This week I had the opportunity to participate in an epic EdTech event, our county’s annual #TechRodeo. This is the 4th annual iteration of this one day conference for educators. My support staff and I felt prepared and relatively relaxed in the days leading up to the event, mentioning to each other, “It’s not our first rodeo!”. In pursuing continual improvement, our team has developed replicable systems for logistics regarding registrations, emails to attendees and presenters, catering plans, signage, scheduling, and more. If “practice makes perfect”, it could be said that we have designed what appears to be a “perfect” system. I have even worn the same cowboy boots and western shirt to each year of the event!
Is Perfection the Goal?
It would be simple for us to rest on our laurels, to view the increasingly positive feedback each year as a reason to believe we have “arrived”, that we have it all figured out. Following our first year, we could have pursued continual “perfection” of the event as it stood. It was well received and both presenters and attendees were excited about the event in the year to come. And yet, it is the pursuit to deliver the perfect conference that can inhibit innovation. This is the case in the classroom as well. The moment we believe our lesson plan is “perfect” from years of practice, we stop our professional development. And we send the message that a final product, one that appears perfectly polished, is more important than learning.
This year, an innovation was added to Tech Rodeo. During the morning breakout sessions for educators, an inaugural student event occurred simultaneously at the same school site. The event was called Student Tech Showdown. Educators in attendance at the conference were invited to observe this event in action, to inspire them to create similar learning experiences for students in their own classrooms.
Innovation Must Serve a Purpose
It was not an easy feat to design and facilitate this innovation, but I was confident that it was a great move for both adult and student learners. We should not innovate merely for the sake of innovating. Many educators fall into the trap of buying cool new shiny tech because it is “cool”. I fell into the same trap as an administrator. But I have learned that in accordance with design thinking, it is vital we begin with empathy, to consider the “end user”, those we serve. “Cool” tools are great, but they must be connected to a greater purpose, the benefit of our learners.
I am grateful that our county student event coordinator and a few other staff members were willing to take this risk with me, to support this newly designed student event. It would not have been possible for this event to run without their assistance and commitment to those we serve.
Students Engage in Design Thinking
Once students began the event, it appeared to run smoothly. We had assigned each team a county issued Chromebook with a unique username and password. Students were given three randomly selected apps that were to be included in the creation of an on the spot presentation. After this design time, students gave and received feedback from other teams. They then had a time to iterate and refine their presentation based on the feedback. Finally, a three minute presentation was delivered to judges and a room full of parents and other students.
The students went right to work. Each team was deeply engaged in all aspects of the event. Student creativity was clear as teams approached the task in different ways. And it was inspiring to watch students thoughtfully participate in a feedback protocol. This new innovation appeared to be going well. Educators in attendance at Tech Rodeo commented favorably about the student event. Parents enjoyed watching their students design and learn.
Innovation May Be Messy
The time came for students to present their presentation to a room of judges, parents, and peers. It began well. It was exciting to watch the ingenuity of how students had designed a brief presentation that included Google Maps, Google Sheets, and Screencastify. But then, we had technical problems. Our brand new Chromebooks were not communicating well with the TVs in the judging room. We ran behind schedule. My heart began to pound as I observed the silent room of parents and coaches. As an attempt to lighten the mood, I began to ask the students questions about what they thought about the event. I thanked them for their patience in this first year of Student Tech Showdown. Students smiled and told me that it was challenging but rewarding. They indicated that they had learned a great deal by solving a problem, and by collaborating across teams. They said that the time limits made them nervous, but that it kept them going. I asked if they wanted to come back again. Each team gave a resounding “yes”!
Make Changes One Step at a Time
Innovation is best done incrementally. Our county office staff felt comfortable moving forward with the Student Tech Showdown iteration is because we had already developed successful systems for the Tech Rodeo portion of the conference. Additionally, we started small. Improvement science teaches us it is most effective to pilot small changes, and then refine them before scaling the work. This first year, we had 9 teams for the student event. We did not do a large amount of promotion for the event. This allows us to implement, observe, and iterate in order to lead to future success on a larger scale.
Perfection is not the goal of design thinking. Successful innovation occurs when we continue to evolve our work, to refine again and again. This message is applicable to educators, and to students as well. Take small risks, adapt to the needs of those you serve, and reject the pursuit for perfection.