The first thing I found very interesting was that Dr. Evans started her career in tech. I think this gives her a unique perspective. I am not always fond of those who have never been in the classroom having grand ideas about what we should be doing. However, with technology being so curated to keep us addicted, I like the idea of someone knowing "how the sausage is made". After working for a tech company with many rolls, she moved into working for educational technology startups. The combination of these two roles gave her a lot of knowledge of the inner workings of both large tech companies and educational technology companies. I think this combination propelled her to be able to take on the self admitted daunting task of being the CEO of the educational technology nonprofit NETDAY.
Dr. Evans work has aligned with ISTE standards before she ever got into a running her own company. The initial work she did in startups focused on using Howard Gardener's learning styles to evaluate the best educational technology use for parents which aligns with 3.5.a staying current on innovations in learning. Her second stop in start up had her developing technology to find specific reading differences. This aligns with standard 3.3.d which focuses on helping educators meet the needs of diverse learners. As a CEO of an educational technology nonprofit, she probably dabbled in any and all standards listed with ISTE educational leader standards. With that being said, she spoke about how she had to reinvent the company many times. To me, this close aligns with developing and sustaining a vision, but even more importantly, evaluating a plan progress. These standards 3.2.a and 3.2.c respectively, shows how she not only built a plan, but was willing to change it through her own self evaluation.
Not only does Dr. Evans discuss professional development(PD), I think her work in the speak up research project helped inform on the types of PD needed. Throughout her work, she toured a lot schools. This allowed to see the varying types of buy in from teachers, this ranged from fully bought in, totally out, and many being somewhere in between. This led to her focus on something specific she mentions which I really appreciate, differentiated instruction. Not just for students, but for teachers. As a young and technologically savvy person, educational technology PD usually goes one of two ways for me. I am either bored or spend a lot of time helping someone next to me. Differentiated PD is honestly something I have never heard of like this, this is interesting because we as teachers are expected to constantly differentiate.
I think the biggest real world issue she dealt with here would be the changes in our social world and world of technology from 2003(earliest date mentioned) and 2024(date of book being published). She talks about it some in the story, but these were my entire K-12 education into my own teaching career. The technology in and out of our classroom did not only 10x, but 10 to the x. This is continuing not only as children get older, but as parents get younger and have more experience with technology.
I dont have many critiques or concerns. I would say the emotion this invoked would be appreciation. Dr. Evans has a mindset I greatly appreciate. She doesn't seem to be overstepping and telling teachers what they need to be doing, but she seems to be using her expertise in technology to help inform teachers in something that is a growing part of out jobs. One reading from this week that informed my perspective was Rashid and Asghar(2016) and how the growth discussed in the previous paragraph doesn't necesarrily mean an increase in "scores" but more in engagement and the ability for learning to self directed.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). ISTE standards for education leaders. https://iste.org/standards/education-leaders
Rashid, T., & Asghar, H. M. (2016). Technology use, self-directed learning, student engagement and academic performance: Examining the interrelations. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 604–612.
Stachowiak, B., & McClay, J. (2024). Igniting your leadership with technology (J. McClay & B. Stachowiak, Eds.). Innovate Learning, LLC. https://pressbooks.pub/edd7032018f/
Excellent post, Trent. I especially appreciate how your voice has developed over the last several terms in your blogs. Great discussion of Dr. Evans' approach to supporting technology integration. I agree her background is likely very helpful in allowing her to be a guide on the side for her teachers. Differentiated learning opportunities for teachers is also a documented (evidence-based) approach to supporting teachers to learn in all areas of their jobs.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with your post this week, Trent. One point that stood out to me was your appreciation for the fact that she began her career in the tech industry. I agree that having someone who understands how technology companies operate “behind the scenes” can bring a valuable and realistic perspective to educational technology initiatives. As you mentioned, it can sometimes be frustrating when people who have never worked directly in classrooms propose sweeping changes. Dr. Evans’ background seems to help bridge that gap between the tech world and the realities educators face. Best of luck with the remainder of the course.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I really enjoyed it! I think the differentiated PD is a great idea. What a great idea to meet teachers where they are in terms of their "buy in." I do also think that her background in tech gives her a unique perspective that is very helpful in educational settings.
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