Friday, January 17, 2014

Don't let educational technology become the NBA

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="525"] Let's not all be like Mike.[/caption]

Blame it on Sportscenter and ESPN. Blame it on YouTube. Whatever the cause, the National Basketball Association has seen its game change drastically over the years. Players are great at flashy dunks and great at raining in long-range three pointers. Very few are good at the 10-18 foot jump shot, playing sound defense, and dribbling through traffic. A number of experts will tell you it is because dunks and threes make the highlight reels. Nobody is going to upload a mix tape of a guy hitting mid-range shots. That is boring. Players want to get noticed, go viral.

My fear in education is that if we are not careful, our use of technology has the potential to be just like the NBA. Augmented reality (AR) is amazing. Spreadsheets? Hmm...not so much. Let's not ignore what tech is really for, to enhance great teaching and learning. If AR helps kids understand and explore deeper like the setting in a novel, then use. Just don't use it just to use it. Make it impactful.

Don't let edtech become the NBA; nothing but dunks and threes with no time for the fundamentals. Make more impact and not just flashy magic tricks.

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