One educator shared how a lesson on how to use a wiki failed miserably. Why? There wasn’t an intrinsic purpose. For her students, it was like teaching them how to use a PSP without consideration of the game that was being played. The emphasis was on the tool and not the job that the tool was trying to accomplish.

When you are planning a lesson, don’t start out with the technology available and design a lesson around that. I really think that is the attitude taken by many educators and it is patently false, albeit well-intentioned. In their zeal to incorporate technology into their teaching, they think, “How can I use a wiki in my lesson about William Shakespeare?” The appropriate question would have been, “What technology is best-suited for a lesson about Shakespeare?” The difference is subtle, but crucial.  

Why is this mistake so prevalent, then? The issue, I believe is rooted in our lack of understanding when it comes to the actual tools themselves. Instead of looking at websites and tools and thinking about their core competencies, we take the “ooh, ahh” factor and immediately try to squeeze it in, even when it clearly doesn’t fit. Example: Wordle. I have literally never used Wordle in my classroom. I love it and think it is a wonderful tool, but I just don’t have anything that would be augmented by word or tag clouds (although I am ABSOLUTELY open to suggestions). I’m not going to compromise the integrity of the content that I teach by incorporating technology that doesn’t help in my instructional aim.

Think about the lessons that you teach or, for those not in education, the tasks you perform on a daily basis. Think about the underlying principles of what you do and then think about what tech tools are available that fit that specifically. Are you working on a large, group project (particularly asynchronous)? Try a wiki to help group members stay current with group activities. Are you learning to summarize or find themes? Try a word cloud. Are you discovering the effects of media on social institutions? A movie or podcast might be appropriate.

Fit the technology to what you’re teaching. Don’t force your lesson to conform to the technology. 

—Greg Garner