Warning: The following blog post contains strong language and opinions that may be offensive to technophobes and Luddites. Proceed accordingly. 

Hey dinosaur, I’m talking to you. Don’t become fossil fuel. Evolve or get out of the classroom.

Now I know what you are saying, me?–a dinosaur? How dare she!!!  Well, showing students, Youtube videos doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Assigning Khan Academy for homework doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Sending an email to parents doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”.  Putting together a PowerPoint presentation doesn’t make you a “21st Century Educator”–even if you used animation. I know you think you are dabbling with some fancy technology there, being more “paperless” and “productive” but really you have put in minimum effort to stay relevant. And ….it shows.

Now maybe you teach in a distant Columbian jungle school, in which you zip line to class every day, but even if you live in Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland, one of the remotest places on this planet, I’m not letting you off the hook. Because these faraway places, places culled from technology are the most vulnerable to suffering from the digital divide.  Classroom technology narrows the education gap,  which I can speak to first hand having had the opportunity to teach in underserved communities internationally–Heck, I think my friend in Montana would tell me that there are quite a few schools on the Native American reservations that also face a similar plight due to the challenges that poverty creates for education. So if you teach there, don’t tell you “can’t do technology”–nope, you just don’t want to, and you’re not fighting hard enough to get those communities connected. C’mon Chalkdust, get busy- those kids really need access to technology if they are going to raise themselves out of poverty.

I know, I’m being a really cruel and insensitive here, especially if you actually teach in a school whose main form of technology is a chalkboard and chalk, but most of us don’t teach in such environments and yet we fail to update our skills.  Quite a few of us teach in technology-enriched schools, schools with iPads and laptops and interactive whiteboards–goodness knows what else–and yet we fail to appreciate and use technology efficiently and effectively in our classrooms.   What’s the excuse?

The other day I was sharing with a colleague that I was going to through the Google Certification program and they asked me, “Why do you want to do that?” Truthfully, I was taken aback. They might have well said, “Why do you want to improve teaching and learning in your classroom?” Um……I don’t know, maybe because it’s my job and I teach digital natives. Of course, I recognize that they think it’s about “the badge”, but that is really misplaced motivation for upskilling. Do it because it makes you a better educator. Do it because you are a life-long learner. What is a badge anyway but a recognition device for your skills and pedagogical values? When soldiers decorate their uniforms with “badges” it shows their commitment and principles. Medals of honor are given to those who serve above and beyond their call of duty. If you got saved in combat by another platoon soldier and they got a medal of honor to risking life and limb, we’d never say to them, “You’re just a show-off. You’re just doing that for the badge.” Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? So,  I have to say that I have high respect for those who don those learning badges because it means that they are passionate about learning and are diligent in improving their practice. Also, it indicates someone that can be my mentor, someone I can turn to if I have questions or when things get messy I know they can help show me the way through it.  As educators, we are all on the same team, which is why I am here to give you a stern talking to. I care about the difference you make in classrooms.

Now I can’t make you take your personal time and professionally develop yourself, but there may very well come a time in your career that you will be asked to move on or move out of the profession simply because you DON’T have the 21st-century skills to continue teaching. You do more harm than good in the classroom. So I hope this tough-love message is a wake-up call.

 

So Here are 5 Things You Can Do to Upskill Your Tech Knowledge

Depending on your school’s context, there is a variety of free to low-cost options for professional development. This is is really NOT an exhaustive list.

1. Microsoft Innovative Educator Program: There are so many resources here, which is why I put it as my #1 resource. I made a podcast episode about it. From webinars to quick tips, or you can go through a “learning path” to get badges–whatever your desire is, there are things to suit. It’s not just about Microsoft programs either, there is STEM stuff, Skype, Minecraft, and Project Based Learning (PBL). I recently took a course about teaching the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (#WorldsLargestLesson).
2. Google for Education Certification: I know you think you know Google apps, but I’m telling you there is so much more you can do with students if you go through this program. I actually feel schools that use Google in their administrative management systems (like school emails and shared docs), need to make Level 1 Certification mandatory because these apps are so robust. It cost a little bit of money, and the exams are 3 hours long, but it’s so worth it. There are a ton of Google Trainers and Google Innovators who have resources and videos, so you can also use them as a study resource.
3. Common Sense Education: This is the go-to place to learn more about digital citizenship. They will give you a “webucation” on a myriad of topics through blog posts and webinars. They also have lots of tech and media reviews, which I found extremely helpful when I am looking for specific types of apps. The only cost to this is your time–and that’s well spent!
4. Apple Teacher Program: It’s a free, self-paced program, that gets you knowledgeable about their main apps: Pages, GarageBand, Numbers, iMovie, Keynote through the app lens of either the Mac or iPad. There’s so much you can do if you know how, and if you want to go further, they have an Apple Distinguished Teacher Program. After going through the program, I got super inspired and started a podcast simply so I can have a deeper context of some of GarageBand’s capacity. I hope it inspires you too.
5. Code.Org: I remember reading HTML for Dummies years ago but now you can learn computer science and computational thinking through code.org for FREE. You just sign in and pick your path. They also have workshops that you can attend, which I am going to do when I go home to the States this summer. Maybe I’ll see you there. (:   (Psst…those are also free.)

These are really just a handful of places to start. But if you use a particular software or digital tools at school, then seek out professional development in them. There’s always an opportunity to deepen your learning and use the tools to be more productive and effective. For example, after doing the SeeSaw Ambassador Program, it unlocked worlds of possibilities for using it to document student learning. Now I can’t wait until the next “PD in Your PJs” comes out since I want to learn new ways to unlock student learning. I’m telling you, the more you know about tech, the more you can do with tech. If you’ve got devices in your school, you have got to avail yourself of these online learning resources. And maybe you can encourage a friend to sit and do it with you–that would be even more fun. Professionally developing yourself shouldn’t come as a mandate from the administration, it should come from within. Your work matters. You are impacting lives. Take it seriously.

I hope this harsh nudge from me gets you motivated. My parting advice is that you find some time this summer to do at least one of these programs and then set some goals for next school year to embed some of this into your classroom. We have such wonderfully designed tools at our disposal. It’s like having the BatMobile at your disposal and never driving it. C’mon take a spin with tech!