Educators are often pioneers utilizing new technologies, learning how to use emerging technologies for the age-old problem of helping others learn. Barriers, pitfalls, and hazards abound on their journeys. How can we prepare for the myriad issues that try to quell our pioneering spirit? Collaboration and innovation overcome barriers.
Educators are often pioneers utilizing new technologies, learning how to use emerging technologies for the age-old problem of helping others learn. Barriers, pitfalls, and hazards abound on their journeys. My journey has included encountering, and sometimes overcoming barriers to using emerging technologies for education, including teaching in Second Life, incorporating social media into online courserooms. Currently concluding my dissertation, "A qualitative case study of three professors and their courses in Second Life", my research is designed to help bring into focus the path innovators in education have used to make it easier for those who follow. Since starting my dissertation, new technologies such as VR and AR have sprung up seemingly overnight. We are constantly reminded of the Internet of Things (IoT) as we hear Alexa® responding to voice commands. Makerspaces have sprung up around the country facilitating innovation of things as well as ideas. As educators, what types of barriers do we encounter? Are there commonalities among the barriers? Could we classify barriers into a few categories then collectively learn how to overcome them? Barriers can be internal, self-doubt, nay sayers, or those who resist change. Or barriers can be external, lack of funding, lack of human resources, or lack of collaborators. Barriers can come in the guise of technology, hardware unable to perform the high-tech tasks needed in some innovative technologies, or software which hasn’t yet been developed. What barriers have you faced when you attempted (or succeeded) in utilizing emerging technologies for education?
How can we prepare for the myriad issues that try to quell our pioneering spirit? Just like a team of mountain climbers, we work together, each assisting the others for a successful climb to the top for all of the team. We will touch on effective tools and processes for collaboration, for collective ideation and brainstorming, plus ways to maintain artifacts we can revisit and share. How do we set up useful communities of practice which maintain privacy, collect sharable artifacts, and are cost effective to use? What components do you find most necessary to online collaboration? What guidelines are most important to you when collaborating with colleagues? What value do you place on artifacts from collaborative sessions? Effective, reusable, sharable collaboration and innovation overcome barriers. Let’s work together to find keys to our locked doors rather than individually attempting to kick down barriers in our own way.
Skype: Diana.Brauhn
Twitter @DianaBrauhn
LinkedIn Diana Brauhn