Sue Dunlop Consulting

It’s Not So Much the Advice

—

by

Sue Dunlop
Photo Credit: Conor Lawless via Compfight cc
Photo Credit: Conor Lawless via Compfight cc

I’ve been using tech for a long time. Commodore 64 anyone? I remember not being able to print an essay in the 1980’s (totally dating myself!) and trying to hand the prof a 133mm floppy disk.  Needless to say, he wouldn’t accept it and looked at me as if I had two heads.

Over my career in education, I’ve received tons of great tech advice. Whether it was learning how to use a word processor or our very first district intranet message system, someone has always been there to help. Now I rely on some truly gifted amateurs in our district to help me figure out how to leverage Google Docs or make my blog look better.

I really can’t remember any actively bad advice. I wish I had a crazy anecdote to share that would shock you or make you laugh. What strikes me most is how many people didn’t get what I was doing through the years. You’re taking the kids to the lab to do what?  You’re using Drop-what? You’re participating in a Twitter chat? You have a blog?  What??

Just like that professor, they gave me puzzled looks and then just, well, ignored it.

I’m still trying to figure out why sometimes people ignore what they don’t understand. It could be a fear of looking stupid – what Steven Katz calls the Imposter Syndrome (I wrote a post on this topic last year).  It’s too bad, because it would be cool to share and learn together.

Comments

7 Responses to “It’s Not So Much the Advice”

  1. Aviva Avatar
    Aviva

    Sue, I’ve seen these looks before too, and even had people make the comment and then turn to walk away. What if we stopped them? What if we jumped on the question and tried to answer it and/or show what it is? I’ve never tried this before, but I wonder if this approach would work. Would one question, lead to more, but now with some real interest?

    Aviva

    Reply
    1. Sue Dunlop Avatar
      Sue Dunlop

      What question would you ask?

      Reply
      1. Aviva Avatar
        Aviva

        Maybe respond to their question with an answer, and then a follow-up question, such as, “Yes, I do blog. It helps me reflect. How do you reflect?” Then see what happens next. I’ve never tried this approach, so I don’t know if it would work, but I wonder if it might.

        Aviva

        Reply
        1. Sue Dunlop Avatar
          Sue Dunlop

          I will try.

          Reply
          1. adunsige Avatar
            adunsige

            Wonderful! I’d love to know how it goes. Maybe I’ll give this a try too. Never actually have, but could be worth it.

            Aviva

  2. Labika Avatar
    Labika

    My careers teacher is very old fashioned. We did everything on a floppy disk in 2013 (and she still uses floppy disks). One time I shoved my usb in the computer and she began freaking out.

    To make it worse, she gives them all a seating plan and doesn’t allow them to leave their seat.

    I actually lied and said I couldn’t see (I am a very bad liar) just so I could sit near people. She puts talkative people usually on their own.

    Saddest part is that she is a really nice person but is terrified of technology.

    Labika

    Reply
    1. Sue Dunlop Avatar
      Sue Dunlop

      This comment made me laugh. And cry a little.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Sue Dunlop Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Like what you're reading?

Subscribe now to be notified of new posts

Continue Reading