What does it mean to “upgrade instruction”? When you upgrade software, you are uninstalling a previous version and replacing it with a new and improved version (Well, hopefully. Anyone remember Windows Vista?). What’s interesting is that this isn’t how I promote technology in education. I believe in making small, manageable changes that are sustainable for the busy teacher. It’s about getting kids typing, preparing them for a future workplace, instead of them handwriting their essays. It’s about saving files online to help those students with the black holes for backpacks who lack executive functioning skills. Heck, it’s about not carrying home so much to grade that you need a small carry-on to get from Point A to Point B. Work smarter, not harder. Prepare them for 21st century communication. Engage them.
However, as most techies would point out, making small changes would be an update, not an upgrade. So as not to offend the nit-picky, let’s not stop there, but take a step back and examine the whole picture. These small steps are only the start of a continuum toward real redefinition with technology. They are the games of catch we play in the front yard, small steps toward that Major League Baseball game. It is these small changes and implementations, these updates if you will, that move us toward a much greater outcome.
Our ultimate goal should be to reimagine education so it doesn’t look so familiar to those churned out by an educational assembly line two or more decades ago. We should not only be preparing students for their futures, but also leveraging technology to accomplish what we otherwise couldn’t. Technology makes it easier than ever to create personalized learning. It allows us as teachers to grow the eyes (and ears!) on the backs of our heads that we’ve always threatened and monitor the understanding of more than one student at a time and provide them with immediate feedback. With technology, we can connect students with experts around the globe who can teach them things we don’t even know. We can connect to the real world. Collaborate in real time. Promote an equitable education for all. Empower students by giving them voice. Create globally engaged K-12 youth. And that, my friends, is an upgrade.
Come on a journey with me to explore how we can improve our lives as educators and those of students through simple updates–like the best keyboard shortcuts you didn’t know about–to the real upgrades. We all love a good tech tip (I’ve practically been mauled by groups of teachers ecstatic to learn how to Air Drop when their files were too big to email), so please, borrow a few. Adopt what you need to meet your professional goals. Upgrade your home life. Upgrade your level of sanity. Upgrade your “Turn In” basket. Or, best of all, upgrade your instruction.
Comments are closed.