Teachers and Students, Please Note: What You are Experiencing is not E-Learning
Lessons learned from 14 years researching technology adoption
E-learning and the Road Less Traveled By
The last 60 days were not e-learning, but if educators spend their summer honing the craft, students could begin e-learning this fall, and it could be revolutionary: from education funding reform, to education health policy, to education policy reform. In other words,
Two roads diverged in a wood, and [you, you] —
took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost
For anyone who is familiar with my writing, you know I generally have an arsenal of articles within my footnotes. Most of those found within are simply credits to simple quotes. While I will likely follow this post with a heavily sourced article (as I would not want to disappoint anyone who enjoys my 30+ resources), the need to write this article outweighed that characteristic.
Spawned from a threaded tweet out of the misunderstanding surrounding both the current juncture of e-learning as an imperative ‘road less traveled by,’ and the state of education, which largely is misunderstood, I seek to correct the record, because if this transition is done properly and compliantly, together, we will restore the ethos of Education beyond the pendulum swings of yesteryear.
Ergo, the immediacy of the issue at hand fueled this article, which serves as professional commentary on my 25 years in education both in and out of the classroom, particularly the last 14 years as I have researched and consulted within both the emerging technology and technology adoption sectors.
In sum, to all of my teaching and education colleagues, if you felt your journey into E-learning was a failure, I am here to say, it was anything but, it was merely the road less traveled by, out of necessity.
With a little context, background, application, and coaching, you will crush this transition just like you have navigated whole language and phonics, where shockingly, balanced literacy won out.
Why? Because moderation is always the key. Yet, education has become so polarized, by boiling the proverbial frog, where there seems to be no middle ground any longer — a misnomer.
Neither party is without fault, both readily virtue signal, which then confounds any resolution. The silver lining: there is one commonality. We all want what is best for the stakeholders that truly matter, our students.
To that end, I have divided this into 10 Simple Lessons on how Technology Adoption and Execution occur with the hope of restoring your desire to seek same. These lessons are broken down in the following manner: Lessons 1–3 discuss the human elements of adoption; Lessons 4–6 highlight Proper and compliant practices including data protection and privacy (HUGE, violate and you may lose Federal funding); Lessons 7–9 discusses how to tame the Technology barriers (ICE) with a 4 step plan. Lesson 10, pulls all of this together. Just as I have been coaching parents on Ed101, via virtual office hours, as parents were thrust into the role of adjunct teachers, I will coach you on Tech101, via virtual office hours with some periscope webinars, but from the lens of a former Kindergarten teacher, who will speak your Language, because tech, well, tech has a communication and likely a compliance problem, but I digress. [6][[4][9]
The main thesis being, if things did not go so well in the last 60 days, no problem; that was not E-learning, that was your ‘road less traveled by.’ Stick with me, I will take you back on course, and help you weave your curated teaching style into a seamless continuum of in-person, hybrid, and fully remote learning with ease.
Oh the Places You will go! — Dr. Seuss
Lesson 1: Technology Adoption is not a Quick nor Easy Fix, AMB Research
As you read you will note I readily channel Dr. Seuess, Disney, songs, and a few random quotes from the 90’s. A bit about me in a nutshell, AKA why you may want to listen. I have always been the one that pushed the technology envelope to the absolute limits, more on this later. I have had some crazy brainiac technology creations over the years, like Maurice or Belle, depending on the backstory used, a la Beauty and the Beast. [5] I frequently sought to superpower my students with the technology that I avidly read about in the most determined manner. Sometimes, I learned limits of tech, a term called interoperability or the lack thereof, other times it worked swimmingly, it was this variable ratio reinforcement schedule that drove my desire to innovate my classroom and help my students learn more efficiently, through a slot machine of tech, although, I do not play the slots. One day, I even created a makeshift smart board out of the first generation iPad and an Elmo, full disclosure, interoperability, i.e., error, was a key barrier to many of my hypothesized executions.
My classroom was known for tech innovation, an aberration at the time, e.g., my classroom show and tell was done by the snack person and facilitated through a class powerpoint in Kindergarten, authored by my 5–6 year old tech rockstars, which then served in reading for sight words, letter hunts, and the like. Bonus, it was very easy to quickly email to families and their animation schemes crushed. Many noted that my Kindergarteners were better at Powerpoint than most in higher grades, I let them get lost in the presentation and it was amazing! More specifically this article encompasses, my graduate thesis back in 2004, which centered upon technology adoption to drive student success. At the time, I, like many educators did not understand the first thing about virtual adoption/engagement. I faultily assumed it was just a given; it was anything but!
