Technology Trailblazer - not blaze trailer

In general, it seems that educators as a group are slow to adopt new technologies as invariably they conflict with the “cannon of convention”. There is often push down from above to justify the cost and criticism from others that say it is only the “latest fad” and will pass. Therefore, the role of the classroom innovator can be a lonely and often unpopular one.

My advice is to build a network of “tech friendlies” around you, to help drive the implementation and effective use of technology within the training space. They will also hold you accountable for the execution of the necessary reforms within your educational environment and vice versa – creating champions of change as it were. Students are more connected that they have ever been. And just like Blackberrys transformed the boardroom, smart phones and other wifi-enabled devices will transform the classroom. Today a whole reference collection can be accessed from a single handheld device and can be updated at a fraction of the cost of traditional collections. More than half a billion people access Facebook and Myspace… that is potentially 500,000,000 more people to ask questions of and have questions posed from. We are not the gatekeepers of knowledge any more. We are the tour guides connecting people with the right experiences, helping them to navigate their way to the best destination.

Why do we seek to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st Century with a system built for the 19th Century? The rejoinder of “if it aint broke…..” which often echos out during such a conversation, is as redundant as musing that the abacus still helps us to add up. Remember, we wouldn’t have Internet Explorer or Firefox without Netscape first pushing the agenda and Google without WebCrawler or Altavista trying something new…. it was these visionaries that created the space for others to later occupy and dominate (and change the world!)

Be the trailblazer, not the blaze trailer in your classroom. Try new things, test applications, ask students how they would like to connect, consider multiple platforms of delivery, have the courage to extend yourself. You will be glad you did!

Marc Ratcliffe
CEO, MRWED Group
Follow Me on twitter: @MRWED_CEO