On Technology and Schools

It’s pretty interesting to think about technology in schools these days. There is more stuff than there has ever been – in pockets, backpacks, and classrooms. There are more services to connect us to each other, our data, and our devices.

But, what difference is all of this making? Perhaps the means (aka, the technology) have changed, but what about the end? Are we still preparing kids for success on the test or are we looking beyond the test? If we are looking beyond the test, what are we looking to?

I am having a hard time thinking about attending sessions at ISTE 2011 that are centered on hardware or software. iDONTCARE about the device nearly as much as I care about what is being done with it. iDONTCARE to talk with vendors who can tell me a pricing schema but can’t talk to me about why their product is different from a competitor’s in terms of student control of the content and activity.

The only differences in technology in schools should not be around technical protocols and bandwidth. It’s not just about account management and interoperability. We’ve got to look beyond the letters and numbers with our technology as much as we do with our kids.