A Thesis is Born
As the first step in the development of my thesis, I had to create a review of the literature, and oh, boy, did I. In my lit review, the mandatory rite of passage in grad school that consumes every waking hour you are not teaching, or planning for the next day of kiddos, I examined technology adoption ad nauseam. Yes, back in the day before schools had websites and long before hardcore digital storage or cloud computing existed, where my state of the art flash drive was 64mb, seriously, not a typo, I dove deep into the ins and outs of technology adoption in search of the magic formula, which sadly, does not exist, just like mermaids. I fondly, relatively speaking, remember my lit review encompassed 15 inches spanning three (3), 5-inch binders of printed and/or photocopied journal articles. I became besties with the research librarian and offered her all of my “birthday treats” (currency of Kindergarten teachers as all the children you have ever had, love to share their Birthday treats with their Kindergarten teachers and visit their old stomping grounds) on my desk. At many points there were so many papers being ejected from my Epson, I was sure the Lorax would pop out of my printer at any moment, screaming, “I speak for the trees!” [11]
That beaut was properly APA footnoted, cross-referenced, highlighted, and tagged as if a rainbow of post-its collided with a unicorn carrying tabs and exploded color everywhere. It possessed extensive notes in the margins of each page, a true research work of art. I proudly remember showing it to my principal as I was mandated to do, and Orbitz style winked as I noted, “That is only 1:3.” She handed it back to me and smiled. Why explain how extensively I researched this or my principal’s reaction? Well, that illustrates principle #1 in my campaign to demystify E-learning,
Lesson 1: While tech adoption and execution seems like the world’s easiest problem to solve. It’s not!
Just as it was back then, the barriers to technology adoption are not well understood. Fast forward 16 years, and COVID-19 grips the world forcing a digital transformation that no one was truly ready for. While some classes excelled, most did not. Newsflash, this is what the research would have also predicted, yes, even back in 2004. The silver lining? What occurred for the last 60 days is actually not E-learning. I diligently want you to understand why I make this claim, I feel your pain on technology. Yes, I am sure many of you turned to Zoom, this is not a particularly sound idea, but we will get there in Lesson 5. Baby steps, I taught Kindergarten. [4][[30]
First things first, E-learning does not replace YOU. You are the most important element in your classroom. You know all those rituals you do with your students, “caught being good” STAR, or just genuine praise and adoration for them coming to school each day despite their baggage, they all have something, you know this all too well. Some just hide it better than others, I will be flipping those right back at ya. Why? Because, learning is a process that requires scaffolding and a lot of celebrating. Quite simply, learning is hard work, just like 1+1 for a 5 year old, or in some cases some ed funding/economic lawmakers?
Lesson 2: YOU are the Most Important Element in your Classroom; Full stop.
- Haim Ginott Quote. [3]I already made — adobe. insert.
No app, flawed security configuration, or Edtech product will replace you, the Educator, who has spent their career honing in-person instruction. Technology is nothing more than a tool. It does not have a degree in pedagogy, child development, education, nor negotiation — because we all know that skill is imperative to classroom operations. Nor does technology possess any of the other repertoire of skills that you have perfected during your tenure. Therefore, to reiterate,
Lesson 2: Technology is only a tool, not a replacement for YOU
Everyone thought it was as simplistic as I originally had, again, it is not. It is a complicated menagerie of chaos. Please do not feel bad. How lucky are you? You can benefit from all my years in Education and Emerging Technology! Once we figure out a plan together that matches your workflow, you will crush it. Let’s break this down a bit more.
Lesson 3: E-learning (v.) Chaos by Design Unless Seamless, Proper, & Compliant; is the Interwoven Actions of Teachers & Technology.
We will get to the compliant part later, have no fear, but this is an important distinction E-learning is a verb that could be defined as a state of flow, whereby the technology and the teacher are intricately woven together paralleling a state of flight, part of the second grade curriculum in WI. Your anxieties are drag, your confidence, thrust, and the students, as always, lift. Meaning that if I can facilitate your confidence, you can propel your classroom into “infinity, and beyond!” Buzz Light Year’s performance below may shed light on the randomness of our actions and the ways we do not realize that interoperability is guised by same, AKA the Skinner Pigeon phenomena.
Just like the careful balance in order to achieve flight, drag must to be minimized, if you look at ”Man’s Early Flight Attempts,” that did not happen overnight. Interestingly, we actually do not know why planes fly, as defined by Scientific America, Feb 2020. [13]
For efficacy and seamless execution, E-learning is the algorithmic balance of YOU, the teacher, and the tech. Without you, it is just tech, not E-learning. By definition alone we have now proven that E-learning is interwoven with your style, not slathered atop like a frosting afterthought. To expound upon this,
Lesson 3: E-Learning is a patchwork menagerie to optimize instruction that cannot exist without its two halves; E-learning couples the tools, i.e., Technology, with the Teacher, both seamlessly and symbiotically, achieving a state of flow.
