#if Ed's lesson is for us then the theory Al presents is for their world

[qwuilleran]

I finally watched it and I am kicking my little atheist child self for writing it off solely for its use of the Christian Sins. I might have been profoundly affected by the lesson of pay it forward.

listen…i’ll probably never get over how good brotherhood’s first opening was

[taylorafergus]

Fashion: The Fast and the Furiously Unsustainable - Week 7

Haute couture has always been a relatively respected and "staid affair" of which consisted of leading fashion houses crafting garments that cost upwards of hundreds and thousands of dollars (Sull and Turconi 2008, pg. 5). These astronomical prices provide buyers and wearers with feelings of exclusivity and contribute to a greater sense of social and cultural acceptance. 

Up until the late 1980s, fashion apparel retailers had utilised their knowledge of the industry and its market in a bid to forecast consumer demand and fashion trends in order to remain competitive (cited in Bhardwaj and Fairhurst 2010, pg. 165). Fast-forward 20 years and the fashion industry requires a new lens to view, understand and predict its market. The dynamics of this evolving industry have "forced retailers to desire low cost and flexibility in design, quality, and speed to market [all of which act as] key strategies to maintain a profitable position in the increasingly demanding market" (Bhardwaj and Fairhurst 2010, pg. 165). Retailers have revolutionised the fashion apparel industry by following a strategy known as 'fast fashion' - the democratisation of couture in "bringing trendy, affordable items to the masses" - which consequently bears its own set of harmful and unethical practices (Sull and Turconi 2008, pg. 5). As an antipode to such a strategy, the 'slow fashion' movement was established and continues to gain mainstream attention and traction.

Figure 1. Shopping GIF. Source; Giphy c. 2020.

Firms and fashion houses in the fast fashion apparel industry - such as Zara, Fashion Nova, UNIQLO and H&M -  have increasingly embraced the philosophy of 'fast fashion' retailing. The term 'fast fashion' describes a new and accelerated fashion apparel business model. The strategy involves the "increased numbers of new fashion collections every year [ - typically crafted to emulate current, high-cost luxury fashion trends - ], quick turnarounds and often lower prices" (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee 2019, pg. 6). The aim is to react rapidly, theoretically overnight, in order to develop new products to meet consumer demands and fashion trends before they become yesterday's news. Fast fashion companies thrive off of fast cycles: "rapid prototyping, small batches combined with a large variety, more efficient transportation and delivery, and merchandise that is presented ‘floor-ready’ on hangers with price tags already attached" (cited in Joy et al. 2012, pg. 275). This combined with increasing consumerism has brought forth a dangerous ethos for both consumers and the planet; that is, the adopted mindset of a 'throw-away' culture that encourages over-consumption (Xue 2018, pg.9).

The fast fashion industry is fundamentally unsustainable and unethical. Textile production plays a larger contributing factor to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined. Additionally, the process requires large volumes of fresh drinking water and is a major chemical and plastic pollutant (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee 2019, pg. 3). To put that into context - It costs 2,700 litres of fresh drinking water to make one cotton T-shirt, which is enough water for one person for a 900 day period (Gbor c. 2020). Australians alone "dispose of 6,000 kilograms of fashion and textile waste every 10 minutes" (Gbor c. 2020). Further, the working conditions of such an industry are no better. "Most garment production is done in developing countries, which do not have strict rules for worker safety, wage regulations or child protection" which is commonly exploited (Gaitho c. 2020).

One medium that plays a contributing factor in the proliferation of the fast fashion industry is Instagram. The trends gaining traction within the fashion industry are highly influenced by, and dependent on, media and celebrities. The rapid adoption of technologies and their increasing accessibility to the internet and social media ultimately contribute to a higher ‘trend’ awareness among consumers (cited in Léa et al. 2018, pg. 8). Fashion inspiration is no longer monopolised by seasonal fashion shows, glossy magazines and photoshoots. Further, the Fashion Retail Academy argues that Instagram has grown into one of the "top sources of fashion inspiration, with nearly a fifth (17%) of people using it to find the latest trends" (cited in Skeldon 2019). Additionally, fast fashion houses have jumped at the opportunity to partner with some of the most influential users of the platform by adopting a strategy called 'influencer marketing' which is commonly employed with individuals of ‘microcelebrity’ status.  The term 'influencer marketing' refers to the phenomenon of utilising influential individuals, who are active users online and are willing to share brand messages with their following (cited in Léa et al. 2018, pg. 7).

