EdTech Is Not Teaching, It’s a Tool

At some point this coming academic year, most teachers will be teaching virtually, or within a hybrid model.  Even those that are teaching completely in person will likely need to adjust the way they deliver instruction and perform in-class activities because of mask mandates and social distancing rules.  Honestly, I feel that we're all going to be virtual as the country shuts down again (at this point, I'm so over the selfish idiots that won't wear masks - I'm not talking about it anymore).

As would be expected, social media teacher groups and Professional Learning Networks are replete with educational technology ideas.  From Bitmoji classrooms to PearDeck and Nearpod, teachers are inundated with slick technology to engage students and facilitate instruction.  The problem is, I see very few teachers really thinking about how to use the technology.  Rather, they are excited to "try that out" with grand thoughts of magically creating a perfect virtual classroom.

I know that I'm generalizing, and while I usually eschew generalizations, I've seen enough of this to warrant the claim.  It's a natural reaction to seeing the power of technology, especially when applied to education, and I have occasionally been the victim of this thought process myself, though not recently.  The problem, as I see it, is the approach to curriculum development that is being employed here: trying to design instruction around the tool instead of using the tool to help you achieve a goal.  It would be like decorating a particular room in your house around the one shiny knick-knack that you found at that flea market that one time.  The room's decor wouldn't likely match the rest of your house, and people would notice.  They might not say anything, but they would notice.

Curriculum design using technology should be done backwards.  Much like people choose their knick-knacks to match the decor of their rooms, the tech tool should be chosen to assist a teacher in achieving a particular outcome.  Technology literally means the study of tools; they are not the education, they are tools to help us educate.

Here's how a  lesson should be designed using technology:

1. What are your desired outcomes for this lesson?  What do you want your students to know and be able to do?  What are your Learning Targets for the lesson?


2. What evidence or data do you need to determine that your students have learned the content or mastered the skill you decided in step 1?  Do students need to demonstrate a skill?  Will an explanation of a concept show you what you need?  


3. How will you collect the data and evidence you need?  In other words, how will you assess the students?  There has been ample discussion about authentic assessments, and this would be the step in which to have those conversations, but that isn't the purpose of this post, so I'll refrain.  This is the first step in which technology might be considered.  Will you use online testing platforms?  Will students use a particular app or website to deliver the data you are looking for?


4. How will you deliver your content or teach your skill?  This is another important area where technology should be considered.  Will your students watch videos?  How will you make sure they've watched them?  Will you post a slide deck of notes for the students to read and annotate?  Here is where you determine the tools that best fit your teaching style and ability.

Let me use an example from my own practice.  Since I teach chemistry, I'll go with a lesson on matter.

1. Outcomes:  I want my students to be able to explain the three physical states of matter (if you just thought about plasma in your brain, congratulations - you paid attention in science class.  That's not part of this lesson), and to be able to draw and interpret particle diagrams for each state.


2. Evidence:  I need my students to be able to discuss solids, liquids, and gases in terms of properties.  I also need them to be able to identify a physical state by looking at particle diagrams, and to be able to draw those diagrams.


3. Assessment:  To determine if my students can explain the properties of the three states of matter (and because we're virtual), I'll have each student create a Flipgrid video where they will prove that they know the properties of the states.  They may be as creative as they choose, but they will have certain parameters that must be met in order to prove mastery.  For particle diagrams, I will have my students perform a card-sort with the diagrams, and they will also make their own cards.  I use Google Slides for this.


4. Instruction:  To deliver the content, I assign lecture videos through EdPuzzle, which provides a way for me to check that they are watching the lectures, and allows me to ask questions throughout the video as formative assessment.  I will also add some direct instruction via Zoom.

In reality, this is an ideal way to structure ANY lesson, regardless of whether you will use educational technology, but I feel that it is essential to do this when trying to navigate the vast sea of ed tech that is available.  One point of note:  if you are going to use a tech tool that is new to you or your students, you must ensure that YOU have learned how to use it, and that you have trained your students how to use it.  It is tempting to think that the twenty-first century learner "just knows" how to use these tools, but that would be folly.  Students require training for any procedure that you want them to be able to do well.