E-Learning: Opening Act: “We Have Only Just Begun… We started Off Walking & Learned to Run…” — The Carpenters
Spotify. Carpenters
Let’s summarize lessons 1–3 via an analogy that likely will resonate with you. In E-learning we have only just begun, we have only crossed the “survival subplan” version of E-Learning. You know those emergency plans that you never intended to use, but have to have on file due to district protocol. They do not represent anything fluid or dynamic within your classroom, they likely only would confound the day, as your students chorus,
“But, teacher, ‘you’re doing it wrong,’
circa the crossing guard to Mr. Mom. They are wildly out of date, if they were ever useful. There is a reason that teachers accrue a ridiculous amount of sick days, sub plans take longer than actual instruction. These procedures simply check a box. Given the early stage of E-learning, and the lack of instruction you may have had, they too, merely check a box, which seems contrary to everything we have learned in Education, but the lack of ingenuity is not your fault! I will say this several times throughout this article, because as educators we are likely to blame ourselves. I understand this more than you know. One of the reasons I initially took sabbatical was to spend more time with my daughter — I knew more about my 26 students than I knew about my then two-year-old. I fretted all night while rocking her on how Tommy would make the benchmark, or ideated on ways that Caroline could transition to school without the gut wrenching sobs for her mother, the irony. I uniquely understand the lengths you will go to in order to ensure student success, including both your priorities and pain points.
I want to help you because it is my hypothesis that If we do this properly and compliantly, we will accelerate the state of E-learning from “emergency sub plan” to a Professional Learning Community standard hailed by the infamous DuFours that not only addresses the needs of all students individually, whether in-person, hybrid, or fully remote, but also fosters metacognition, and aligns all stakeholders, including students and families, all the while providing you, the well-experienced educator, a salient connection to each student. [16] This connection is one of the critical mitigating factors imperative to relate educational psychology and student development in times of duress. As we all know, “Students do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I can help you make this transition and guide your journey along the way. Not as your teacher, but rather as your coach, Galinda to your Dorothy. “You have the answers, you always have all along.”
There’s no place like compliant tech;
there’s no place like compliant tech;
there’s no place like compliant tech…
Once you click your heels together three times, [or in my case your high heeled wellies, purell-able and lysol-ready, I taught Kindergarten, “the hands,” were an integral part of our curriculum, need I say more?] I will sprinkle you with fairy dust, and off we will go…to Never, Never Land, where you will never look back on antiquated methods, nor non- compliant technology. Then, you may liken me to the feather in Dumbo, I coach and demystify the technology, individualize a plan for you, and you my fine fellow friend, will soar! Are you ready? Let’s Go!! [16]
Reframing: Reflections of A Former Educator Wise to Emerging Technology Practices
Now that I piqued your curiosity, you ponder,
I had everything, yet it was a disastrous experiment, it must be me. I had a tech team, a tech coach, a supportive team/admin, and patient families. This is not my first rodeo, I tried to execute this year, it really didn’t work well.
Let’s reframe: the tech coach was likely another teacher who was also trying to make his or her own E-learning lessons fly, while juggling multiple other responsibilities within the district, and may have inadvertently ‘whitewashED’ the experience. Your administration sought to be empowering, yet underestimated the amount of calls they would receive as they spun up Zoom, charmed by its ease, <Red Flag>, and did not understand the first cardinal rule in technology adoption, Privacy, nor the second, interoperability challenges. By the second week, your frustration with tech, and the propaganda designed to make you think that you were the only one struggling, convinced you that you can be replaced with a program that “seemingly just works.*” You assigned “gamified*” apps that you thought were better than you. [This is not true gamification, beyond the scope here, discussed in alternate articles.]
Your Kids Want YOU
Here is the thing, they were not better your kids want YOU, not an animated, gamified* app that was designed by people far removed from your classroom, where it is questionable if they understand pedagogy more than the Utopia version presented in University. Perhaps they are placing data at risk, maybe they are owned by a venture capital (VC) company or shareholders with conflicting values, and who knows what that architecture or cybersecurity protocol looks like. Your kids want YOU! These companies have a tendency to oversimplify education, because since they went to school, ergo, they are an Ed expert. They do not understand special education, pedagogy, nor anything more than superficial rote learning of children, but many readily purport that schools as Institutions are unnecessary. This pendulum action is just as dangerous as those who all out ignore tech. These professionals fall into the Dunning Kruger bucket, and privacy of student data is not a course at DKU. Remember in March, when no one realized how many students relied on free and reduced meals for survival?[21][36] [37]
We can’t blame them, they just do not know Education is far more than “simply” teaching. Moreover, most teachers would not walk into an OR and tell a surgeon how to best go about their surgery. These reformers mean well, but should not opine on Educational policy/methodology. Unless, we plan to reenact Idiocracy. Bring on the Electrolytes with a hearty side of professional dilution![22]Just say no, to Brawndo.
E-learning done right, will blow your mind! It will allow you optimized workflows and the time to focus on what really matters, your students.
