The Bridge
Randy Speck
 |
The Educational Technologist |
Introducing The Educational Technologist
on September 2, 2009
Comment
As a recent graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, I am very excited about reading your blog. I am passionate about technology...
As a recent graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, I am very excited about reading your blog. I am passionate about technology and education, and I am looking to get some guidance and direction from your rich and extensive experience in the field that combines both of my interests.
on Sep 7, 2009
show more
show less
4 more comments
I am an educational technologist — and have been an educational technologist for approximately 37 years, and an educator for about 42 years. I have been an educational technologist so long that when I started, super 8mm film was the hot technology in schools. At a recent conference, after several attendees announced that they were about to receive their doctorates in educational technology, I couldn’t resist informing them that I received my doctorate in educational technology in 1977. This produced a general titter until someone spoke up and said, “What in heaven’s name could you have studied in those days?” while the next participant informed the group that she hadn’t even been born when I received my doctorate.
While I enjoy messing around with the “things” of technology, I am in no way, shape or form a techie. Similarly, I am not a professional technology specialist such as a Web designer, networking specialist, programmer or security specialist who could be plying his trade in a number of places such as a lawyer’s office, an insurance company or in a business the manufacturers widgets, but instead just happened to get a job in a school system. No, I am an educator who understands how technology can be used to improve various aspects of the educational process, and who has taken tangible steps to implement these changes and improvements. I am an educational technologist.
Over the years, titles have come and gone: chief technology officer; assistant superintendent; executive director of technology services; director of technology development; assistant and associate professor of curriculum and instruction; director of instructional technology center; elementary school teacher. Yet with all these changes, the one constant has been that in spite of all these different titles, except that of elementary school teacher — my first job out of college — I always functioned as an educational technologist.
I have penned refereed and non–refereed articles, chapters in books, reports and even a book. I have given and sat through countless presentations at local, state, regional, national and international meetings. Even a few honors and awards have come my way. But once again, all were due to my role in working to understand, enhance and improve the role of technology in K–12 education.
Now that I have recently retired from serving as a full–time CTO from an extremely large urban district, I have the time and autonomy to do something I have had on my agenda for quite a while: write a blog about, you guessed it, educational technology. As in keeping with the principles that have guided me throughout my career, the blog will take a very practical approach to serious topics. The topics I will be writing about include, but are not limited to: the interaction of the technology department, central office and the schools; the changing role of technology leadership; how educational technology has changed — or not changed; reviews of current issues; and discussions based on comments from you and other readers of this blog.
I will be blogging weekly and know that its success will be enhanced by your active communication with me. So don’t be shy or bashful. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on what I have written or what I should be writing about.
You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.convergemag.com/blog/technologist/Introducing-The-Educational-Technologist.html
Comments
on Sep 7, 2009
As a recent graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, I am very excited about reading your blog. I am passionate about technology and education, and I am looking to get some guidance and direction from your rich and extensive experience in the field that combines both of my interests.
on Sep 8, 2009
I recently retired from education, having followed path that took me to the state DOE with responsibilities for educational technology. This was after years as a teacher, as a teacher of teachers, and as a technology program manager.
Connecting education to the technology is critical in our schools, but less prevalent than your readers might imagine. Without any obvious relationship to the backgrounds (educator or technician) of the technology specialists who now fill these roles in schools, the sad observation I've made is that technology seems to often to have become detached from the classroom. By that I mean decisions are too often being made solely on technical merits or even convenience, not the educational value of the technology intervention. Educational leaders are too often handing over important educational decisions to technology specialists who won't pause to ensure that others with an understanding of learning and teaching have weighed in on the value, if any, of the proposed technology service or tool being implemented. I've witnessed school and district technology plans being written over the weekend by a single individual. I've had technology directors proudly proclaim that they have been empowered by their superintendents to make every decision concerning technology in their schools, without regard to the input of others. While these occurrences are not universal by any means, they are not unique.
I'm fairly certain that your emphasis on being an educationally-centered technologist would not be fulfilled by these behaviors. This begs the question: How do schools re-balance the decision making power in schools?
on Sep 9, 2009
The issue raised by Mr. Fisk is not uncommon. I have addressed it previous writings, including an article for Converge, and will write about it again in future blogs. / Phil
on Sep 9, 2009
I hear so many horror stories about tech directors who have a big sign posted behind their desk that says: "Just Say NO!"
I hope you will be writing about collaborative teaching and learning using w2eb 2.0 tools in the cloud.
