Serious Play Conference: Edtech Evangelist: Converting the Unbelievers

EDTECH EVANGELIST: CONVERTING THE

UNBELIEVERS

David W. deeds 2016 Serious play Conference

introduction

•  Teaching/trainingfor15years,50-50splitbetweenhigheredandK-12schools

•  CurrentlytheTechnologyIntegratorforYewWahInternaBonalEducaBonSchoolinYantai,Shandong,China

•  OriginalBtle:“ConverBngtheHeathens”•  FocusgroupssayPClevelisreasonable,butpleasemaintainasenseofhumor!

•  NonamesofschoolsaPerthis,notevencountries(formyownsafety!)

•  Scope:ExperiencestryingtogeteducatorstoadoptGames-BasedLearning(GBL)

Second life

opensimulator

minecraft

World of warcraft, others

It’s all geek to me

It’s all geek to me

•  Professorinuniversity’sfledglingInternaBonalBusinessDepartment

•  Onlyentranceteststudentspassedis:Daddy’scheckdidn’tbounce!

•  Studentscouldn’t:understandlectures,readthetextbooks

•  StartedaSecondLifecybercampusandsoonhadkidsbuilding,programming,runningtheirownbusinesses,etc.

•  Bigsuccess…onlyaccordingtostudents!•  MostrepressivewordsineducaBon:“Thewaywe’vealwaysdoneit.”

You don’t mess with the vb

You don’t mess with the vb

•  ProfessorinComputerScienceDepartment•  “Votech”school(supposedly)preparinggraduatesforemployment

•  TVchannelsdedicatedtoshowingkidsplayingcomputergames

•  ButVisualBasicwasthepetsubjectofatenured-for-lifecolleague

•  All-too-commonaatude:Ifit’senjoyable,studentscan’tpossiblybelearning!

•  Finalblow:NewPClabsfeaturedgraphicscardsthatcouldn’thandlevirtualworlds!

Avatars don’t steal souls

Avatars don’t steal souls

•  Principalhadhiredmetointroduceedtech,forgottotell/asktheowners/directors

•  Thoughtit’dbegeeky-cooltocreateanavatarwiththedirector’sname

•  Shejumpedup,genuflected,ranfromtheroomcryingandmubering

•  Coworkertoldme:“Shewasprayingthattheavatardoesn’tstealhersoul.”

•  Wentdownhillrapidlyfromthere:Everyoneinvirtualworldsisachildmolester,avatarsgivegirlsbodyimageissues,etc.

•  NeverunderesBmatecogniBvedissonance!

That old rack magic

That old rack magic

•  NotjustGames-BasedLearning,everythingthatinvolvedtechnologywassheerevil!

•  Buddiesatthenewwificompanyinstalledadishandroutercheap(Iwounduppaying)

•  Triedtoexplainhowwifiworks,directorsaccusedmeofmakingitup(“lying”)

•  Laterthe(alleged)TechGuytoldmethattheythoughtIwaspracBcingblackmagic

•  Icanlaughaboutthisstuffnow,butitwasn’talwaysfunnyattheBme

•  PlentyofdinosaursstompingaroundineducaBon,they’renotexBnctyet!

I do expect the inquisition

I do expect the inquisition

•  GettheMontyPythonreference?•  Thingsgotalotbeber:BiggestchallengewasconvincingtheInternaBonalBaccalaureate(IB)thatGBLisvalid

•  Presentedatlotsofconferences(AACE,ISTE,etc.)…butneveratanIB!

•  Goodnews:MostofthestuffIdoI’dnevergetawaywithinanAmericanpublicschool

•  Badnews:Mainlyinmyclassroom…orlab!•  Usuallyit’sjustpeopleresisBngchange,theyknowtheycangetawaywithit!

•  Adminsneedbackbonetomakeprogress

Virtual/Real-world skills

Virtual/real-world skills

•  Nowhere’saresearchtopic,futurePhDs!•  Thehigherthevirtual-worldskills,thelowerthereal-worldskills!

•  MetGreekguyinSecondLife,askedmeforoneofmydissertaBonpapers

•  Didasearch-and-replace,“Europe”for“Asia”and“Greece”for“Korea,”thenpublisheditashisown!

•  Itrytokeepthejournalfromgeangsued,andtheyturnitintoapissingcontest

•  PerpetuateVirtualWorlders(Gamers)asanexclusiveclub,andweneedtobeinclusive!

Bursting the bubbles

Bursting the bubbles

•  Schoolstendtocreateandmaintaincultural(organizaBonal?)bubblesaroundthemselves

•  Thosewhodon’tfitinleave(bychoiceornot!)andtheBSbecomesself-perpetuaBng

•  LotsofpoppsychologymasqueradingaseducaBonaltheory,plethoraofhacksmakingbigbuckssellingittosuckers

•  Chancesareyou’reworkingforand/orwithfolkswhobelievethishippy-dippycrap!

•  Needchangemanagementtechniques:Whoteachersarevs.whattheydo

•  Teacherscanchange…esp.iftheyhaveto!

This school ain’t big enough…

Pleasenoteconspicuousabsenceofaschoollogo.;)

This school ain’t big enough…

•  Bigproblem:bosseswithbigegos!•  Thinkingthey’reexpertsoneducaBoningeneralisOK,butiftheythinkthey’regurusre:edtech,keepyourheaddown!

•  Wasselectedforthreeconferences,makingannouncementstowholestaff

•  Finallysomeonewarnedme:“You’retheonegeangrecognized,notthem!”

•  Mainproblemis“paralysisbyanalysis”•  Inside/outsidetheclassroom,youmustbe“inserted”intoaleadershipposiBon

•  Regardless,youneedtop-downsupport

Thinking outside the…

Thinking outside the…

•  Myth:Onlyolderteachersresistanttochange;Truth:It’stheyoungestwhoareconvincedtheyalreadyknoweverything

•  Beingsneakyworks:IntroduceGBLviaPBL(problem-solving,task-/goal-basedwork)

•  Piggybackonothergoals,suchascross-curricular/interdisciplinaryunits

•  “Standards”isamagicword,andGBLcanbetoutedfor,e.g.,implemenBngaskillsmatrix

•  StartwithaTechnologyWeek,similarevent•  MakeGBLan“elecBve”forPD,teacherswilldoitjusttohaveabreakfromPowerSchool!

Fighting for truth, justice…

Opensimulator

minecraft

Horizon report/scoop.it

2016NMCK-12HorizonReportPreview:hbp://www.nmc.org/nmc-horizon-news/submit-your-projects-for-the-nmc-horizon-report-2016-k-12-ediBon/PleasefollowmyScoop.itpages:hbp://www.scoop.it/t/3d-virtual-worlds-educaBonal-technologyhbp://www.scoop.it/t/integraBon-and-teaching-ed-tech

Cartoons by studio jonos

SupporthimandotherfiverrarBsts!www.fiverr.com

EDTECH EVANGELIST: CONVERTING THE

UNBELIEVERS

Questions/comments? [email protected]