Figure 2. Big Brother Frankie GIF. Source; Giphy c. 2020.

Consumers are becoming increasingly disenchanted with their mindless consumption and disposal of fashion goods and its impact on society (Joy et al. 2012, pg. 277). Slow fashion, interchangeably referred to as sustainable fashion and ethical fashion was introduced as an antipode to the fast fashion industry (Lai et al. 2017, pg. 82). Sustainable fashion refers to ‘goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life-cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations’ (cited in Lai et al. 2017, pg. 83). Consumers are increasingly seeking ethical and sustainable alternatives to the goods and services they encounter daily such as food, makeup, fashion etc. 

Fast fashion is a blatantly unsustainable and unethical industry that depends on the ignorance of consumers in identifying the true costs of staying ‘on-trend’ - the planet and the quality of life of others.

Figure 3. Fashion Upcycling Sticker GIF. Source; Giphy c. 2020.

References.

‘Big Brother Frankie’ [GIF], in Giphy c. 2020, influencer, Giphy, viewed the 4th of May 2020, <https://giphy.com/gifs/globaltv-big-brother-social-media-4T3QViZYrTGfcHEnnC>

Bhardwaj, V, Fairhurst A 2010, 'Fast fashion: response to changes in the fashion industry', The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 01st of February 2010, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 165-173

'Fashion Upcycling Sticker' [GIF], in Giphy c. 2020, fast fashion, Giphy, viewed the 4th of May 2020, <https://giphy.com/stickers/sustainable-ethical-zerrin-YlT2C6hzYI1xXxanjj>

Gaitho, M c. 2020, 'Unethical Fashion: Exploitation of Women and Children', Fabric of the World, viewed the 3rd of May 2020, <http://www.fabricoftheworld.com/unethical-fashion-learn-how-the-textile-industrys-practices-are-hazardous-to-workers/>

Gbor, N c. 2020, 'War on Waste: It’s time to step off the fashion trend-mill', ABC, viewed the 3rd of May 2020, <http://about.abc.net.au/war-on-waste-its-time-to-step-off-the-fashion-trend-mill/>

House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee 2019, 'Fixing fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability', House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Sixteenth Report of Session 2017–19, 5th of February, viewed the 2nd of May 2020, <https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf>

Joy, A, Sherry, JF, Venkatesh, A, Wang, J, Chan, R 2012, 'Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands', Fashion Theory, 1st of September 2012, vol.16, no. 3, pp. 273-295

Lai, Z, Henninger, C, Alevizou, P 2017, ‘An Exploration of Consumers’ Perceptions Towards Sustainable Fashion – A Qualitative Study in the UK’, (eds) Henninger, C, Alevizou, P, Goworek, H, Ryding, D (eds), in Sustainability in Fashion A Cradle to Upcycle Approach, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 81-101

Léa, C, Malek, P, Runnvall, L 2018, 'Influencers impact on decision- making among generation Y and Z Swedish females when purchasing fast fashion.', Jönköping University: Bachelor’s Degree Project in Business Administration, 21st of May, viewed the 3rd of May 2020, <https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f5fa/d75c4891a71b6c9f3781f75a13f4666ff846.pdf.>

‘Shopping GIF’ [GIF], in Giphy c. 2020, shopping, Giphy, viewed the 4th of May 2020, <https://giphy.com/gifs/pretty-girls-hair-13SrduL7iVarT2>

Skeldon, P 2019, 'Social influencers have led to the rise in fast fashion, with 30% of shoppers using Instagram for inspiration', Internet Retailing, viewed the 3rd of May 2020, <https://internetretailing.net/mobile-theme/mobile-theme/social-influencers-have-led-to-the-rise-in-fast-fashion-with-30-of-shoppers-using-instagram-for-inspiration-20388>

