Mountain Biking as a Metaphor for Technology in Education

This Saturday I woke to a glorious September morning.  Despite having a blog post to compose for EC&I 831, I decided to try to sneak in an hour at the local trails.  When I got there I couldn't believe how much they had changed in the month or so since I had been there last.  I suppose that really should not have surprised me.  I have been visiting Wascana Trails regularly since the late 1990s, and in that time the landscape of the entire region has almost completely changed.

As I pedaled from the parking lot I could not get over how rusty I felt on the bike.  The trails were faster than I recalled, with rocks and bumps in places I did not remember.  Some of the trails looked more worn than others. Some had been blocked or rerouted.  New trails emerged around corners I had never visited.  As I settled in I began to regain my groove.   I headed down the hill and passed a number of different people.  Some were using bikes older than mine, while others were riding models straight from the bike shop.  Riders of all levels and abilities were using the trails in many different ways.  I started to wave to familiar faces and passed along greetings to new people I met along the way.  One person pointed me towards a new trail I had never tried before.

With limited time for exploration, I was forced into making some decisions.  Do I stick to the tried and true favourites, or explore paths not yet ventured?  Do I follow the map, or set out in my own direction creating new trails?  In the end, I decided to focus most of my attention on what was comfortable.  However, I did manage to try out a few new paths.  One of them was great - full of new and interesting challenges.  Another one was not quite the right fit.  I decided that with a newer bike (or better skills) I might be willing to try it again sometime in the future.  Who knows - perhaps it is destined to become one of my favourites.  One trail I did not like at all.  Oh well, at least I tried.

As I began to make my way back to the trailhead I came across a familiar path which had been closed to traffic.  This section of trail was once a key method for getting from a wooded section of the park back to the parking lot.  I was surprised to see it closed, with arrows pointing the direction to a different trail - a new way to get to the same destination.

Throughout my ride, I couldn't stop thinking about how my visits to Wascana Trails have paralleled my ideas surrounding the use of technology in the classroom.

The classrooms I am in today are completely different from the ones I began in back in the late 1990s.  Newer technologies have ushered in completely different ways of structuring classrooms, classes, and entire schools.  New methodologies are continuously being explored.  Some work well and are adopted, while others are tried and forgotten.  "Essential" equipment becomes obsolete.  I can't remember the last time I loaded up a videotape for a lesson, or sent a document to central office by fax.

I would like to think that my time out at the trails also draws comparisons between my personal use of technology in the classroom.  I know with limited instruction time to spare, I can't spend all of my time exploring the latest and greatest in the world of technology.  So I need to pick and choose, and try to incorporate some new ideas into my teaching.  I realize not all of it will work.  Some of it will be great and will become something I will revisit time and time again.  Others may not be the right fit for me at that time, but may be something I choose to use later as my level of technology integration becomes greater.  Still others may be total flops, but at least I know that I tried.

As much as I enjoy hitting the trails on my own, nothing compares to riding with a friend: someone who pushed me to explore new paths and challenges me to try things out of my comfort zone.  As I delve into the world of social media, I know I will see a few familiar "faces", and I'm hoping to connect with many new people who can point me in directions I had never thought to travel before.  I realize that I will encounter people of varying skill and comfort levels, but I am comforted by the thought that we are all out exploring an area we are passionate about.

Accomplishments This Week

• participated in my first online graduate level class
• completed my first personal blog entry
• joined Google+
• created an IF This Then That account and synced my Blogger, Twitter, and Delicious accounts together
•  made numerous Twitter connections with EC&I classmates (including one of my former students from elementary school)
• was followed on Twitter by @rmbyrne after updating my personal profile and adding comments to my retweets
• reflected on numerous blogs posts, articles, tweets, and videos
•  commented on various Tweets and Google+ posts