Recently, I applied for a Chromebook cart from our district that would serve our 10th grade team. The application was, naturally, a Google form and went to the district head of technology services. Because I knew the tech director, I decided to have some fun. When asked how our team would ensure everyone equal access to the cart, I suggested placing a clipboard in a central location. You know, we could just tie some string and a pen to that metal part and the teachers could use that to sign up for the cart.
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of all of the tech teachers unfollowing me on Twitter.
Needless to say, I was kidding.
Needless to say, we’ll use Google Calendar.
As if we had a choice.
For years, we used a clipboard to sign our classes up to visit the school library.
And you know what? It never failed. Not once.
Technology is attractive and fun. I get it. I love my iPad and iPhone and Kindle and document camera and the large screen projection system in my classroom. Love. Them. But one of the best teachers I’ve ever known (who, it’s worth noting, refused the free, district-provided laptop) often held up a dry erase marker and said that a white board and marker are also technology. And he was right. And he was young.
So use your gadgets. There’s nothing wrong with technology.
But there’s also nothing wrong with simple.
Let’s not be afraid of–or turn our back on–simple.
Combining technology with simplicity made Steve Jobs one of the most iconic innovators ever. By taking away buttons and features, he created devices that were sleek and user-friendly and, let’s face it, sexy. He subtracted and simplified until we couldn’t refuse his products.
But even Steve Jobs knew the value of simple.
And he turned out all right. TZT
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of all of the tech teachers unfollowing me on Twitter.
Needless to say, I was kidding.
Needless to say, we’ll use Google Calendar.
As if we had a choice.
For years, we used a clipboard to sign our classes up to visit the school library.
And you know what? It never failed. Not once.
Technology is attractive and fun. I get it. I love my iPad and iPhone and Kindle and document camera and the large screen projection system in my classroom. Love. Them. But one of the best teachers I’ve ever known (who, it’s worth noting, refused the free, district-provided laptop) often held up a dry erase marker and said that a white board and marker are also technology. And he was right. And he was young.
So use your gadgets. There’s nothing wrong with technology.
But there’s also nothing wrong with simple.
Let’s not be afraid of–or turn our back on–simple.
Combining technology with simplicity made Steve Jobs one of the most iconic innovators ever. By taking away buttons and features, he created devices that were sleek and user-friendly and, let’s face it, sexy. He subtracted and simplified until we couldn’t refuse his products.
But even Steve Jobs knew the value of simple.
And he turned out all right. TZT