Sull, D, Turconi, S 2008, 'Fast fashion lessons', Business Strategy Review, June 2008, vol.19, no. 2, pp. 4-11

Xue, S 2018, 'Ethical Fashion in the Age of Fast Fashion', Digital Commons @ Connecticut College, viewed the 2nd of May 2020, <https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=arthp>

[alyssabct]

Reflective Journaling The Kolb Cycle

A Creative Technology Experience: Cards for Play

The Bachelor of Creative Technologies has deconstructed the pre-established methodology and learning process that was ingrained in me since kindergarten. Our first studio project, Cards for Play, was a deeply meaningful experience, significant to my creative process.  

From the beginning, I was stuck in my own paradigmatic thinking. When told to ‘design’ you try to become the ‘designer’: How does one think like a designer? What is their creative process? Unsurprisingly none of us knew what that meant. We had been so overconfident in our abilities and concept but didn’t know how to conceptualise a successful idea that followed an intent. Instead of trying to create the final project, we turned to Who would it be for? And Why? We decided on three main aesthetics of play and formed a statement of intent. Doing so, established guidelines for our concepts.

We then began working on our concept: Teamwork Trivia. In hours, we created a working prototype ready to test. Teamwork Trivia went under many modifications and had gone through several play-tests; from this, we were able to iterate and improve our cards until we were happy with its conclusion. I was given, without accord, the cumbersome role of the designer. I had to create the design for the cards, design the rule sheet, film, voice and edit the video explaining how to play Teamwork Trivia. What I found was that the design process for the cards themselves was quite an iterative process:

In my first design, the colours didn’t make sense, as Humans tend to associate and connote meaning behind certain colours. This led me to research more thoroughly into different ideas around colour theory. After revising my old design two more modifications were made before the final design was settled.

Observation and Analysis

The first observation to be made is how our group managed to become organised and focused. I credit the lecturers who took their time to explain design thinking. The activities that revisited the importance of intent and purpose, reinforced and established our direction and foundation for our project. I also have to credit my self directed study. I put emphasis on rereading and taking notes from the lecture slides, readings and videos we were directed to bring out more of my understanding of the brief. Communication in our group was essential. I found that everyone was keen to hear ideas and there was never a lack of them. Constant communication through all modes was extremely effective, we communicated through post-it notes and messages and could also spend long discussions to pave a direction we all were confident in.

Communication leads me into my next observation: working in a male-dominated group. I had gone to a single-sex school for 7 years and I had only just begun to make male friends. Joining this group meant I was the only female in a group of 5 males. I felt that at first this brought discomfort, I was too girly, too giggly and too flamboyant. Shortly after, I felt welcome and less alone, some of them even joining in on some of my strange vernacular, a small victory for me. Critically, I wish I had spoken up on comments, behaviour and quick remarks that had made me feel uncomfortable. Going into technology I knew that it would be male-dominated and that I would and may always have to work my up from what I am perceived to be worth. I believe that’s why from the first day I tried so hard. I worked so hard to be more than a girl, more than a team member. I knew I wanted to be invaluable. It’s not an ambition I abhor but one that I should be wary of, sometimes making an impact just requires you do the best you can.It has always been evident that the STEM world is male-dominated and has been for centuries. It is also evidenced that women exhibit strong passive and submissive behaviour when they find themselves the minority of a workplace. A study conducted about how women behave, work, and communicate in the office, found that women, by far, use passive language over their male counterparts. And secondly, that women complete 10% more tasks than men. Even when 54.9% of tasks are assigned to women, compared to 45.1% assigned to men. (Hoffman, P, (2018) I believe that this evidence does ring true to my assumptions beforehand that there is pressure to work harder than men, that women feel obligated to show their worth whilst also being passive to the behaviours around them.

