In the recent article “Five Things I Want Teachers to Know About EdTech,” student and tech enthusiast Collin Sullivan perfectly said what I’ve known about EdTech tools since I started in this field:
If you aren’t having fun, you’re using the wrong one. These tools are supposed to eliminate stress – or at least reduce the amount of stress. If you aren’t enjoying edtech, your students probably aren’t either.
To start this work off right, this month’s challenge is about the quick fix.
For the next 4 weeks, we challenge you (and ourselves) to use tech-based solutions and strategies to alleviate a specific pain point in your practice. Maybe you spend too much time each month doing rote tasks and can’t find enough time for deep reflection. Perhaps you aim to find simpler ways to communicate and collaborate with your colleagues. Maybe you’re sick of lugging home stacks of index cards (exit tickets!) every night. Now is the time to test some solutions!
Ms. Sheffield, a former 4th grade teacher in Mississippi, called me one day and told me she had the best day of class. As a first year teacher in Clarksdale, MS, that was quite out of the ordinary.