Technology Expertise: On a scale of 1 to 10?

In class the other night, Dr. Sally Hipp, the Graduate Teacher Certification coordinator at GVSU, told us a story about her interview at the College of Education. One of the interview questions was, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your technology skills?” Her answer- “I can do everything I need to do.” Simple, if not vague. But she brought up an interesting point. She didn’t have a hard time figuring out what someone given a score of zero would look like. However, what is a ten?

She encouraged us to turn and speak with the people we were sitting near. I turned around in my chair to a fellow classmate sitting in the row directly behind me. He is a fairly new teacher, and through other discussions, I know teaching was his second career. Immediately he declared himself to be a 7 or an 8, because he knows how to build a computer, can do some basic computer programming, and is pretty good on the internet.

To me, I don’t see “technology” as a narrow enough field that you could ever consider yourself approaching a 10. When I consider technology, the more I read and learn and share thinking with other educators and educational technologists, the broader I realize the field truly is. I remember hearing once that centuries ago, it was possible to know pretty much everything there is to know. Today, it’s impossible. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several technological fields in which I know nothing: 3D animation, web database programming and online security, iPhone app development, and robotics. And these are the fields in which I know I don’t know anything. What about all of the technologies that I don’t even know exist, much less know anything about operating them?

In my grad classes, we have also discussed the true meaning of educational technology. The Definition and Terminology Committee of the Association

for Educational Communications and Technology gives educational technology the following definition:

Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.

In other words, educational technology includes processes, including learning theories, and systematic and systemic changes. Pretty much it includes any kind of research.

Putting all of this in perspective, I know relatively little about technology. Yes, I can get the digital projector to connect to my laptop, know how to edit video using a limited number of video editing software, and can do what I need to do in Photoshop, but I really don’t know squat. I guess I would say, I can do everything I need to be able to do. I give myself a 2.