­
Bombarding colleagues with research results regarding ed tech doesn't work — ICT & Computing in Education
  • Front Page
  • Search
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Menu

ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
  • Front Page
  • Search
  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
  • Info
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Yes, OK, I’ll try out the computers, but please leave me alone! Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

Yes, OK, I’ll try out the computers, but please leave me alone! Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

Bombarding colleagues with research results regarding ed tech doesn't work

September 21, 2018

7 Mistakes I Made As An Ed Tech Co-Ordinator #2: Research

Part 1: heavy-handed or what?

“Excuse me, but would you mind sitting still while I bash you over the head with this rolled up paper containing my latest research findings?”

I didn’t really say that of course, but I might just as well have. In my eagerness to get other teachers using the computing facilities, I collated loads of research showing how much the use of education technology helped kids learn, in any subject. Fair enough, but then I distributed a copy to everyone’s pigeon-hole, and even announced it in a staff meeting.

As a deputy headteacher said to me, half jokingly (but only half): “Yes, Terry, we get it, we’re fully on board, we’re convinced!” The sub-text was, indubitably, “And now can you please leave us alone?!”

Did the distribution of those research findings convince anyone to use the computing facilities? I doubt it. At least, nobody said to me: “Hey, Terry, I loved that document you shoved down my throat. Where do I sign up?”

Part 2: softly softly does it

After that, and this is what I’d recommend, I used a much more subtle approach.

I think collating those research findings were definitely useful — for me. As an ed tech or ICT co-ordinator, you have to be on top of your subject. You have to be able to say to the headteacher, when she is thinking of reducing the spend on computers and laptops, “Did you know that the research shows…?”

(If she has just read some report in the newspaper about how useless ed tech is, you need to know how to defend yourself. See the slideshare at the end of this article.)

You need to be ready to reply to a teacher who says: “Do you think ed tech would help the kids learn in [insert subject here]?”, “Yes, because the research shows….”

You need to be able to say to a teacher: “I came across an interesting article that says using [insert ed tech product] in Geography leads to a better grasp of rift valley formation. I’d appreciate your opinion about whether it’s likely or just a load of hooey.” (I found using that approach, by the way, infinitely more successful than any other because you’re not trying to look like you’re an expert in everything. More often than not, the teacher would look at it, and then want to try out the idea for himself.)

Perhaps even more important, you have to be convinced yourself of the efficacy of ed tech. And what better way to achieve that than by keeping abreast of all the latest research?

Part 3: defence mechanism

How do you keep up with all the research in ed tech. Well, I know I would say this, but my newsletter, Digital Education, is a good place to start. I always try to include some information about recent research in each edition.

It’s an open secret that newspapers (at least in the UK) tend to be really bad at reporting education research accurately. How can you tell if a report is, in effect, fake news? How can you make sure you know the facts just in case your headteacher has decided that spending any more money on ed tech is throwing good money after bad?

I gave a talk on this recently. In case they’re of any use, here are the slides from it:

Read all about it - how research is reported in newspapers, by Terry Freedman from Terry Freedman


In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Professional development, Research Tags mistakes, 7 mistakes, research
← Blast from the past: the homework excuse management systemThis is what all ed tech co-ordinators should do if possible →
Recent book reviews
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

Read More →
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

Read More →
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

Read More →
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

In some respects one could view this book as a single warning repeated 64 times.

Read More →
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 

Taking readers from the Middle Ages to (more or less) the present day, Gray charts how the places where we do our shopping and what we buy have changed over the centuries.

Read More →
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All

As a source of potential ideas and inspiration, the book could be very useful indeed.

Read More →
Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

One has the impression that the main role of the university these days is to maximise profit, while that of the majority of teaching staff is to ensure the ‘correct’ views are passed on to students. All the while, students’ main concern seems to be to seek protection from anything that might make them feel unsafe.

Read More →
Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers
Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers

Is a 2014 book on managing the computing provision in a school still worth buying?

Read More →
Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff
Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff

Although this book is over 60 years old, it is remarkably apposite for our times -- and especially in the fields of educational research and assessing pupils' understanding and progress.

Read More →
Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

It was a great source of pride to me, getting hundreds of students through their A levels and encouraging them to go to university. But for some time I have asked myself a question: would I recommend this route now?

Read More →
Dig+Ed+Banner.jpg

Contact us

Privacy

Cookies

Terms and conditions

This website is powered by Squarespace

(c) Terry Freedman All Rights Reserved