Why do so many people in Ed Tech denigrate people who actually know tech? Isn’t knowing tech supposed to be a good thing? Do people with Education degrees feel that they are somehow better than the rest of us because they are formally trained in Education? I often get the impression they look down their noses at those of us who are not formally trained in Ed, and who still try and teach what we know. Or is there something else going on? Do Ed Tech’s feel exposed when they have to deal with people who may understand the technology they that is their stock in trade better than they do?
I realize that is inflammatory – it’s deliberate: I’m trying to make a point here, so bear with me for a bit. In my case, I actually AM formally trained in Education, having earned my PhD in Ed Tech. Interestingly, I still feel a certain scorn from Ed.Tech people (particularly the Ed.Tech academics) who have the same terminal degree as I do, but who also have a B.Ed (which I don’t) and who usually have no science or tech degrees (which I do). I know that many disciplines do the same sort of thing and it is just as small-minded when they do it as it is when Ed.Tech’s do it, but I do think there is a particular vitriol in the way some Ed.Tech’s talk about and indeed, treat technology and media specialists.
I’ve already commented on the fact that I think Ed Tech is an interdisciplinary field.
I have lost count of the number of times I have heard Educators blame their IT people for things they should take responsibility for, but don’t, or worse – can’t, usually because they don’t know enough about tech to know whether what they are being told is realistic or just excuses.
Now, I have no great fondness for the typical IT service department – their primary motivation is keeping their jobs easy – but if the groups to whom they are providing service don’t know enough to see when they’re being treated as fools, then perhaps they deserve it. IT is providing a service, not doing you favours! Thing is, you’ll never know if they’re just stringing you along if you don’t know enough about tech to tell the difference.
Often, when there is an instructional development team, it is the Ed. Tech’s who seem to think they should be in charge. After all, the thing being built is an educational thing, right? The technology on which it is to be built is still basically treated as the carrier (or, to use Richard E. Clark‘s well-worn and oh-so-wrong analogy, the vehicle). It ends up well down the list of things to do during design and development, and the media specialists are often not brought in until the design is done. They are often treated as little more than the hired help.
The more I look at instructional design and development, the more I think that this is one of the chief problems, if not the actual key to why so many of the educational objects that use new media are so unremarkable.
The Meduim and The Message MUST be One.
If you learn Ed. Tech formally, you will not get that.
Personally, I blame the Ed. Tech departments at Universities. Problem is, many of the faculty now teaching Ed Tech don’t know enough about tech themselves and so can’t teach it. They do, however pass on the ‘attitude’ that they are the only ones who know how to use tech for learning.
There is a difference between being a tool maker and being a tool user, and, by and large, Ed.Tech’s are tool users. True, many “play” with various forms of technology, but don’t actually use it to do their real work. Making your students keep blogs or build web pages or contribute to wikis does not count as doing real work. As a technical writing instructor, I made my students write reports. It’s important practice for the students, but it isn’t the same as writing a real report for a real client (which I have in fact done). Do you maintain your own blog, wiki, web site? That’s a step in the right direction. Yes I know, we’re all insanely busy, but you know, if you feel it is important, you will make time for it (says the girl who maintains numerous websites, a blog, an educational outreach program, a family, a FARM, and who manages to publish numerous academic papers each year without research funding). As an Ed.Tech academic, your web presence is a very important part of your profile. Is it up to date? It only takes a few minutes once a week to keep it in shape, but I can’t tell you how many Ed.Tech’s I have come across that have pages they haven’t updated in years, or who don’t even look after their own profiles (the office staff in the department does it).
Ed.Tech’s may complain that I.T. & media specialists don’t give them much respect, but hey, if you want respect you have to walk the talk.
If you really want to do Ed.Tech you need to know Education AND you need to know Tech.
