Listening to the Naysayers: Wisdom from the other side (Part 2)

4. “People are just interested in trends that are new and shiny.” Here’s an important one to take to heart. We in Ed Tech have a tendency to get excited about new possibilities when new technology comes out. We can sometimes let our interest in technology get ahead of the pedagogy, and that’s not good for students. I remember when Google Glass came out and various Ed Tech individuals were asking each other, “How can we use this in school”? That’s just silly. The technology should not be the wrong driver. We need to let the pedagogy drive our use of technology. If there’s a certain learning need or problem and we discover that a technology can meet that need, that’s awesome. We shouldn’t be looking for needs to fit new and shiny technologies.