feel that Selwyn’s primary assumptions lie in the “easy” monetization of educational technology among stakeholders, particularly companies. The buzzwords he mentions are assumed to be more or less that, rather than anything that could truly be beneficial to those who implement it. I agree with his statements concerning a distinct lack of ed tech that addresses issues of social justice or equity, rather it’s focused on, as he says, the growing “individualization” of learners.
When listening to the video one of the assumptions that really stuck with me was that educators, students, and administrators assume that due to the current state of technology (the Digital Age) and the ubiquitous nature of technology today we have to change the way that education looks and functions. Selwyn challenges this indicating that change must be determined not on the prevalence of technology but instead on whether or not that tool will actually support the learning environment in a positive way. I think it is true that as educators we have simply made the assumption that we need to change because of how much more technology is available today, and this made me pause and rethink this idea a bit. How much change is really needed in education due to the increased use and availability of technology?
I really like your thoughts and the question you bring up here, Renee! I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit as well, and keep coming back to the issue of balance. I think you’re absolutely right that we need to pause on bringing in shiny new technology just because it’s there. Rather, I suppose we should more carefully critique – as teachers and administrators – what could work best for us, even on a school- or classroom-level. I thought you did well to bring that up in last night’s class discussion, and these have really gotten me thinking. Maybe it’s another possible research topic. :)
I really love this thought, Alexa. I think it’s certainly something worth exploring, and given the context of Selwyn’s thoughts here, I wonder if you might be able to make a case about technology actually being detrimental to collaborative efforts among learners or something similar? This really got me thinking!
From Selwyn’s article on the last page, I really struggled with the following statement: “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”. When it comes to K-12 continuous improvement plans, this statement really contradicts the collective process we attempt to go through when implementing new initiatives, strategies, or practices. Not sure I can get on board with this type of philosophy where educators just get to do things because it addresses an individual need.
I see what you mean and the struggle you have with this comment – I feel similar. While I do agree that it should not be solely up to the individual to work with tech on their own terms, etc., it did get me to thinking about selectively using tech. I think the discussions we’ve had about evaluating what has the potential to work well, along with the magical “balance”, could be more helpful than Selwyn’s knee-jerk “every man for himself” proposition.
I agree Elly. Ultimately, it is about balance. I think that within the school improvement process teachers can, at times, lose their sense of autonomy and craft. As administrators, we need to be very careful about that balance between allowing educators to explore new tech/ideas on their own that align to their classroom/content. However, I do think that Selwyn is a bit extreme with his just do what is best for you mentality during this portion of the article. That word balance just keeps coming up for us, and I think it’s true. Schools must come up with some kind of balance in their approach to ed tech, and all new initiatives/programs/strategies.
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.
“inherent political nature of educational technology” I am not sure I buy it – do you?
Although I think he is a bit dramatic in approach, I do agree with the inherent political nature of ed. tech. I also just feel that I could replace the phrase “educational technology” with any educational reform buzz word. Schools are public government organizations, and because of this, there is always a hidden agenda. A few non-ed tech related examples are sex/health education, anti-bullying initiatives, seclusion/restraint, social-emotional learning etc. Every one of the examples above has been drastically impacted in the last several years due to legislators pushing an agenda at the state level. Ed tech is just a piece of the political pie. My question is, are universities impacted by this type of politicization? I only know the world of K-12 public education and I am interested in the politics at play in Universities or private institutions.
I’m glad you brought this up, Alexa. I felt the same way watching it – it made me a bit uncomfortable with the focus on politicization. Regarding your question, I agree that ed tech has certainly become political, but I wouldn’t say it’s inherently political. I’d be more apt to say that ed tech has become that “buzzy” industry that’s more out for companies to make quick money by slapping a cartoon on a website or app and calling it “engaging” and “guaranteeing” higher scores. It seems as though we have the potential to do a lot of research that could help dig deeper into this issue.
