well it’s still humid as hell up here (and hell is humid, if you weren’t aware), but today was a little bit of landmark day. With the help of my predecessor, I feel like I’ve finally nailed down the technical ins and outs of this position, at least to the point of being able to know what kinds of questions to ask when things go squirly. We’ve got plenty of SnapZ videos and now it’s time to put it all together on the IS Wiki and call it good enough. I’m sure that I’ve missed some of the details, but I keep reminding myself that there are geniuses downstairs to back me up when I confuse .plists with playlists or find a sad, sad iMac with a white flashing light.
Which reminds me, I need to power down the computers. I don’t think they like this heat very much. ARD!
I’ve been thinking more about this color coding scheme of mine, which is born of nothing more than a self-centered need to organize my ed-tech integration universe. Diane thought that it might be percieved as too linear, like I’d be sending the message that, “I’m not good enough if haven’t reached “YuperStar-yellow” status with any given technology. I’ve been mulling that over in my head…and I really don’t think it has to be that way. The world is big, round, and three dimensional…
BLUE is not just for beginners; it’s for the broad-minded explorer—he kind of learner that is more interested in breadth and global connections. This is the “deductive” learner who wants to create mental structures before getting into the details. I’d say that I fall into that category pretty often and it’s not a bad thing. I might not be really superb in any one technology, but because of my breadth, I can see connections between the technologies and imagine how they might fit into the larger educational scheme of things. It ain’t bad being Blue.
GREEN is for the hyper-active experimenters– the tinker-ers. They just like to tink around with stuff. Even if they get something to work pretty well, they’re off to the races with yet another idea. Every class is a chance to try something different. Innovation is their middle name and creative messiness a frequent companion, because they are absorbed in the details (akin to the “inductive” learner/thinker). I’m like this sometimes and it’s okay. Messes are okay in my book if it means that innovation and creativity are the reasons for it.
YELLOWS. We might be a little jealous of the Yellows. Yes, because they are the practicals. They see what will work and what won’t and they quickly get to the heart of things. They want results and strive for true effectiveness. Okay, maybe initially, I *was* thinking that yellow was for YuperStar..but if the only thing they do is take the shortest route between two points and then sit there with their tried-and-true formula, year after year…not a lot of innovation going on there. Yellow is like the gold medal at the finish line that could become a new starting line, if we wanted it to… It’s up to us. For this reason, Yellows need the influence of Greens, Blues, and Reds, to keep them moving forward.
Ready-to-teach-REDS. I sort of see the reds as your died-in-the-wool teachers. They just love to impart information. In fact, they appear to acquire information for the sole purpose of imparting it, they’re so good at it. These are the happy entertainer-teachers who stay passionate about their topic because their always learning with the intention of teaching–a beautiful ebb and flow, in and out, of information, attitudes, history, and wisdom.
Now don’t ask this dreamed-up-scheme of mine to hold any water. No, I haven’t compared it to anything that’s already out there. I’m sure somebody said it first. Who cares.
The point is, that we all have tendancies in each of the color groups. Perhaps one is stronger than others; or maybe they are all pretty equally developed. That’s ok. In my book, it’s ok if a Blue spends a whole year scoping out the ed-tech territory just to figure out how it works and where it’s headed, without getting very far into integration. That person could be a very valuable asset to a department or school. It’s also okay if a teacher hits integration homerun after homerun so that the Blues can steel the ideas that work and not have to experiment. And it’s ALSO okay if the Greens are out there in some corner of the universe just fiddling, futzing, and fussing around, never quite satisfied, but always treading new ground. Yellows will get some of their best ideas from Greens and make them work. Reds can bring in the high energy happiness and passion for teaching that any group needs to keep it light. And Blues can help us tie it all together.
The moral of my story is…
Whatever color world you find yourself in at whatever point in time, technology still loves you. You are a piece in the ever-evolving “ed-techno-sphere”. Approach technology in the way that keeps you motivated and having fun and this integration thing will just start to happen, naturally, like magic =), with a little help from your students and peers.
