Miguel challenged us to find new voices.
Over the next week and a half, I will profile eight bloggers that I’ve
found informative and intriguing. Most represent a leadership
perspective. Most are relatively unknown. All are thinking in deep and
interesting ways and thus deserve to be brought closer to the surface
of the blogosphere.
Today’s new voice: Jim Forde, edtechNOT
Jim created the edtechNOT blog nearly two years ago as a companion to the edtechNOT.com web site. Both the blog and the web site are intended to "encourage debate on the merits and pitfalls of using educational technology" in schools and to serve as a counter to the unflagging enthusiasm for all things technological to which we educational technology folks often succumb. Today’s quote on the edtechNOT.com web site gives you a flavor of Jim’s thinking: If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it’s still there (Will Rogers). Jim is my favorite educational technology contrarian (and I mean this in the kindest sense of the word) and I appreciate his contemplative pauses as we attempt to make sense of the technology-fueled, rapidly-accelerated pace of change that is occurring in our society. Given how long Jim’s been blogging and the quality of his thinking, I’m amazed that he’s not much better-known in the blogosphere.
Here are a few posts to get you started:
- PULSE lap top posting — response
- How much ed tech do teachers need to know? (a rxn)
- Edison’s Prediction Revisited-revisited
- The divide still exists….really?
Previous new voices: Kelly Christopherson, Scott Elias
Happy reading!
It was really kind of you to highlight edtechnot.com on your Dangerously Irrelevant Blog (which, by the way, is one of my Blogline feeds that I check daily).
For those who may be new to the site I would like to offer a little background. Edtechnot.com started as a magazine style site in March of 2001. I was encouraged to actualize the site after a brief conversation with Ian Jukes about my vision for the space. (I doubt he would remember it, but it was over a bite in Stamford, CT.) Many of the “Mavens”, who offer varying points of view on the use of ed tech in schools, wrote articles at no cost for the site in order to help generate meaningful conversation. I am grateful that they were willing to do that. In March of 2005 I decided to stop pestering these people for free articles and switched to the blog format (edtechnot.blogspot.com) to allow the world to interact around controversial questions and ideas related to educational technology.
I hope that my contribution to the ed tech blogosphere will allow for open conversation where no “sacred cows” exist. We need to continue to face down the real issues associated with the use of ed tech in REAL schools in an honest manner. This allows the world of ed tech to move forward, not based on business plans and units sold, but on great ideas from front line teachers and those who know what great teaching looks and feels like.
I play the role of contrarian but you all should know that I am a licensed teacher who has a dozen years of science and technology teaching experience in public schools who has embraced the use of ed tech, where I found it to be appropriate. I started with my ed tech journey with Apple IIe Muppet Keyboards with K-4 kids, moved to level 3 laserdisc use with middle schoolers utilizing titles like “science sleuths” and “the great ocean rescue” and even Asst-coached an award winning Lego Robotics team.
I may be a contrarian but I am no luddite. I just think that, given the significance of ed tech, it is worthy of a rolling conversation. As Francis Bacon said, “A prudent question is one half of wisdom.” If I ever post a dumb or obvious question, smack it down with a great response.
That’s the whole point.
All the best!
Jm Forde 🙂