Reflect and Learn

Breaking Paradigms Paradigms are our common knowledge, a methodology that we can apply to the present. But paradigms can be restrictive, a notion we explored in ICT and further in my own research. At the beginning I displayed paradigmatic thinking, for example, my approach to the brief was to start with the finalised concept instead of beginning where my goals, values and intentions for the project were. By having this approach our group was consistently finding dead ends. Our project benefited greatly by experimenting and making mistakes. By making mistakes I was developing my learning process but I had viewed it as costly to my progress: another paradigm. To experiment and make mistakes you need to plan your creative process, making room for failures and improvements. “We need to learn the ability to work with the existing paradigms whilst also striving to look beyond them for creative alternatives.” (Chan, J, et al, 2015) This is what Creative Technologies is, it is a paradigm creating itself, but in combination, a hunger for other creative alternatives.

Iteration, User Testing and Reflection From the beginning, we were told that iteration and reflection were key to this project. Without iterating, testing and our blogs I don’t think our project would have turned out as well as it had. Iteration, in the design world, refers to improving something through the act of repeating. Iteration requires that you change your product in order to achieve the goals of your project more effectively. Our iteration came from play-tests. After every play-test, we made feedback and pointed out subtle changes that would improve the cards, ones that suited our goal for them. Play-tests also gave us a sense of the kind of experience the user will have and if the cards were enjoyable to play with or not. The notion that one is never finished is quite true, as there can always be modifications and changes made to improve whatever you're working on. What I learnt and better yet phrased as “good ideas rarely come in singular creative leaps, fully formed like Athena from the brow of Zeus; instead, they more often come from the sweat of his brow building on the labours of others.” (Turaga, R, 2018) Good ideas come from iteration, from constant repetition for the sake of good ideas.

Plan and Experiment

What did I learn from my Creative Technologies Experience? I learnt that being realistic with yourself is harsh but vital to keep yourself on track. For example, instead of putting pressure on myself to design cards in a day, try giving myself more time to approach the task. The next lesson I learnt was failure. I learnt that it was okay when a prototype, concept or idea gets shut down, isn’t completed or is abandoned. It’s okay to change direction or disagree as. Is there any other way I could have approached this assessment?. Most definitely.  However, hindsight’s 20/20, not being able to know what to do at the time is frustrating but ask yourself next time; Am I fully equipped with the knowledge, skills and ability to overcome this task or do I need more advice, time and resources? Being able to know your limits and when you need to ask for help is essential. Asking yourself if you’re comfortable is another important question, if you aren't comfortable with how you are treated, your group or the material you're working with it's important to address it, find the root cause and find solutions. The last question that I would ask myself is have I done enough? Have I done the work I wanted? Have I contributed what I expected and how can I do more? What motivates and encourages iteration and improvement is constant reflection.

References:

Turaga, R. (2018). Breaking Paradigms for Creativity and Success. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=130776570&site=eds-live

Chan, J., & Schunn, C. D. (2015). The importance of iteration in creative conceptual combination. Cognition, 145, 104-115. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2015.08.008

Hoffman, P. (2018). State of the Workplace | Part 1: Gender. Retrieved from https://hive.com/state-of-the-workplace/gender-2018/

[taliabct]

Creative Technologists need to extend beyond and collaborate with others to innovatively respond to social norms supportive of big issues.

“Technical work is performed in and by communities.” – Philip E. Agre (as cited in Agre, 1997)

“…an individual needs to have strength in two dimensions….. a depth of skills that allows for tangible contributions; and also empathy for people and for disciplines beyond one’s own (expressed as openness, curiosity, optimism, a tendency toward learning through doing, and experimentation).” - Brown and Wyatt (as cited in Wilson & Zamberlan, 2015)

“To conduct critical practice, one must always look at their practice in relation to the context and their community, who they are working with, and those in and out of their field. “the maker questions what s/he is making, its aesthetic value, how it fits in the world, how it develops, how one writes about it, debates it, and engages with the rest of one’s community.”” – Rosie Greenlees (as cited in Wilson & Zamberlan, 2015)

Reflection

The first challenge was overcoming my confusion with the brief and how to connect and balance the ideas in Agre’s text with the Boot-camp. I had to re-read and pull apart the brief several times by myself and with others to understand what was required of me.

