One
past attendee said, “I’m so glad he
has all his presentation notes on the web. I gave
up trying to take notes. I was laughing too hard.
My sides
hurt from too much fun. You know, I never expected
to have this much fun during a technology conference.
I
love this guy!”
If
you are not familiar with Crispin’s work,
check out the
Internet Tourbus, which PC World magazine
recently selected as one of the 15 best Internet
newsletters. Patrick co-authors the Tourbus, and
hosts a Wednesday night radio program called “The
Steve and Johnnie Show” on WGN Radio in Chicago
(AM 720) where he answers computer technical support
questions from callers around the world. He has
many other impressive contributions to the educational
technology field. Find out more about Patrick Crispin
here. NCCE News contacted Patrick and asked him if he
would respond to a few questions to give our readers
a sample of what to expect at Conference 2004.
1. Patrick, you're an NCCE favorite. You've always
got something new up your sleeve to share with teachers.
What's new for this conference?
Well, I have a goatee. Does that count?
In an ideal world, every classroom tech initiative
would be funded with a disgusting amount of money.
Unfortunately, we don't live in that ideal world.
Yes, our funding levels are indeed disgusting, but
they're disgusting in a BAD way. Schools are being
asked to do more with less, especially when it comes
to instructional technology. So my focus this year
is on showing you how to take the stuff you already
have in your classroom and use it more efficiently.
2. Do you think NCLB could push technology integration
to the back burner as districts concentrate on standardized
test scores?
I'm not going to be popular for saying this, but
the problem we're currently facing is that the concept
of technology integration was co-opted by marketeers
looking to make a quick buck and futurists looking
to force schools to adopt some new, untested pet
learning theory. Both groups made wild promises that,
in the end, made all of us look silly.
Should
technology integration be pushed to the back burner?
I hope not. But with ed budgets being slashed
around the country, even the most addled-minded politician
is going to swing the budget axe at projects that,
to paraphrase Roger Schank, experienced significant "expectation
failures."
The sad thing is that, had the marketeers and futurists
exhibited even a little bit of restraint, the public
would see what you and I already know: Technology
integration has made a profound, positive impact
on many classrooms.
3.
On your Tourbus website,
you have many interesting and entertaining links
for teachers. I really enjoyed
your Very Strange
Things on the Web links,
especially ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US. How
do you come up with such sites, and how much
time do
you spend hurtling through cyberspace?
Don't forget zombo.com. You can do anything at zombocom,
anything at all.
Since I am an academic technology consultant at
a major university in Southern California and am
also the co-author of the Tourbus, I'm always on
the lookout for new sites and technologies that my
professors can incorporate into their classrooms
or that I can write about in Tourbus.
Most of the sites I visit are pretty serious - MIT's
OpenCourseWare site, The Gateway
to Educational Resources,
and so on. But occasionally I stumble across sites
that have no real value other than they are insanely
fun - Coffee
Break Arcade, In4Mador, etc.
As for how much time I spend on the good old information
supercollider, I'd rather not think about that. It's
a LOT.
4. Here's a scenario. If you were an administrator
in a school, and had to establish a protocol for
ensuring that teachers are integrating technology,
what would it look like? Would you favor a particular
technology, or software application? If so, what
would it be, and why?
I'd
start by asking a bunch of questions. WHY do we
want
to integrate technology into our classes?
Is it necessary? What do we hope to accomplish? How
do we know where "there" is? How will we
know when we get there?
It
really depends on what definition you use for the
phrase "technology integration." To
me (and many others), level one technology integration
focuses on basic technology skills: learning how
to use a computer and a mouse, to write a paper in
Word, to create a presentation in PowerPoint, to
surf the web, and so on. Second level technology
integration focuses on using technology in direct
instruction, and the third level focuses on using
technology to teach better. The last level, level
four, focuses solely on teaching better. It is at
this level that the technology is transparent.
My goal as administrator would be to put in place
the training and support to get all of my faculty
to at least level three using whatever technologies
are necessary to get the job done well.
5. What has been the most fulfilling experience
you've had working with teachers and technology?
This sounds very Oprah-esque, but every day in this
job is a blessing. I work at a faculty development
center that's somewhere between levels three and
four in the technology integration process. So my
focus at work is on using technology in aid of teaching,
an experience I highly recommend.
6. What has been your most frustrating experience
with the field of technology in education?
It's easy to fall under the spell of the marketeers
and futurists, believing that you if you don't purchase
and learn how to use the latest and greatest hardware
and software you are somehow an inadequate human
being. That's just plain silly. The best technology
is the one that you use to teach, and it doesn't
matter how old it is.
7. Any questions I should have asked you that you
want to ask and answer here?
Why
do Auburn University graduates put their diplomas on
their dashboards?
So they can get handicapped parking.
With that typical Crispin response, we’ll direct
you to his
bio on our Conference
2004 site, and remind
you to register soon so you don’t miss any
of our superb activities and featured speakers.
Come
together to Spokane for a great conference. We’ll
be looking for you there!
|
ncce@ncce.org
