Stepping Back

The first part of the SUNY CET course is complete. The second part begins on 16th April. In three weeks time.

While I know it will be impossible for me to completely disconnect, I am just going to try to shift my focus away from educational technologies for three weeks. For sure I will still be checking in on Twitter; I will still be reading the blogs I subscribe to. Both of these have become a part of my daily online routine. But instead of spending every unoccupied minute delving into the unknown, I am determined to step back for three weeks and hope that everything that is currently whirling around my brain at lightning speed will slow down and sort itself out.

Time for some time out. Time to switch off. Time to let things simmer for a while, without stirring the pot. I have done so much learning and reading in the last three months that my head is full.  

Full of ideas. Amazing ideas of others. Conflicting ideas of ‘experts’. Exciting ideas of my own. 

Full of information. Information about the world of education and learning. Information about the world of technology and digital literacy. Information about how these two incredibly complex and powerful worlds can combine and become one.

The more I learn, the more I realise how little I actually know and understand about these two worlds. At times it is scary. At times it is invigorating. At times I want to give up my day job and study this full time. Somehow, though, I think that even if I did study it full time I would never catch up with the insane speed at which technology is changing the way things work on a daily basis. The implications these changes have on the way teachers teach and students learn are huge. What we teach and how we teach has to change. If we don’t, we will be doing a massive disservice to the next generation. It is exciting to be a part of change. The hard part is convincing the nay-sayers, the parents, the reluctant administrators, the education authorities, and even politicians, that these changes are essential.

So, for now, adieu. See you in three weeks.

#Reflecting