Although I understood how the Boot-camp was supposed to connect with the text, I personally felt it was a poor practical for us to apply Agre’s theories from the text. However, its lack highlighted to me further how essential Agre’s ideas are to developing a Critical Technical Practice.

I chose to do an infographic because I felt it would best depict the process of collaboration visually. Furthermore, they are attractive, approachable and easy to understand as they combine both text and imagery.

My infographic can be categorised into 4 sections which I think encapsulates the basic process of collaboration in a Critical Technical Practice: 1) Identify problem and approach, 2) Collaboration to broaden lens, 3) Context: how does my response relate to my community of discipline and the world? 4) Outcome: paradigm shift to social norms overtime.

Creating the infographic was a learning curve because I had to reflect about its content and display, and pull on my previous knowledge of design and Sangeeta’s Visual Communication lecture to aid me.

Because the topic is so rich, it was hard to be selective about what ideas to include and I had to cull it down to the essentials. I struggled with how much text to include in the infographic. I decided to put less text because I felt the imagery could depict the message simplistically and effectively. Upon reflection, this may narrow my audience as the ideas presented are quite complex and unless you’ve read Agre’s text, the visual depiction may be too subtle.

Main Authoritative Reference:

Wilson, S., & Zamberlan, L. (2015). Design for an Unknown Future: Amplified Roles for Collaboration, New Design Knowledge and Creativity. Design Issues, 31(2), 3-15.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c57dfb19-ee0b-4204-a4c7-6d2e0a2e094a%40sessionmgr4008&vid=2&hid=4102

Others References:

Core Text

Agre, P. 1997. Toward a Critical Technical Practice: Lessons Learned in Trying to Reform AI. In Bowker et al (Eds.); Bridging the Great Divide: Social Science, Technical Systems, and Cooperative Work. Erlbaum

Social Norms Approach

World Health Organisation (2009). Changing Cultural and Social Norms that Support Violence. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/norms.pdf

Paradigm Shift

Harrington, J. L. (2009), Technology and Society, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, USA, Chapter 1: Generating Change, pg 6-8

[corpasa]

Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts for the Tech Teacher in Your Life

Teacher Appreciation Week: The First Full Week of May

There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. The teaching profession has our own version of these nerdy individuals, called technology teachers. In your district, you may refer to them as IT specialists, Coordinators for Instructional Technology, Technology Facilitators, Curriculum Specialists, or something else that infers big brains, quick minds, and the ability to talk to digital devices. School lore probably says they can drop a pin through a straw without touching the sides.

When I started teaching K-8 technology, people like me were stuffed in a corner of the building where all other teachers could avoid us unless they had a computer emergency, pretending that what we did was for “some other educator in an alternate dimension”. Simply talking to us often made a colleague feel like a rock, only dumber. When my fellow teachers did seek me out — always to ask for help and rarely to request training — they’d come to my room, laptop in hand, and follow the noise of my fingers flying across the keyboard. It always amazed them I could make eye contact and say “Hi!” without stopping or slowing my typing.

That reticence to ask for help or request training changed about a decade ago when technology swept across the academic landscape like a firestorm:

iPads and then Chromebooks became the device of choice in the classroom.

Class SmartScreens became more norm than abnorm(al).

Technology in the classroom changed from “nice to have” to “must have”.

1:1 became a reality.

Students researched online as often as in the library.

Students began spending as much time in the digital neighborhood as their home town.

Textbooks morphed into resources rather than bibles.

Student work was stored in the cloud and submitted digitally rather than as sheets of paper into the teacher’s Inbox (that really was a box).

Students collaborated on work, sharing virtually, and then publishing digitally.

That made the tech teacher (or whatever you call her in your school) the cornerstone to all things education, which brings me to the gist of this article: Teacher Appreciation Week — May 4th-8th 2020. This year, for that special day, give your technology specialist a gift they will truly appreciate: Talk to them. Before trying this, do a little research about these geeky folk who relish challenges and live for a problem they can’t solve. Here’s a short list of tips, taken from my own personal experience and that of my tech teacher friends, that will help you have a more positive experience when you confront this big-brained Sheldon-look-like:

You can’t scare them. They’re techies. Try kindness instead.

