I recently learned about the LOL my thesis website (see my blog post describing the site), and have been eagerly awaiting my one-sentence submission to appear.  As I scrolled through the other entries – some entertaining, some intriguing, I came across this submission from 12/31/13:

I had to pause when I read this posting.  This has been one of my largest concerns with educational technology and classroom teaching.  Whether it is a college faculty member that just wants to try the new tech toy with students, or the K-12 teacher that was provided technology to use in their classroom but with no professional development on how to use it – there is always a learning curve involved.  Technology evolves and becomes available so quickly, but have we really thought through how to change/improve our teaching with technology?  Are we too quick to “jump” and use edtech just because it is there?  And, is it ever possible to know how something will work (meaning, positively impact student learning) before even trying it in the classroom?  Can improved access to technology result in different teaching practices and an increase in student learning and engagement?

Another LOL my thesis post echos the concerns that clearly not only I have, but students as well:

See the Masters thesis from the student that posted this one-sentence summary.

It is going to take more than 2014 to answer these questions…