E-learning done right, facilitates learning, by coupling the tech to the teachers, seamlessly and compliantly.
Lesson 4: E-learning is a Skill that Requires Planning & Practice for Efficacy of Adoption and Execution
Efficacy in E-learning is not achieved by large conglomerates nor cookie-cutter programs, but rather it elevates your natural ability to educate. It is not executed by any Edtech company that is fast and loose with student data, nor is it done by those that want to upend Education because they have a “game changer,” idea that Education as an entity is not needed. More specifically,
Lesson 4: E-Learning elevates, is a skill that takes practice, cannot be spun up out of the blue, and just like every great novel, the villain/Grinch, Interoperability, will lurk where you least expect it. But, with a bit of knowledge and coaching, you can tame that beast. Fahoo fores dahoo dores
But, don’t let your “puzzler get sore.” Many E-learning issues stem (ha) from a lack of communication. Teachers, tech, IT, vendors, administration, parent and families all speak different Languages and most of these parties speak in more than only 0’s and 1’s. I feel your pain, you speak Education. As a former Kindergarten teacher, now consulting in emerging technology and nearly finished with my MLAW degree in Education, data, and cyber law, I can assist you in explaining/translating your workflow, and if need be, for your IT dept. to ensure interoperability, for your General Counsel (GC) to ensure compliance, and for your Administration and school board so that they understand and offer proper disclosures. In the process you may even guide new board policy. In short, with thoughtful planning, I can assist you in protecting everyone, including you and the students and families who lay their faith in you. Id.
Lesson 5: A Stitch in Time [Infrastructure & Architecture] Saves 9 [Legal Actions]: Compliance MATTERS!
More specifically, EdTech is full of violations that have occurred for years, but are now materializing as they move through the legal (public) arena. Most Edtech companies are private start up companies. While they may address general privacy, student data is a different animal. As we move into the surveillance state of schools and ubiquitous biometric data, the landscape changes. Further, student/child data is extensively protected. This makes data privacy and security a highly complex challenge to resolve. Evaluating terms of service and legal contracts takes time and includes significant due diligence, e.g., where is the data the company is collecting stored, who has access, what breach protections exist, will you be able to promptly retrieve all student data in accordance with FERPA timelines, how is the data transmitted, where are the servers housed, etc.[22] In short, there is risk that must be carefully weighed including meticulous appraisal of the “click wrap” agreements, which may have clauses added, omitted, or fabricated/embellished. As frustrating as it is, some EdTech companies behave like a child in the principal’s office, if you ask them if they are compliantly handling data, they say, “Oh, yes.” But, when you change the question asking, “How are you compliantly handing student data?” Their response is anything but compliant; they simply do not get the gravity.” This can be true of big companies as well as tiny startups. It comes down to privacy by design. See New Mexico v. Google.
Have no fear, your GC is there to protect your District and is trained to understand terms of service, i.e., what you are actually consenting to. If the terms are not proper and compliant, they may be able to negotiate the contract. At any rate, this is not the time to go with, “Ask forgiveness later, versus permission now.” Trust me. I have seen situations where those apps used in class, even the ones you have used for years, are silently pilfering student data without your knowledge, or have miraculously changed their clickwrap, and you “missed the memo.” This is NOT good. It is in everyone’s best interest that E-learning is built on a compliant foundation. I can help you to navigate this. Therefore, Lesson 5 is all about sustainability,
Lesson 5: Sustained adoption requires compliant technology that is built for security, likely Enterprise security. Sounds Tough, but really this is nothing more than 4 Steps. See also, Lesson 7.
Edtech companies have a rose lens problem. Many claim to “facilitate compliance, or be fully compliant with all privacy laws, but this is likely not the case, the field of privacy law is worse than Atari with pitfalls and loopholes that expose data. Privacy compliance is a field in and of itself. Beyond the scope here, in sum we need a GDPR.
Lesson 6: Enterprise Solutions are Best: Student Data is like Toxic Waste. Playing Fast and Loose with Data is not a Game Changer
Over the years, I have learned a lot about how technology adoption works on all sides. Currently, I consult in the emerging technology sector where I mostly focus on events and strategic communications, which ironically all come down to education. Each day, as Director of Presentations for a Blockchain company I encountered the same types of challenges that I hear my students complain about, see on the remote news, or experience at virtual conferences. The question remains, for something that is seemingly simple, why is technology execution & adoption so difficult? Well, there are a few answers, but I am going to shy away from the IT answer, because that is a bit unhelpful.
Interoperability: Surly Technology Idiosyncrasies
Virtual education or E-learning is as multifaceted and extraordinarily complex as the makeup of our classrooms. Just like we can handle all different learning needs, the technologies you use are their own set of “challenging” students. Those that on paper are perfect, but in person, something is not exactly clicking. These technologies have their own idiosyncrasies that Developers understand, but most end users are blindsided by; to further complicate, these disconnects do not even begin to broach the developers critical lack of understanding with respect to Education Privacy law, a breach thereof may place your school’s Federal funding in peril and land you in hot water. [22] For this decisive reason alone, it is best to go with an enterprise solution, these have the infrastructure and reputation requisite to handle student data. However, your School may have its own approved list vetted by your GC.
Size Does not Matter: EdTech & Privacy
I would not only steer clear of any company known as EdTech, I would run the other way. Sorry, but Google is one of these. See New Mexico v. Google. Here is why, any company that is mining data is a risk, you cannot do this in education. There is even discussion on the liability incurred from the precise moment the educational institution or agency is aware that data is being misused despite the contract. In sum, ignorance is not bliss, nor is lack of a long-term memory. Start ups are notorious for flying in between regulators, until, they get caught. While other businesses may not need to worry, any school, District, or entity that takes Federal funding, needs to be vigilant. Some recent cases are Zoom, Google, & InBloom, to name a few. Ultimately, Edtech seeks to rectify issues in education or another vertical in a way that is cost-efficient yet produces large returns on investment (ROI) these metrics may be beyond reason and are marketed to investors in multiples known as x’s: i.e., 10x return, how do they remedy their x problem, many surmise reselling data. See Facebook frontline, just before Mr. Zuckerburg IPOed.[21]Alas, nine times out of ten Edtech is doing so at the cost of privacy, either inadvertent or intentional, it makes no difference to the regulators. While you may think privacy, “Meh,” no big deal, it is a huge deal. Student data is like toxic waste, you need a proper and compliant solution to handle this data or you may inadvertently violate FERPA and risk severe penalty, e.g., losing all Federal funding, or worse. [22] Therefore, when considering your needs and potential solutions, you must ensure privacy and security compliance. This extends to anything that collects student data including, but is not limited to, all IoT devices, trackers, hardware, software, apps, or anything else that collects student data. I can assist you with navigating these if need be. In other words,
Lesson 6: EdTech may lack cogent understanding of the intricacies of privacy law, which is inconsistent and highly complicated. These companies may improperly, collect, store, transmit, or even sell student data, intentional or not. Playing fast and loose with data is not a game changer, it is a career ender.
To recap lessons 4–6, these highlight that E-learning is a multifaceted process that requires careful planning in order to provide the foundation that is critical for responsible innovation. By this point, we have discussed that while few realize this, adoption takes time. At the epicenter, YOU are integral to E-learning, without you, all you have is tech. Technology is esoteric and riddled with interoperability. This leads us to the next section, how to address this obnoxiously petulant elephant dancing in the classroom, the bane of existence for many, but not you! You will have this down cold, keep reading.
We Can’t Let it Go…It is too Important for the Future of Education: The Naughty I Word, “ Interoperability, Communication, & External Barriers to Execution
May I propose some new Frozen parody lyrics, I have my top assistant working on a music video. But, if you are so moved would love to hear other renditions. Privacy is far too important to simply “Let it Go.”
“The data glows red, on the web tonight, with breaches, everywhere. Privacy violations, but tech, doesn’t care.
F- E-R-P-A, States a duty to protect, without exempt purpose can’t defect
Don’t let tech say, they facilitate compliant ways, take them to task, and each day ask, why don’t you mask?
Pri- va -cy matters to me, why can’t you even you see? Pri-va-cy matters to me, if you don ‘t act where will we be?
I don’t care what your services say, Let the Courts come down….Seems you simply violate them anyway?”
The first three lessons discussed the human elements of change, the next three, privacy and compliance. Now, that you know the complexity of the issue at hand, I hope you can appreciate all of your own efforts! These next three lessons discuss what you need to know with respect to the tech to ensure seamless execution. I will share my practical experience in my quest to broadcast Blockchain presentations, re-iterate the steps, and discuss one of the barriers I hope to address through advocacy, the “Digital Divide.”
Lesson 7: Interoperability AKA: Dear Tech, Pretty, Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top, Will you Please Work?
The lack of Interoperability mirrors when two children are on the playground, and yet refuse to play nicely; your entire recess duty is devoted to work arounds for both. But, tech can be the most petulant child ever, far more difficult than any student. I get it.
Tech Roulette
Since 2018, I served as Director of Presentations organizing emerging technology events in the hub of a coworking ecosystem. Each Wednesday, I held my breath, would the tech work, or would I be trouble shooting while the audience patiently waited and called the experience “a perfect analogy to crypto,” to make me giggle. Oh, dear those presos were a form of Russian Roulette. I think most of the attendees thought that I was technology deficient. There were countless instances where the correct screen was not presenting, the stream wasn’t streaming, or the bandwidth was not compatible that day, and that does not even begin to explain the audio issues, (interference) e.g., when the presenter joined the stream twice, but could not locate the window, yep, that happened more than a few times, and it was loud, worse than Odysseus v. Sirens. Then, there were the recording issues. Why explain all of this, to ensure you know that despite state of the art equipment. For whatever reason, sometimes it worked, other times, not so much. The reason being, I did not understand where the issue of incompatibility resided.
It took awhile, but I learned the value of mapping out my needs and moved one step at a time. I felt terrible, I relentlessly researched each issue. Spoiler alert, it all came down to lack of interoperability, and unstable infrastructure. However, had I understood these needs and limitations right off the bat, I could have navigated them with ease. It took months to research and isolate each possible issue, configuration, RMPG, etc. There were many failed conclusions out of unaccounted for variables. Of course it worked when no one was around, except my buddies Coach or Martin, but not with a room full of attendees. The issues identified served as preliminary research. I had several hour long tech support calls with Microsoft on how to make the Surface Hub stream to Twitter, and play on the Shure speakers, when that did not work, I then had long calls with Zoom, in addition to privacy, the issue was bandwidth.
As I reflected, I began writing an article, “Dear Tech, Please Just Work,” where I charted everything that did not work in a gigantic mind map as I noted trends in interoperability. This serves as the foundation of my research to assist you. Suffice it to say, I promise I feel your pain. Simply look at my old Periscopes, they were a disaster, although, they did have pretty good analytics. While I remember being near tears in a few, if not for Athena. Just like I have repeatedly reinforced throughout this article, E-learning, or in my case presenting and livestreaming is a skill that takes time and has countless moving parts. It may not be clear which microphone, speaker, or screen is active. I get it. I 100% get it, more than you know, because sometimes technology simply just does not work. However, I learned valuable intel on ways to creatively work with, not around, various technologies. So, while I understand that Zoom offers you a free tool that looks like it just works, I caution you against zoom. The depths of their privacy both past and present are critically concerning. I have studied the company since July 2019. See Open Letter to 90K Educators.
I did not have a mentor that could facilitate task analysis, nor a coach, I had a patchwork of tech support. It did not go so well. It was partly my fault for providing incomplete data, because I was not sure what was, and was not working, which provided “Skinner’s Pigeon answers.” I did not realize what information was important versus insignificant. That led to a lot of confusion, as if Jimmy and his mother from “The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate The Wash,” called animal control. This leads us into Lesson 7: highlighting Communication:
Lesson 7: Three words that will freeze initiatives: Interoperability, Communication, & Execution. ICE
Think Office Space, “I am a people person.”
, It was a rollercoaster, but I learned so much about something I had studied for years, more than I could ever learn in any research study My very own “Freaky Friday,” coming full circle. [39]
Furthermore, E-learning is too important for edreform to let anyone quietly flounder. Unlike you, I did not have the privacy concerns as my pressos were public. But this element is sentinel to E-learning with efficacy! I deeply research privacy and consult with some of the most well versed on the subject. I can assist you in mapping out your plan, including ‘CTA’ documentation of the proper permissions and agreements. I will show you what tools I use, and how I ensure proper privacy compliance to protect student data when coaching. Then, I will guide your execution and adoption to work with your teaching style, so you may leverage your strengths and optimize your E-learning classroom operations, Boom! Each configuration is different, once we map out what you want/need/and your resources, we can figure out the next steps, and practice, practice, practice! When day one hits, you are off to the races!
Lesson 8: Let’s Herd Some Cats! Tech is “Like a Crazy Trust Exercise,” But you Will Charm the Infrastructure Gods With Super E-Learning Powers
Cat herding? Yes! With so many moving parts, can you think of a better analogy? Sans facial scars, of course!
“[E-LEARNING], don’t let anybody tell you it is easy…[E-learning] is about the toughest thing I have ever done…
You see the movies, you hear the stories. I’m living a dream. It ain’t an easy job. Not everyone can do what we do…”
Each of these cats represent different facets of your tech. Just as you skillfully address a continuum of students’ needs, you can address the continuum of E-learning, hybrid learning, and in-person learning, all of which span throughout these turbulent times, to ensure continuity of learning. In my quest for a solution I attended several webinars, consults, & tutorials. I also tried many demos.
Oh, my goodness! It was an adventure. Why tell you this? So that you know how long it takes to try to find a solution that works it is not easy to find the proper infrastructure and architecture to meet your needs/routines. It certainly is not an overnight fix, nor is it a one size fits all. Likely, this is why Zoom has been able to excel despite their highly questionable privacy practices.
Lucky you, I made near every mistake possible, and recorded all the “missing cats.” I can offer you a variety of options once I know your exact needs, and we can map the compliances with Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and even California Commercial Privacy Act (CCPA) or Illinois Biometric Privacy Information Act (BIPA) where applicable.[22] Until we get a EU General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR), which is what we really need. There are countless permutations of law and regulation State, Federal, and even county privacy law. I will walk you through these steps coach the same way I do in coaching students and parents in Education advocacy, but, I am a teacher at heart, not a technologist, so, I may be able to understand and translate your workflow better than others. Given this is my passion, and I seek to lobby for education reform, I would welcome the opportunity to assist.
This could be the defining moment of education, that thrusts forward all of the large scale initiatives that we’ve tried to execute for years, yet haven’t been able to because of various new expensive mandates or new policy initiatives. I will be the first to admit I’m not an expert on what to teach in the classroom. Sure, I have tons of resources and am happy to share, but for the last 14 years I’ve studied and applied learning and cognition to optimize and engage. My skill set is better aligned to coaching your methods, not content, unless it is emerging tech, e.g., Blockchain, digital assets, data privacy, and entrepreneurship, you teach, then, I got a guy for you! (My characteristic phrase as I connect.) I now coach clients, including students and entrepreneurs to leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses, through my eclectic mashup of Jigsaw Methodology, PLC, DAP, & PBL: I call it Engagement by Design, encompassing genuine collaboration versus professional dilution.
Step 1: Map Out Your Workflow
What if we can create a individualized program that works, is compliant, meets your District protocols, including the MVP, your GC, trust me, that person is your MVP in E-Learning, and WORKS for you the collective, encompassing your own little ecosystem of students? Oh, dear, I am now channeling my grad school professors, but I digress. Tell me, what would that look like; what would that sound like; what would that feel like; and what would both your’s and your students’ general disposition be? Let’s journey a bit further. Imagine how wonderful this would be if as students scoot off on vacation, family emergencies, or surgery and recovery you didn’t have to scramble to try to get the lessons together. Yes, we know you have the whole term mapped out, then reality hits, maybe just a tiny aberration, like a full moon, or new district initiative circa the TPS memo, but what if it was… a pandemic, hurricane, or other unforeseen event?[38] Bibbity-Bobbity Boo, all your carefully crafted plans evaporate! OR — what if they did not? What if you and your students were able to ebb and flow seamlessly, from in-person, to part-time, or fully remote learning as easy as changing your rain shower head’s stream?
Pendulums Swing to Evolve Content
These lessons, resources and tools are simply there, they are found within your content library. Remember when the idea of Learning Centers shook up assembly line curriculum? Oh, the backlash! We cannot have PLAY in our classrooms, that is FLUFF. Then it was simply computers. Wash rinse repeat. I theorize that had we embraced technology as part of the curriculum versus the prize after work or subrogated to quarterly elective that is, Tech Ed., our digital transformation would be much easier to digest.
Include Delivery
If need be, you can record lessons and place them on a playlist. Bam! You are now a learning DJ with a trove of differentiated, responsive lessons to meet any learner. You are basically an AI. You engage and remediate with ease, and enrichment, hey, you have that covered too! These lessons serve as your personal content library. Perhaps you trade with other educators or crowd source. No more, spending hours at the copy machine, the system and processes you identify will be your infrastructure. Sadly, COVID is not going away, so when the next wave hits, you seamlessly pivot like a boss because you are confident and understand the interoperability, and tools you are using, have practiced and you are ready to rock and roll. We have matched your workflow to your needs, you understand that Compliance is critical, you have read all of the EULA and encrypted the data. You only use apps that have been vetted by your GC, a trend you began at your school, and saved you a few million in damages for the misappropriation of data. Together we have each of your steps mapped out and have Fahoo, fore; dahoo dored, Mr. Grinchy pooh.
Lesson 9: External Barriers to Execution: All things are Not Created Equal,
Digital Divide Bridged
These techniques will help you to carry out E-Learning, even via the phones, as there are call in numbers, or you can create a podcast and burn them on to a cd with packets, like “old school” conference calls meet audio books. I can also help you with crowdfunding initiatives if you need. I have a few ideas. I know it is not ideal. I have my own thoughts on the best way to address the digital divide. You can find them in the article.
In sum, the “Digital Divide may be the next Brown v. The Board of Education, (1954), which overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, [27][34] If you are unfamiliar, check out my favorite history buff, Hip Hughes. Id.
I also have a crazy outside the box policy solution, but I digress. (Policy & Privacy are my passion, especially in Education). We cannot let our quest for technology erode privacy, we cannot allow another In Bloom, a failed venture from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation that aggregated vast quantities of data, yet served as a potential privacy disaster.
So far this year, laws limiting or banning the sharing of student data with marketing firms or other third parties have passed in eight states, including New York, Virginia, and Kentucky; dozens more have similar legislation pending, and Big Data is starting to feel the backlash. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” says Aimee Rogstad Guidera, executive director of Data Quality Campaign, a nonprofit that advocates for the use of data in education. Id.
One of my favorite researchers, Daniel Solove, said it best:
“Any company trying to do business with K-12 schools where privacy is involved is like a company trying to build a world-class research facility in the middle of an untamed jungle. There is no privacy infrastructure in K-12 schools. This is akin to there being no roads, no running water, no electricity, no police system, no fire protection, and no hospitals. The lack of this infrastructure is what doomed inBloom. Unlike other industries, K-12 schools lack effective privacy regulation” Id.
Lesson 9: External Barriers, e.g., the Digital Divide are fundamental to E-learning. Responsible innovation and student privacy will revolutionize education, fast and loose data practices and laws will destroy same.
Alternatively, this is best explained, albeit not in the privacy context, from the Barenaked Ladies. [33]
“Don’t accidentally do things that you will later regret. Oh you did?”
“Now you are informed, and you have been warned. Oh, wait you did.” [33]
I hope I’ve offered you inspiration and reaffirmed your understanding that if it didn’t go so well in the last 60 days, no problem! That was not E-Learning. To sum it up, did you know, 7,8,9? That was a favorite song on my playlist and always one that we sang at our Kindergarten Graduation! [31][33]
Lesson 10 : You Can Do It: Humility, Humor, Perseverance, & Genuine Collaboration
Education is a Unique Microcosm
While I have not been in the classroom for years, I fondly recall all the special things educators do to make their students adore school. I cannot imagine how this transition must have felt for teachers, students, or families, the classroom celebrations e.g., the 100th Day, or in my case, ’99 Was So Yesterday,’ because I was always the “zebra,” birthday crowns marked for the year, solo ensembles postponed, pep-rallies on video, and uncelebrated snack days. Please know what you do everyday in the classroom is not lost on me. What you do to make students shine cannot be explained, I understand this too. Your world and theirs, have all been disrupted, postponed, and then, disrupted again. Sadly, Covid is here to stay. Some districts have discussed rotating students through such as kindergarten, am and pm, or T/Th M/W. Others have spoken of 50 days on, 30 off, whatever the situation, if you take the summer to transform your craft, or as entrepreneurs say, pivot, you will crush your next school year, despite Covid-19. I so deeply hope that this is the defining moment of education, which thrusts forward all of the change we have sought for so long.
I will coach you in any way I can. Simply DM, happy to assist as you navigate and will have virtual office hours, click here to make an appointment. I have much more to say on these matters, but we can save those for a follow up.
Lesson 10: You got this; YOU can do it
YOU did it!
Resources Consulted
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxEAt91D7k
[2]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256004.Between_Parent_and_Child
[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1997/11/the-reading-wars/376990/
[4] https://www.scribd.com/document/455778719/Drieu-v-Zoom-Video-Communications-20-cv-02353
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUZswZHsWQ
[6] https://twitter.com/LulaEDUcate/status/1241553298567684096?s=20
[7] https://youtu.be/aeH1E-Zn-lg
[8] https://youtu.be/ZOzzRlc_qho tech2
[9] https://youtu.be/11qBpDVvnKY
[10] https://www.bestproducts.com/parenting/kids/g1208/best-dr-seuss-books/
[11] https://www.seussville.com/characters/the-lorax/
[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UdtjkRdo7I
[13] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-one-can-explain-why-planes-stay-in-the-air/
[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN-ZktmjIfE
[15]https://tenor.com/oK7I.gif
[16] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/luminous-things/201702/successful-change-dumbos-feather
[17] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/luminous-things/201702/successful-change-dumbos-feather
[18]https://twitter.com/NeilDiamond/status/1241584423927074818?s=20
[19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MaJDK3VNE
[20] https://youtu.be/mJ3OI1V9QPI
[21] https://youtu.be/T48KFiHwexM?t=1988
[23]https://www.scribd.com/document/455797839/Epic-Ftc-Zoom-Apr2020-Epic-Ftc-Zoom-Apr2020
[25] https://studentprivacypledge.org/signatories/
[26] https://teachprivacy.com/inbloom-die-hard-lesson-education-privacy/
[27] https://medium.com/lula-co/in-the-land-of-law-the-leaves-were-brown-8de6a9710bd5
[28]https://medium.com/lula-co/exacting-privacy-a-40-year-quest-8db49c2d66e6
[29] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcIMIyQnOso
[30] https://www.consumerreports.org/video-conferencing-services/zoom-teleconferencing-privacy-concerns/
[31] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirYt88a0Pc&feature=youtu.be
[32] https://youtu.be/wPh_6_u98tI
[33] https://youtu.be/lDBWB_gUdMY
[34] https://youtu.be/lUTZmSyDErg
[35] https://youtu.be/6BBEz3Ne-zY
[36] https://twitter.com/LulaEDUcate/status/1238898394954895360?s=20
[37] https://twitter.com/LulaEDUcate/status/1238898394954895360?s=20
