So, it is not a question of whether these technologies add value somehow to education, but the reverse, can education add value to the communications and information technologies of our present day world, and its future?
Source: Ira Socol as cited in Will Richardson blog

To be honest, I haven’t finished reading Will’s blog entry. This quote sparked off some thinking of my own, and I’m dying to share it.

Over the last year, I’ve agonized over developing online professional learning for educators. It’s been a fun, if not frustrating, journey. After all, blazing a trail that no one thinks is worth blazing can be tough. Of course, that’s also the attraction, isn’t it?

That’s why presentations like the ones I’ve seen at TxDLA this year, Texas CTO Clinic 2009, and others that share the power of online learning for K-12, as well as adult, learners are so powerful for me.

Doug Johnson (Blue Skunk blog) asks us all to consider what would happen if our schools were shut down due to a swine flu epidemic, or some other disaster. He writes:

I think it’s time US schools consider this as well. Has the time for online learning to become a part of disaster-preparedness for every school? If your physical school must close its doors for an extended period of time this school year, will your students keep learning? And is the cloud or in-house hosting of on-line teaching resources the more strategic option?

His post resonates, especially if you heard a recent National Public Radio (NPR.com) broadcast about how a swine flu shot will be rationed out to the American public (I found myself holding my breath to find out if I would be among those eligible). “The only sin,” said one person interviewed, “is having flu vaccine left over.” This was driven home as I listened to a presentation to principals on the importance of wiping down stuff during the sure to come swine flu outbreak.

The only sin in preparing our children is if we have the technology in our schools, and fail to use it. Or is it? Are there 7 deadly sins of unused technology in K-12 education? Hmm…let’s play with some ideas:

1. Technology is used for drill-n-practice as students are crowded into computer labs to receive their innoculation against ill-structured problems that demand collaborative, creative solution development processes.
2. Technology is used as an “automated” credit recovery program to re-capture funding for drop out students, even as the expectations change for credit recovery and expensive programs are abandoned since there’s no money in it…students are left to fend for themselves.
3. Technology is touted as an online learning tool for differentiating instruction but schools continue to focus on face to face workshops for professional staff.
4. Technology is touted as an online learning tool for facilitating professional learning experiences but schools decide they lack the time to implement them THIS year, not realizing that this has happened every year for years.
5. School districts pour good money after bad into integrated learning systems, curriculum management systems even though the blush of the new one wears off quickly. Teachers continue to labor on with non-networked solutions that require printing reports, aggregating results…one student at a time.
6. Technology-based curriculum interventions are implemented against the reasonable objections of curriculum specialists, local parent groups because teachers aren’t trusted to do the job right and results are needed NOW.
7. Districts have the hubris to brag about their use of technology even though it qualifies as a low level of teaching innovation (LOTI).

What others sins would you add?

In spite of this, there are many schools that are exercising excellent virtues in the use of technology. Here are a few I’ve noticed:

1. School districts are using free, open source software to build professional learning communities that support professional learning. (Example)
2. School districts are using free, open source software (e.g. Moodle, wikis, blogs) to empower classroom teachers to revitalize, rethink their approach to teaching and learning. (Example)
3. School districts are using FOSS to enable online learning for K-12 students that extend learning beyond the classroom walls (LOTI 5) in alignment with state (e.g. TA:TEKS) and national standards (e.g. ISTE NETS-S) (Example 1 | Example 2)
4. School districts are embracing new video technologies to foster transparency in communication. (Examples)

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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure