Comments on: Gateway Tools for Teachers http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2009/08/gateway-tools-for-teachers/ Exploring education technology & networked learning Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:52:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joyce Seitzinger http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2009/08/gateway-tools-for-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-39 Joyce Seitzinger Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:43:23 +0000 http://thebach.edublogs.org/?p=31#comment-39 Thanks for your comments. @marksmithers I'm thinking about your statement that "institutions are very unsophisticated at manipulating behaviour towards desired outcomes". I don't have a wide range of experience in tertiary education, but certainly when it comes to the adoption of ed tech, I'd have to agree. I'd love to see the e-learning professional development plan of an institution (university, ITP or TAFE) or even just a faculty or school, which has successfully made the shift. @Ruth Elliott thanks for the tweet. I'd thought of it as useful in my role as e-learning specialist, but thanks for pointing out that early adopter teachers can use these ideas to help other teachers. @Kim Aha! Now I know how to get you back playing with the tools, once you return to teaching ;-) Thanks for your comments.

@marksmithers I’m thinking about your statement that “institutions are very unsophisticated at manipulating behaviour towards desired outcomes”. I don’t have a wide range of experience in tertiary education, but certainly when it comes to the adoption of ed tech, I’d have to agree. I’d love to see the e-learning professional development plan of an institution (university, ITP or TAFE) or even just a faculty or school, which has successfully made the shift.

@Ruth Elliott thanks for the tweet. I’d thought of it as useful in my role as e-learning specialist, but thanks for pointing out that early adopter teachers can use these ideas to help other teachers.

@Kim Aha! Now I know how to get you back playing with the tools, once you return to teaching ;-)

]]> By: Kim http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2009/08/gateway-tools-for-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Kim Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:39:54 +0000 http://thebach.edublogs.org/?p=31#comment-34 Great post Joyce. Your list of characteristics of the 'understandably cynical' pretty well summarises the reasons I don't play more with technology for my students, even though I'm in the IT field. Great post Joyce. Your list of characteristics of the ‘understandably cynical’ pretty well summarises the reasons I don’t play more with technology for my students, even though I’m in the IT field.

]]> By: Ruth Elliott http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2009/08/gateway-tools-for-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-33 Ruth Elliott Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:54:28 +0000 http://thebach.edublogs.org/?p=31#comment-33 Excellent post. Really great ideas about how to approach and engage those colleagues who are not part of the early adopter gang. Love the idea of Gateway tools. I posted this on Twitter. Well done. Ruth Excellent post. Really great ideas about how to approach and engage those colleagues who are not part of the early adopter gang. Love the idea of Gateway tools.

I posted this on Twitter. Well done.
Ruth

]]> By: Mark Smithers http://www.cats-pyjamas.net/2009/08/gateway-tools-for-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Mark Smithers Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:51:23 +0000 http://thebach.edublogs.org/?p=31#comment-30 I like the idea of getting teaching staff hooked on the soft stuff and then getting them onto 'harder' gear later. I think you have a number of academics who are genuinely curious about the opportunities of new technology to improve their practice. These are the early adopters. For other staff there has to be a genuinely demonstrated advantage in the new technology before they will adopt. This advantage might be for the learning outcomes for the students but it might also be as basic as making their lives easier. The pressures and contradictions of modern academic life should not be discounted when looking at reasons for adoption of technology. Indeed some staff will only engage if it is clearly in their own personal interest to do so. Of course institutions are very unsophisticated at manipulating behaviour towards desired outcomes when they are more complex than measuring research quantum. But that is straying off the point. I do think there is a lot more work to do on looking at edtech adoption from an innovation diffusion point of view. As it happens I am re-reading Everett Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations" at the moment and have been mulling a post on this myself sometime soon. Maybe I'll have some more considered thoughts by then. I like the idea of getting teaching staff hooked on the soft stuff and then getting them onto ‘harder’ gear later. I think you have a number of academics who are genuinely curious about the opportunities of new technology to improve their practice. These are the early adopters. For other staff there has to be a genuinely demonstrated advantage in the new technology before they will adopt. This advantage might be for the learning outcomes for the students but it might also be as basic as making their lives easier. The pressures and contradictions of modern academic life should not be discounted when looking at reasons for adoption of technology. Indeed some staff will only engage if it is clearly in their own personal interest to do so. Of course institutions are very unsophisticated at manipulating behaviour towards desired outcomes when they are more complex than measuring research quantum. But that is straying off the point. I do think there is a lot more work to do on looking at edtech adoption from an innovation diffusion point of view.

As it happens I am re-reading Everett Rogers “Diffusion of Innovations” at the moment and have been mulling a post on this myself sometime soon. Maybe I’ll have some more considered thoughts by then.

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