On Feb 15th, the Center for Educational Technology (CET) at DePaul University hosted our annual Tech Fair, inviting faculty, staff, and students from the College of Education and across the university to socialize, demo tools and gadgets, connect with organizations, and participate in a discussion on educational technology.
This year, Robots and Virtual/Augmented Reality joined our list of new participants, giving students and faculty hands-on play time, a chance to chat about the applications of new hardware, and greater awareness of extended university/edTech resources.
Additionally, during the final hour of the Tech Fair, our SMART board went from demo space to virtual meeting space when three panelists discussed ideas about what we mean when we say “educational technology” and its applications. Instructional design and educational technology aren’t just magic things to add to improve a course, and so we wanted to explore different perspectives on the matter.
Dr. Amber Settle (DePaul University, CDM), Dr. Erin Mason (Georgia State University, CEHD), and Dr. Roxanne Owens (DePaul University, COE) talked about how they got into their respective fields, as well as their interest in educational technology and what the term means to them. We then explored ideas and common misconceptions when it comes to integrating pedagogy and technology, whether in the field of computational thinking, counseling, or teacher education.
Even when it came to discussing tools, each panelist reminded us that the human factor is critical and that the bigger questions must be addressed before picking the tool. “What is the problem I’m trying to address?” and “why should I/my students care?” instead of “how can I use this app?”
And lest we spend too much time talking about visualizing tools or simulation software, the game-changing significance of universal access technologies was also highlighted. Designing learning environments and implementing technologies so that it can be accessed and understood to the greatest extent possible by all people has had a truly momentous impact on education.
Our Tech Fair serves as a way to connect different ideas and perspectives on edTech. It’s wonderful to see future teachers get excited about ways they can better engage their students or feel more prepared to face the challenges that await them in front of the classroom. As educators, learning from those outside of our own disciplines can be a powerful way to not only be a more effective instructor, but also increase collaboration opportunities locally and globally.