As EdTech leaders, more now than EVER, we need to help manage the hype and help our other leaders through decision making. Scott McLeod re-posted some 2008 thoughts on this, which has sparked me to think and share a bit on it. (Referencing this 2008 article on Dangerously Irrelevant, cross posted at the TechLearning Blog. ). I see the importance rising due to many factors, but mostly because – on the whole, prices are dropping on most technologies (see Moore’s Law). Gartner’s Hype Cycle (see image below) also put’s some method to the madness – on predictions of how technologies “usually” play out (see Wikipedia info).
My team is planning some pretty relevant 1||1 conversations and presentation sessions, many conversations are based on the assumptions of “Managing the Hype” I’ll admit it, it is VERY hard to manage the excitement, drama, and hype. (make the mental picture of people standing in line for days to get the new iPhone…)
Picture of the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF), was buit to isolate astronauts until it was determined they were germ free after returning to earth. This MQF (gotta love those government acronyms!) got me thinking about whether we technology early adopters need a self-imposed moratorium on talking about new technology tools, at least in certain settings. One of the most common refrains heard from teachers or administrators who listen to us talk or blog about all of these new cool tools is “Why do I care about this as an educator?” In our eagerness to share our nearly-palpable glee and excitement, we often struggle to adequately answer the “So what?” question in ways that are substantive and meaningful to the average teacher or administrator.
So when a new tool comes out – Twitter, Diigo, whatever – maybe we should hold off for a bit before we start blabbing to educators who don’t live as close to the ed tech edge as we do.
Today’s Example: How many of us, went out and downloaded the iOS 5 update as soon as possible. I’ll admit, I wanted to see if the AirShare feature was as good as I thought it would be. Drum roll please… yes, it is. But, do I go out and pump the hype for folks to buy an Apple TV per classroom ($99) to leverage this new feature. NOPE! …but I do continue to get real reviews from all stakeholders in the learning experience – Students, Teachers, Tech Specialists, and more. I’ll be interested to see what our Tech Specialist’s view is on the support.
Nonetheless, my message is to manage the hype. Wether that is internally with yourself (myself) or with your other leaders. But do it in a great way. Don’t put the breaks or hurdles up (to stop the excitement)… Manage it. Handle it. Keep the innovation and creativity moving full steam ahead, in a SMART, responsible, non-reckless way. I know, it’s very tough – but certainly worth the thought.