How to do EdTech right?
As an educational technologist, it’s my job to help educators make smart decisions about technology. It’s a hard job, for a lot of reasons, but mostly because doing it right means having contrasting skill sets. Doing it right requires building expertise in a number of areas, while understanding that there’s no one way to be an educator, and that each educator has the responsibility to make their own decisions. Doing it right requires having a deeper-than-average level of technical knowledge, but also communicating with people at all levels of skill without condescension. Doing it right requires a lot of hard work, without a lot of glory. Just like the separate fields of education and technology, the best EdTech practitioners are the ones whose work invisibly supports the success of others.
What else does it take to be a not-good-but-great educational technologist, from your perspective? Inquiring minds want to know your thoughts …
Nov 12, 2011 @ 02:19:52
This freaking image is awesome!
Nov 12, 2011 @ 13:35:20
Thanks, Jim! I assume you are familiar with the original comic that started the meme? If not, it’s a brilliant read.
I also highly recommend RageMaker for the making of rage comics … and, of course, f7u12 on reddit for inspiration.
Mar 17, 2013 @ 12:49:14
Your definition of the educational technologist’s job is spot on! Getting EdTech right is especially challenging because of the skill sets required. New tools, new teachers, little time. Thanks for the post.