Breaking the Ice

Hi.  My name is Bob, and I'm an EdTech-aholic.  There. I've said it.

It's not that I consider myself a "tech-junkie" nor prioritize technology over my family, faith or friends. I don't need an intervention, I swear.

If anything, it's just that I willingly rely on technology to manage my life more effectively.  I don't play favorites.  PC, Mac, Droid, iOS, Chrome...it's all fair game.  I make daily use of Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to extend my reach, make new connections, and continue my relentless pursuit of what it means to be a life-long learner.

Chances are, if you're reading this, so do you.

So, I don't expect you can really blame me for diving head-first into the various collective social media streams or bending over backwards to advocate the educational value technology has in today's world.

They say that the first step to recovery (a.k.a. transformative change) is to admit that there's a problem.  Well, I'm always endorsing and encouraging transformative change in education, primarily through the appropriate integration of educational technology.  Does this mean that I am perpetually seeking the proverbial half-empty glass, or am I simply recognizing the on-going struggle educators face to make a difference in the lives of their students?  

I'm reminded of these Apple promos from 1995.

I mean, come on now!  Almost 20 years ago, both educational and corporate professionals had this vision of the future: one that allowed students to use technology to discover, capture, edit, publish, curate and OWN digital work.  Yet, I witness school after school, district after district, deny students the opportunity to use technology throughout their day.  "Sorry kids, you must turn off every device you own--put them away or else they'll be confiscated.  Instead, you have the privilege of lugging 30 lbs of books around all day as well as sitting and listening to lectures on content that might have little-to-no relevancy to you."

Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are school districts that are always pushing out the latest-and-greatest educational technology not realizing that both staff and students are drowning in option, versions and variance.

I exaggerate...right?

I've come to realize there is no right answer--no silver bullets, magic lamps, or alchemy formulas.  There are only best guesses and plausible solutions to the ever-increasing docket of issues that need addressing.  It's my ambition to provide you--educator, student, professional--with practical "What if?" solutions to questions regarding educational technology adoption, utilization and integration.  I'll forewarn you, there will be times when I will most likely answer questions with more questions, but the way I see it, continual reflective inquiry yields eventual transformative change.

So, at the end of the day, it's my hope that you find what you are looking for here at Edtechify: a place to learn, a place to discover, a place to vent and be inspired.