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Educators are, in large part, bullish on the role technology can play in improving student outcomes. But too large a percentage of them aren't receiving adequate training in the areas that matter most: instructional software, technology integration, learning outcomes management, and designing individual lesson plans.

" special education, classroom, SPED, projector, document camera, interactive whiteboard, technology tools"

There is something about human nature that draws us towards dichotomous patterns of thought; an all or nothing, us or them style of thinking in which an option is either good or it is bad. In such a model complexity and subtle nuance with multiple possible outcomes and routes towards a goal are ignored. The field of educational technology is one where such a pattern is evident and recent ban on technology by a Sydney school shows how this style of analysis can have a significant impact on student learning.

EduTech in Sydney has been a remarkable experience. A grand celebration of education and an energising gathering of educators ready to share stories and make connections. Despite the rainy weather some 8000 educators came together in the inspiring new International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour and left two days later with hers full of new ideas and wonderings of what might be the future of education. With many ideas still bubbling away here is a brief list of the key take-aways.

Mere substitution is not going to help our learners maximise the affordances of technology. The challenge is to find ways by which technology can enhance learning. We can be certain that technology is not going to go away and that those who maximise the affordances that it brings are likely to gain the most from it. 

"The battle for supremacy in the K-12 whiteboard market is heating up. Companies are scrambling for new sources of revenue, making strategic moves to reinvent their products in the age of tablet computing, and sizing up their competitors to see what they can do to differentiate themselves from the pack. Who ultimately ends up on top has huge implications for educational technology leaders, who must determine which company is the best fit for their needs, and at a cost their districts can afford in still-difficult budget times. Complicating those decisions are changes in the technological landscape that are raising questions about the long-term educational relevance of interactive whiteboards. Do classrooms really need them in the age of iPads?"

Understanding the "Why" of any initiative should be a key step prior to implementation. Without a clear understanding of our "Why" how are we to judge the success of what we are implementing. How will we know which steps take us in the right direction if we have no concept of why we are journeying. In our implementation of ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) and now Digital Technologies, a lack of clarity on the matter of "Why" has often been the most significant challenge to success. 

Resources for Creating Classroom Website

We live in a time of chaos, complexity and contradiction. (Sardar, 2010 [1]) Where rapid changes and transformations through technology, politics, globalisation and the climate, conspire against normality (Friedman, 2016 [2]) These times demand a fresh approach to education, one that provides learners with the thinking dispositions they need to turn challenges into opportunities, to connect their learning to their passions and emerge from their years of formal education as self-navigating life-long learners. 

We are living in interesting, frightening and rapidly changing times. Where rapid changes and transformations through technology, politics, globalisation and the climate, conspire against normality. These times demand a fresh approach to education, one that provides learners with the thinking dispositions they need to turn challenges into opportunities.  "All that was 'normal' has now evaporated; we have entered postnormal times, the in-between period where old orthodoxies are dying, new ones have not yet emerged, and nothing really makes sense." But what thinking might guide us through this time of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity?

Teachers are conditioned to tolerate a lot of abuse-it's a professional hazard-but what faculty members at Sir G. E. Cartier Elementary School in London, Ontario, went through last spring seems beyond the call of duty: a few of them agreed to be duct-taped to a gym wall while students hit them in the face with pies. Why on earth would they do that? To raise $3,000-enough cash for an interactive whiteboard, the most coveted piece of educational technology on the market right now.

Hi Jess, could I also add, that there is a greater issue with interactive Whiteboards. Some of the big teaching colleges and Universities in Australia did not have any!! or they were very outdated,... or they were bought the wrong ones!! As some of the Universites are tech phonic... the reality of interactive whiteboards is up to the inspiration of the academic.... Something which is not that transparent when you look at fancy marketed websites.

Could I also add, being a primary school trained teacher and academic in education, most retiring academics do not wish to learn to teach with technology (out of their comfort zone) and believe.... firmly that face to face ... is the only way....to educate. Technology has been pushed globally into the education system, with pedagogy taking last place. Pedagogy is the teaching strategies where teachers construct learning in a classroom, when they are given a broad socially constructed curriculum... i.e the teachers science or magic potion which supports student learning. while interactive whiteboards add an amazing dimension to learning, it is only as good as the student teacher, who is often thrusted into a teaching classroom,,, and needs to grapple with the technology as there are many products out there and work differently... need alone.... Batteries!!! yes batteries should always be in the tool kit of a teacher now.

These examples of SmartBoard lessons and activities were developed by some teachers in the Putnam school district. As a recipient of the Technology Professional Development and Technical Assistance grant for 2005-2006, participating Putnam teachers created lessons to be used to integrate technology with the SmartBoard. The development and submission of Successful Practices was one of the criteria for the grant. According to the Connecticut State Department of Education,

What purposes does education serve? What needs of humanity does education serve? What might the product of our labours be like and how might our efforts contribute to the greater good? These are questions we have long struggled with but with but it seems that in the current times we might need to rethink how we answer these questions.