There felt like a lot to unpack in Selwyn’s video, but what really resonated with me was his assertion about the way in which ed tech is talked about – that it’s very buzzword-heavy and focused on things such as interest and “achievement”, but not in promoting the public good or combating inequality. What do you think? Should ed tech at this point have a stronger focus on access for all? Does it inherently limit access? How might we consider beginning a conversation to help level the playing field?
Teachers and technology: Time to get serious
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.
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.
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’.
I can vouch for this statement. While I’ve used a lot of ed tech over the years to pique students’ preferences and interests, I feel that as the years have gone on (12+ years of teaching here), what schools adopt and what we have access to is more about managing tasks, grades, and documentation for students and ourselves. This sentence resonated with me when I read it the first time, and the immediate examples that come to mind are, indeed, managerial “tech” tools for my kids and myself.
Although there are some great tools out there, the vast majority of the tech tools that we use in K-12 are managerial in nature. I have some early adopters who have pushed beyond this and are doing some amazing things with Flipgrid, Screencastify etc. (all math teachers) This is not the norm though. Most of the tools my teachers use are to organize their data, track records, classroom management etc.
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.
I’m right with you – it’s no longer an idea of “look at this!”, but rather, “how can it help?”
I agree that transparency is key, but schools are so political, especially when it comes to funding. Example, a school district near me recently was told that they will be implementing a new curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. The curriculum went through no review process, and was pushed on staff for what appeared to be no reason. They hate it, naturally. Come to find out, a large corporation wanted this curriculum in place and funded it. This corporation gives millions of dollars to our schools in the area. So, what do our leaders do? They make these corporations happy to keep the money coming in. Can we blame schools for this? It is power and politics at play, and I am not sure there is any way to get past this because public schools need the money.
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…
#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.
I like the idea of identifying a “real-world” problem as a guide. I also think it could be worthwhile, in a classroom setting, for learners to work on identifying how they could use a selected technology in class for solving such a problem. I did this with one of my classes when Twitter was the hot app to have – they used tracked conversations, hashtags, and "@"s to promote awareness of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide throughout their community.
#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.
#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.
I love this. So practical and a great way to get teachers to utilize technology that is useful and not overwhelming. Why technology leaders feel the need to tackle all of the big ideas in tech for our K-12 educators just baffles me. Instead, let’s start with practical small steps and shifts that make sense within our teacher content areas.
Oooh, maybe you hit on something there! The content-specific use of ed tech in schools. Like you mentioned earlier about some of your math teachers embracing certain apps, perhaps the gradual introduction of technologies, beginning with buy-in, could be a more helpful way to approach meaningful and effective integration.
#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.
#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.
This was one the most most powerful sections of the article for me, also great question. When I think of technology undoing something in my career, I think more about our system not my career. I feel technology has “undone” parent communication. Our K-12 educators have learned to utilize Learning Management Systems and email as the only way to contact parents/guardians. There is little to no phone or in person contact being made, and to be completely honest, this is at the expense of building positive relationships with families. Our parents/guardians are completely in the dark about their children’s progress because of this “new tech” that had promises of easier, faster, and more frequent communication. Instead, our families feel disconnected, frustrated, and lost. The system is completely broken because of learning management systems, and unfortunately, there is no going back at this point.
#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.
#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.
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.
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.
I tend to disagree on being disinterested and dispassionate regarding the claims about specific technologies. While it’s extremely important to be critical, I think bringing a mind for the possibilities that a technology could offer (and discerning its abilities – or lack of abilities) could contribute to its more relevant and meaningful adoption.
Elly,
I agree that the words dispassionate and disinterested do not sit well with me. However, I do agree that as educators we need to be more realistic, and the truth is at times this means putting our passions and interests aside and replacing them with a critical eye. We often have a really challenging time with convincing our staff to take a step back from their own opinions during curriculum review cycles, and I feel this is what this statement is trying to say. Although, I also challenge that there are times when our passions need to prevail, otherwise, would we ever really have any true progressive change in education?
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.
Remember: Please offer at least one comment on the video and one comment on the text to begin the conversation.
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