Why do teachers use tech?

Mark Prensky talks about digital natives and digital immigrants.  The basic idea is people who have grown up with computers are natively entwined in them, thus “native"users.  Immigrants, on the other hand, face the same sorts of challenges that real-world immigrants do; the language, the culture, the way of thinking…are all very different for them. There is a constant adjustment and awkwardness in a digital immigrants life. There is an assumption digital immigrants “dont get it” and digital natives “get it”.

But after reading a story where an non-digital-native was hooking up an Xbox 360 controller to her laptop so she could learn C# and XNA…and reflecting on my own experience, I think the digital native / digital immigrant thinking might be a little to simple.

I’ve seen plenty of older teachers embrace technology…I’m talking about the 4th grade teacher who has been in the classroom for 15 years, and the 45 year old kindergarten teacher, who makes iMovies of her class trips to show parents.  Similarly, I’ve seen young people who simply have no interest, aptitude, and skill in technology at all! I’m sure if we look at aggregates we’ll see that most young people are more tech-saavy and most older folks aren’t…but I’ve seen enough exceptions to this rule to think a little more about it…

So what is it then?

I think it might be a combination of curiosity,  perceived benefit of change, and peer use of technology.

So when a teacher sees they can benefit from technology, and that potential benefit outweighs the risk, they start learning and experimenting. I’m sure some economist has written a formula for this. But more often than not, a teacher has to know

When a teacher is naturally curious about new technologies, they also “take the plunge”. I’ve seen plenty of teachers who, out of sheer curiosity,  try something new. Perhaps it has to do more with not being afraid of trying something new…but I think underneath an explorer is someone who has an insatiable curiosity about the world.

Finally, I’ve seen teachers reach out to technology when they see or hear their peers experiencing success with technology. It’s a wonderful moment to experience, and I’m sure it comes slowly, as much change does.