November 2005 — Policy/Advocacy
Print this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
Accelerating Out of Technologic Adolescence
Turning Students Into Productive Citizens
I believe that education is still in its
technologic adolescence. However,
because the technology itself is more
mature, because educators and technology
companies have benefited
from the experience of technology in
the private sector and the home, and because we are beginning
to apply technology to core educational activities such as
testing, this adolescence will be shortened significantly. And
while productivity in education is more difficult to measure
than it is in business, I believe we will show a much greater
impact from technology’s use in all aspects of education. But
only if we heed Mulcahy’s admonition to rethink the way we
work. That rethinking also means investing in people to help
them understand the changes needed and how to make them.
In his speech at EdNET, Snyder also cited what HP’s Chief
Knowledge Officer Craig Samuel said in 2003—namely, that
the cost breakdown for successful IT projects was 10 percent
for hardware and software, 20 percent for business process
change, and 70 percent for cultural change.
I do have a fundamental difference with Mulcahy, however. She seems to imply that we need to either rethink the way we work or write a check for technology. I believe we have to do both simultaneously. We can’t even imagine what changes we’re capable of if we don’t have the technology to understand what it can do. We need to rethink while we invest in order to accelerate out of adolescence. Every day in schools, we see that adolescence is a time of awkwardness, turmoil, wildly vacillating emotions, and blossoming beauty. Technology use in education is in a similar adolescence. Our policymakers want productivity in education, and they are asking hard questions about the value of technology. Only when we accelerate out of this adolescence will we truly help kids learn to their full potential and transform them into productive citizens.
Why Policy and Advocacy?
Beginning this month, my column will
focus on policy and advocacy. But before
you turn the page, permit me a few lines
to explain what I mean by these terms
and what they could mean to you. My definitions
are simple:
- Policy is any law, rule, guideline, or cultural habit that governs behavior in a school or district. Please note the term “cultural habit.”
- Advocacy is any action or activity taken in support of something. It is one approach to getting what you want or what you feel is important for kids.
So this column will be about policies—how to make them, how to understand them, how to use them—and it will be about interpreting policies from a variety of sources. This column will also be about advocacy. We intend to notify you when key policies may need a push forward or need to be stopped, and how you can influence those policies. Finally, this column will be about factors that affect policy and advocacy. My hope is that with advocacy, we can help policymakers consider alternatives and keep an eye on the long term, and ultimately make quality decisions. And I hope this column helps you as you advocate for technology at the district, state, or federal level. Let us hear of your successes by e-mailing:editorial@thejournal.com.
Geoffrey H. Fletcher is editor-at-large of T.H.E. Journal and executive director of T.H.E. Institute.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
