Choosing a Path

My family takes a trip to Death Valley NP every year for a family reunion. While we were there this year we went on a new trail we had never been on. As we drove I this gravelly, bumpy road, we started looking over the next hill for the end. We were hoping for this amazing end to a slow, bumpy trip. It never came on this road. Many times the roads we take end up somewhere, but this one didn't.
I always wonder why is it about a new road that keeps us going on it? Is it that someone told us it would be amazing? Do we have hope it will get better? Or do we just do it because it is the road we have always been on and do not know how to get off it? What if we didn't even get on this road? Would we know what we were missing?
So what does this have to do with education or technology? When a new technology comes out we need to decide what road we are going to take? Is the technology going to be better or will it be a dead end? Will it be something great as we use it, or will be need to get rid of it and move to something else.
There are so many options out there and they keep adding more all the time. Here are a few tips I try to use.
• Make sure the tech you want to use works for you.
• A piece of technology should not add to your work, or the kids work, but become part of your program easily.
• If an app can take the place of something else, or a few something else's, use it.
• Try out each new piece of tech before giving it to a student. Have your kids use it. Make a "New App" team of students to test them out. You will find out what works and how interesting it really is.
Whatever road we are on, or tech we use, we need to know what know what our plan is. If it keeps on going on forever and doesn't improve the student learning, we might want to take a new road. We might want to even try a new road. Technology is here and we need to use it wisely. Get on the road, but choose how far you will go when it gets bumpy. It might be worth the wait? Or not.
Note: Seth Godin wrote a book that is similar to this subject. It's called "The Dip". I would suggest it.