There will always be teachers who are reluctant to dive into a particular tech-integration strategy because of their own self-perception as not being "tech-savvy." I think this can be more accurately be attributed to the natural discomfort we all feel when faced with being a novice user. When it comes to educational technology, we are working with a fluid and expanding content. It sometimes requires a leap of faith, one that requires a unique trust that acknowledges that students may quickly surpass our ability to help them. Any teacher who has unleashed code.org and watched their students whip through levels can identify! We have to remind ourselves, students, and parents always that our support role is always in service of the skills and learning practices that the tools enable, rather the tools themselves.
Teachers and administrators are assuming similar roles. Particularly with edtech integration, teachers are also diving into content and skills (not necessarily pedagogy) that are new to them and taking on the novice role, while often surpassing principals' and administrators’ ability to support, likely for no other reason than unfamiliarity with the tool or product. It is exciting, but certainly a twist on our traditional structure, and one that requires a certain amount of risk and trust on the part of the principal. It's the distributed leadership idea that George Couros recently explained in his Innovator's Mindset blog:
“Yet when we admit that we don’t know everything, that means we have to trust others and give our “power and authority” away. This model of distributed leadership is very tough on some and they end up hiring great people only to micromanage them. A person that pretends that they know something is much more dangerous than those who can fully admit that they don’t.”
I have found that administrators may not be reluctant to launching new ideas or products, it just may be that we (teachers) might be the first to see them, try them, and share them. This wouldn't happen if we weren't encouraged to attend and/or present at local conferences, workshops, etc. Seeking teacher-feedback and providing opportunities to evaluate and share what we've found and piloted is a valuable component of the distributed leadership model.
Top-down never feels inclusive or collaborative, but the rise of personalized PD, edcamps, product ambassador programs and district supported pilots all point to a new design that supports educator agency and a culture of exploration, discovery, and empowerment for the classroom teacher.
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ReplyDeletePerhaps it's a question of how and when support to the adult learners comes. Often support is sketchy, on the fly, or may not be rooted in an adequate knowledge of necessary support needs for the individual teacher.
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