Patience and tech are synonymous. Techies are intrigued by problems so don’t mind spending lots of time on them. Know that going in.

Bring food. Techies often forget to eat, or ate everything in their snack stash and need more.

Some days, tech looks a lot like work. Distract them with an interesting problem.

Start the encounter with a discussion on Dr. Who, Minecraft, Big Bang Theory, or Game of Thrones. Find a clever tie-in to your topic.

Understand that tech teachers often think trying to teach colleagues to tech is like solving the Riemann Hypothesis (many consider this darling of mathematical problems impossible). Bone up on basics before the Meeting.

Life after the 100th crashed computer is what might be called a life-defining moment. If that just happened to the tech teacher as you walked through the door, turn around and come back another time.

Understanding a techie who’s in the zone is like understanding the meaning of life. Again – leave the room; come back later.

While tech teachers can get your computer working, your Smartscreen humming, and your students all online at once, there are days they need a dictionary to understand everyday English. Be gentle.

Know the difference between the “happy-techie” face and the “go away” face. Act accordingly.

Their heads are like Matrix on steroids. Don’t try to understand them – unless, of course, you’re a geek too. Then, you’ll feel at home.

The tech teacher does remember times when colleagues solved their own tech problems and appreciate it. So, do try to fix your broken computer yourself (i.e., check the plugs and power buttons) before visiting.

Avoid words such as “Meh”. These started geeky but are now so mainstreamed as to be boring. Geeks, nerds, and tech teachers hate being bored.

If you’re already on talking terms with your school techie, here are a few gifts they’ll like better than post-it notes or a new scarf:

snacks — chocolate, chips, pretzels, or anything eaten quickly and by hand. They’re allowed to eat at their keyboard because they know how to fix it.

a problem they’ve never seen before

something written in binary, hexadecimal, or Klingon

tickets to the Las Vegas Defcon, one of the world’s largest hacker conventions. You don’t even have to go with them.

a t-shirt that says “I paused my game to be here” or “Pavlov’s Cat”

If you don’t understand one of these gifts (like hexadecimal, DEF CON, or Pavlov’s Cat), don’t give it to them. Techies are curious and might ask you about it.

Other gifts to avoid would be any that revolve around the three P’s: 1) paper (like letter-writing paper or post-it notes), 2) pencils, or 3) plastic. I know–#3 is difficult to avoid but geeks, nerds, and tech teachers have a higher-than-usual intolerance for destroying the environment.

That’s it. I’d love to hear what creative gift you gave your school’s tech teacher.

More about being a tech teacher

What’s a Tech Teacher Do With Their Summer Off?

A Day in the Life of a Tech Teacher

Applying to be a tech teacher? Here’s what you should say

How to Teach a Tech Lesson–the Movie

How to set up your tech classroom

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts for the Tech Teacher in Your Life published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

[evnoweb]

Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts for the Tech Teacher in Your Life

Teacher Appreciation Week: The First Full Week of May

There’s always been something mystically cerebral about people in technical professions like engineering, science, and mathematics. They talk animatedly about plate tectonics, debate the structure of atoms, even smile at the mention of calculus. The teaching profession has our own version of these nerdy individuals, called technology teachers. In your district, you may refer to them as IT specialists, Coordinators for Instructional Technology, Technology Facilitators, Curriculum Specialists, or something else that infers big brains, quick minds, and the ability to talk to digital devices. School lore probably says they can drop a pin through a straw without touching the sides.

When I started teaching K-8 technology, people like me were stuffed in a corner of the building where all other teachers could avoid us unless they had a computer emergency, pretending that what we did was for “some other educator in an alternate dimension”. Simply talking to us often made a colleague feel like a rock, only dumber. When my fellow teachers did seek me out — always to ask for help and rarely to request training — they’d come to my room, laptop in hand, and follow the noise of my fingers flying across the keyboard. It always amazed them I could make eye contact and say “Hi!” without stopping or slowing my typing.

