It is always tempting to define ourselves by the tools we have – or lack – rather than by we do with them. Yes, a writing implement is necessary to teach writing, and a computer is required to teach programming, but a poor teacher can make worthless the best of these tools, and a great teacher can offer relevant understandings without them.
To quote from Stephen Ransom, who both teaches with and about technology:
We all need help… but not help in how to create stunning. gimmicky Powerpoints, flashy podcasts, “interactive” white board lessons, fancy document camera acrobatics, cool videos, clicker quizzes, …We (myself included here) need help on teaching our students in powerful ways and learning how to relinquish some of the control in order to empower them as learners, creators, communicators, problem-solvers, collaborators, meaning-makers, … students who make a difference and who feel empowered.
It easier to put responsibility for a class’s success on the presence or lack of a tool than to ask the hard questions of what you are teaching and why.
Ransom goes on to ask this:
What if we did away altogether with technology professional development/training and focused solely on effective and meaningful pedagogies while embedding in those pedagogies the necessary tools both teachers and students can use to make learning meaningful, relevant, and powerful?
When it comes to excellence in teaching, technology is not the problem nor is it the solution. It is, rather, not the point.