December 2005 — Editorial
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Slowing Down for Progress
I want to focus on two points that came through loud and clear from everyone I listened to or spoke with during my week in Texas, from a second-grade teacher to former Gov. King. The first point is that what's at issue is not technology or the notion of one computer for one student; the objective should be to engage students, and change teaching and learning. Separate conversations with Bette Manchester of Maine, Keith Krueger of the Consortium for School Networking, and Bruce Montgomery and Leslie Wilson of Michigan revealed the need to create new terminology to reflect this more appropriate focus.
The second point revolves around giving teachers—and administrators—time to absorb, incubate, try out, and reflect upon new ideas and approaches to teaching and learning with technology. This was an underlying theme offered by the teachers and administrators in my focus groups earlier in the week, and it was reiterated in every session I sat in on at the Irving symposium. This is not a new idea with technology, or even with innovation. In fact, it is a basic tenet of high-quality professional development.
Just as one slows down a golf swing to hit the ball harder, taking time to consider our new experiences with technology in the classroom can accelerate the pace with which we successfully implement it. That’s my lesson from one week in Texas: Slow down, Grasshopper, so that you might speed up.
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