Becoming Teaching Geeks Who Use Tech

I was fortunate enough to attend the ISTE 2017 conference this year. This was my first time attending ISTE, and I wasn't sure what to expect. To say I was overwhelmed by the experience is, at best, an understatement. There was so much to see, to hear, to absorb. On day one, I was certain that I could never take all of it in during the three days I was attending. I remember standing on the balcony near the entrance in awe, and that was only one part of the convention center.  

But the more sessions I attended, the more I was reminded of the essential question posed to me the first time I planned a PD session by myself: "What's the learning objective?" Back then, I was so caught up in the all the shiny new toys at my disposal, I threw out the first rule of teaching: what do I want my students to know, understand and do? "We're going to play with EdPuzzle and Padlet and Scrible and..." I gushed. When my boss asked me about my objective, I had to admit I didn't know. I had to rethink my whole approach, and my session was so much stronger for it. 

Sitting in presentation after presentation at ISTE 2017, I found myself pondering the same thing. I get it. The speaker loves his or her shiny new toys. But a brief glance at the top 10 (or in one case top 20) latest apps, sites, or programs on a presenter's radar is not enough. I don't want to listen to another speaker who asks, "How about [insert app title here]? Have you heard of [app]? That's another good one." I would have gained more from an in depth look at how to incorporate that tool into my content area lessons in a meaningful way. 

I agree wholeheartedly with David Geurin who wrote: 

Tech Geek or Teaching Geek? by David Geurin

The educational landscape has changed so much since I entered the profession back in 1996. One side urges us to use more technology in our classes. If you work in Texas like me, you're probably hearing about it everywhere, including on your T-TESS evaluation. You may have even been told you were a proficient teacher but would not approach accomplished or distinguished because you've fallen behind the technological curve. The other side urges us to remain true to the sound pedagogy of our content. After all, when technology comes before learning, we lose sight of the most critical elements of the lesson cycle, including the relationships with our students, our classroom management strategy, and our students' progress toward the learning target.

Teachers who can best navigate both sides of that conversation, the technology and the pedagogy, are the "teaching geeks who can use tech" that Geurin urges us to become. Teaching across that digital divide in between requires us to marry both sides of that conversation, to find ways to use the tools available to us to enhance and augment the pedagogical practices we know grow stronger readers, writer, and critical thinkers.