That reticence to ask for help or request training changed about a decade ago when technology swept across the academic landscape like a firestorm:

iPads and then Chromebooks became the device of choice in the classroom.

Class SmartScreens became more norm than abnorm(al).

Technology in the classroom changed from “nice to have” to “must have”.

1:1 became a reality.

Students researched online as often as in the library.

Students began spending as much time in the digital neighborhood as their home town.

Textbooks morphed into resources rather than bibles.

Student work was stored in the cloud and submitted digitally rather than as sheets of paper into the teacher’s Inbox (that really was a box).

Students collaborated on work, sharing virtually, and then publishing digitally.

That made the tech teacher (or whatever you call her in your school) the cornerstone to all things education, which brings me to the gist of this article: Teacher Appreciation Week — May 4th-8th 2020. This year, for that special day, give your technology specialist a gift they will truly appreciate: Talk to them. Before trying this, do a little research about these geeky folk who relish challenges and live for a problem they can’t solve. Here’s a short list of tips, taken from my own personal experience and that of my tech teacher friends, that will help you have a more positive experience when you confront this big-brained Sheldon-look-like:

You can’t scare them. They’re techies. Try kindness instead.

Patience and tech are synonymous. Techies are intrigued by problems so don’t mind spending lots of time on them. Know that going in.

Bring food. Techies often forget to eat, or ate everything in their snack stash and need more.

Some days, tech looks a lot like work. Distract them with an interesting problem.

Start the encounter with a discussion on Dr. Who, Minecraft, Big Bang Theory, or Game of Thrones. Find a clever tie-in to your topic.

Understand that tech teachers often think trying to teach colleagues to tech is like solving the Riemann Hypothesis (many consider this darling of mathematical problems impossible). Bone up on basics before the Meeting.

Life after the 100th crashed computer is what might be called a life-defining moment. If that just happened to the tech teacher as you walked through the door, turn around and come back another time.

Understanding a techie who’s in the zone is like understanding the meaning of life. Again – leave the room; come back later.

While tech teachers can get your computer working, your Smartscreen humming, and your students all online at once, there are days they need a dictionary to understand everyday English. Be gentle.

Know the difference between the “happy-techie” face and the “go away” face. Act accordingly.

Their heads are like Matrix on steroids. Don’t try to understand them – unless, of course, you’re a geek too. Then, you’ll feel at home.

The tech teacher does remember times when colleagues solved their own tech problems and appreciate it. So, do try to fix your broken computer yourself (i.e., check the plugs and power buttons) before visiting.

Avoid words such as “Meh”. These started geeky but are now so mainstreamed as to be boring. Geeks, nerds, and tech teachers hate being bored.

If you’re already on talking terms with your school techie, here are a few gifts they’ll like better than post-it notes or a new scarf:

snacks — chocolate, chips, pretzels, or anything eaten quickly and by hand. They’re allowed to eat at their keyboard because they know how to fix it.

a problem they’ve never seen before

something written in binary, hexadecimal, or Klingon

tickets to the Las Vegas Defcon, one of the world’s largest hacker conventions. You don’t even have to go with them.

a t-shirt that says “I paused my game to be here” or “Pavlov’s Cat”

If you don’t understand one of these gifts (like hexadecimal, DEF CON, or Pavlov’s Cat), don’t give it to them. Techies are curious and might ask you about it.

Other gifts to avoid would be any that revolve around the three P’s: 1) paper (like letter-writing paper or post-it notes), 2) pencils, or 3) plastic. I know–#3 is difficult to avoid but geeks, nerds, and tech teachers have a higher-than-usual intolerance for destroying the environment.

That’s it. I’d love to hear what creative gift you gave your school’s tech teacher.

More about being a tech teacher

What’s a Tech Teacher Do With Their Summer Off?

A Day in the Life of a Tech Teacher

Applying to be a tech teacher? Here’s what you should say

How to Teach a Tech Lesson–the Movie

How to set up your tech classroom

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Teacher Appreciation Week Gifts for the Tech Teacher in Your Life published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse