#edtech for what?

With ISTE going on this week in Philly, I have been following a majority of my tweeps as they attended the conference and shared in their excitement of the latest and greatest in our field.

Then I came across this article - Is it Time to Give Up on Computers in School?

Which led me to this one - Why technology alone won't fix schools

I've been a huge proponent of technology in education since I first started teaching in 1999.  This urge to use tech to improve my craft has continued with each year I've been at it.  Eventually, I started a part time gig teaching online.  Even more, it will lead to getting my Master's in Tech Ed.  With all the tech that I've been doing over the years, however, I still sometimes sit back and reflect upon WHY i tend to use so much of it in the classroom.  I think reflection as a teacher is one of the most important aspects of keeping us fresh.

With that being said, I'll admit it. (They say that's half the battle.) I've used technology just for the technology.  There wasn't a whole lot of educational value in some of my assignments other than the technology itself. (Did I really need to have Kahoot Fridays? - Sure it was fun and the kids were engaged, but I cut a unit short because we ran out of school days!)  It's an easy trap and one I must be aware of in order not to abuse.

As we move toward more technology in the coming year (and that will certainly be true in my case - I've been selected to pilot a 1:1 program with Chromebooks for our freshmen) we must remain cognizant of using the technology to push forward and move the curriculum in the same fashion or further than we would have done without it.   While it alone won't fix our schools, I still believe it has a rightful place within our system and, when properly utilized, will propel our schools to the stars!