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kward
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'Wicked' Technology Problems
August 12, 2009 @ 12:09 PM
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Researchers Rittel & Webber (1973) have described teaching with technology as a 'wicked problem' in contrast to a 'tame' problem (such as those in mathematics, chess, etc) because:
1) Technology often has incomplete and changing requirements for success.
2) Solutions are difficult to realize because of complex interdependencies (laptops/tablets + internet access).
3) The solution to one challenge or problem often presents another, even more complex, problem.
They state that the biggest mistake an educator can make when tackling a wicked problem is to think of it as 'tame' and one that can be solved in a traditional or conventional manner.
Can you connect this description to one of your own experiences? Describe a 'wicked technology problem' that you have faced since you became a 1-to-1 teacher. Under which of the 3 descriptors above would you connect your experience?
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jskafidas
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Re: \\\'Wicked\\\' Technology Problems
August 12, 2009 @ 05:09 PM
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The “wicked” problem I find with technology is that there are so many possible ways to do something. Once you’ve learned the basics of how to do something and tried it on your own, you find there’s a better way or that you are limited in what you hoped to accomplish. This long education process with little results is frustrating.
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kevin.freed
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Re: \\\'Wicked\\\' Technology Problems
August 12, 2009 @ 09:46 PM
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I agree with the previous post that it can be intimidating at times because there are so many ways you might use technology to do something. In my 2 yrs as a 1 to 1 teacher, I've found myself faced with this situation several times. 2 yrs ago I used a publishing program with students to produce a school newspaper. They submitted articles to me for editing, and I assembled it all to be printed out. Each edition looked great with color illustrations and good stories, but I wanted the students to do more. The next year we set up a website with the publisher template on it. The students could go in and type their stories, add photos or illustations. I could edit, but I also had some students take on this task as well. We published it online to save paper. It was easier for me and better for them. As I learn more I expect I'll find even better ways to produce this newspaper.
This post was edited on: 2009-08-12 at 09:47 PM by: kevin.freed
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kevin.freed
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Re: \'Wicked\' Technology Problems
August 12, 2009 @ 10:03 PM
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The other point I want to make about my ability to try to see these wicked tech problems as if "the glass is half full" has to do with several key factors present at my current school. First we have a very competent and available "tech staff" of three full time people. Each of them has come to my rescue often. They are all good listeners; 1 of them suggested I use the webpage for the school newspaper problem I described in the previous post. The other key factors are that our administration supports professional development, encourages risk-taking and innovation, and encourages collaboration among faculty and even students (A 7th grader taught an elective course last yr on special effects in videos). We are all on this learning journey together.
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karenjward1
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Re: \'Wicked\' Technology Problems
August 13, 2009 @ 08:16 AM
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You are right...although researchers have cloned the phrase 'wicked problem' and have given the term some paramaters, my biggest issue with all of this has been my ability to learn and adapt quickly enough to meet the needs of my students. The predominant element in my own professional 'wicked problem' experience has been twofold:
1) Learning how to think differently as the pedagogical design expert in my classroom, and
2) being patient with my own abilities as my students and I discovered more potential possibilities for 1-to-1 learning...possibilities that always empowered my students to achieve at higher levels.
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timplatt
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Re: \'Wicked\' Technology Problems
August 13, 2009 @ 09:15 AM
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I think it's interesting that the originators of the term "wicked" to describe the use of technology did so in 1973. The big (wicked) technology that I remember encountering as a high school student then was the introduction of calculators into my physics class. We were the first AP physics class not to use slide rules. To this day, I have no idea how a slide rule works, even though I have my grandfather's beautiful ivory one somewhere. Technology in the classroom has only gotten more wicked since then!
And why "wicked" - with all its negative connotations? Were Rittel and Webber anti-technology? If the opposite of a wicked problem is a tame one, why didn't they use "wild"?
I think the wickedness of technology is what makes teaching with it so exciting. There is no way that teachers who use technology in the classroom can ever get set in their ways or be bored teaching the same thing every year. Technology keeps us young and keeps us learning, which is what all good teachers need to be doing.
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kevin.freed
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Re: \'Wicked\' Technology Problems
August 13, 2009 @ 05:57 PM
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Susan,
Thanks for sharing so many resources with us during this course. I really like a lot of what I read in the article "How to Grow Your Own Blog." I'm amazed that this teacher of 8th graders gives them so much freedom to create their own blogs. I imagine some of them do incredible work in part because they have a teacher who has plenty of experience with blogging. I'm not there yet. I also have questions about how he would evaluate his students' work. I imagine he has some kind of rubric? I know I need to take more time and go back to his site to peruse it some more. That will probably help me find some answers to my questions. I may be too conservative, but I want to start more simply this year and just get a blog or wiki growing/going with my students. I appreciate you sharing models of how others do this. These help me begin to envision my next steps. Thanks,
Kevin
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