Help! I’m Scared of Technology (Ep. 530)

Tim Bogatz: My favorite community manager, Jen Leban, is joining me now. Jen, how are you?

Jen Leban: I am doing great. I am riding high after that last Art Ed NOW Conference. How are you doing, Tim?

Tim Bogatz: Also great. I’m a little tired after the conference, but things are good, and we’re ready to start talking about this school year. I talked in the intro a little bit about Chloe, and Chloe sent me an email. I was originally going to put it in the mailbag as part of next month’s conversation, but I honestly think this email deserves its own conversation. Jen, you worked in ed tech for a long time, and I wanted to bring on your expertise. If you don’t mind, I’ll read Chloe’s email and we can dive in. There’s a lot here. Are you ready for this?

Jen Leban: Sure. Yeah.

Tim Bogatz: Okay. Chloe says:

“I’m writing in hopes that you have some advice for me. I’m a new high school art teacher who just started my in-service days, and I’m overwhelmed by all the technology I’m expected to use. I’m not good with technology. I’m super scared I’m going to mess things up, and I guess I’m anxious about everything I’m supposed to know. There’s Schoology, I have an iPad, the iPad has a million apps, there’s an Apple TV, and I don’t even know what else in the media center. We even have an app for kids when they can go to the bathroom—question mark? Plus digital portfolios, and my department was talking about how we’re going to handle AI. She just says, ‘Help.’ This is so much. How do I learn it all without breaking anything and without looking stupid in front of the kids?”

There is a lot to unpack here. Jen, what grabs your attention first?

Jen Leban: This is definitely worthy of its own episode. My very first reaction is to the phrase “without looking stupid in front of the kids.” I just have to say: I will always look stupid in front of the kids. I don’t care if you teach elementary, middle school, or high school. I come from middle school, and it’s like, do not have any illusions that you’re going to look cool—or even normal—to the kids. You’re always going to be their teacher. You’re always going to look stupid.

Tim Bogatz: Yes, throw that out the window.

Jen Leban: Exactly. It’s better to just embrace it and let go of that. You’re never going to look cool. High school students might embrace that self-deprecating attitude more than students at other grade levels. If you say, “I’m uncool, guys. I don’t know this stuff,” I think they’ll actually be more open to it.

Tim Bogatz: Absolutely. It resonates with high schoolers.

Jen Leban: I worried that I was going to talk too big and too philosophically about ed tech, so I wanted to start with practical, specific advice for Chloe. I literally bullet-pointed this out: learn Schoology first.

Not everybody has Schoology, but Chloe does, so I’m using her specific example. Schoology is the foundation. It’s her learning management system, or LMS, and it’s where all of her assignments and communications go. That’s the base. If you learn nothing else because you’re brand new and don’t know where to start, learn Schoology.

Some people have Google Classroom, and some people use Canvas. Whatever your platform is, start there. Then take your iPad home and mess around with it, but don’t use it in class yet. This is where teaching art is an advantage. Unless you’re teaching digital art—and Chloe didn’t say that she is—you don’t have to use the iPad right away.

Take it home and explore it on your own, without the pressure to use it in class yet. As far as Apple TV goes, that’s just her school’s version of a smartboard or digital projector. Apple TV is the way they’re getting her slides or whatever she wants to show onto the screen. It’s not really a whole other thing to learn; it’s just how you present.

Tim Bogatz: My wife and everybody at her school recently got Apple TVs, and that was the learning curve for them. It was very intimidating. They thought, “I have this big, expensive Apple TV, and I don’t even know what to do with it.” Then they realized, “No, this is just a fancy projector that works well with your iPad.”

Jen Leban: Exactly. It’s a fancy projector. We have them at my house, and that’s our main form of entertainment. I’d be like, “Woohoo, catch up on your TV show during plan time!” But really, it’s just your fancy projector. Don’t let that freak you out.

Chloe also said they were doing digital portfolios. Digital portfolios are great, and I’ll talk about them in a moment, but that’s for later in the semester, when you have work to put in there. She has time. Really, start small. Start with Schoology and build from there. Being a new teacher is always overwhelming. Being a new teacher dealing with technology is even more overwhelming, so just take it one step at a time.

Tim Bogatz: Absolutely. With all of those new things you’re expected to learn, I assume you think it’s okay to be hesitant at this point. In your experience working with tech and teachers who need to learn tech, what are the most common feelings or reactions when teachers are learning something new?

Jen Leban: Maybe I didn’t fully explain this at the beginning, but I was a middle school art teacher. Then I was a technology teacher in middle school, and then I was a technology coach who taught other teachers. There’s my street cred.

If you are not hesitant and you don’t have anxiety, I would think that was weird, because hesitancy and anxiety are so normal. When I would go talk to teachers, they always wanted to convince me how bad they were at technology. They’d say, “I’m so bad at technology. I can’t do that.” I’m always thinking, “Wait a minute. There’s no need to explain that to me.” As a tech coach, I was not an administrator. I wasn’t there to judge anyone. I was there to help and support.

I would say, “Believe me, I’ve worked with teachers who are bad at technology, and you are not one of them.” What they thought was bad was never bad. I’ve got some horror stories.

Tim Bogatz: I feel like that’s another podcast we need to explore in the future.

Jen Leban: That’s a whole other podcast. Teachers are not bad at technology. I don’t know if they say it because it’s uncomfortable not to feel like an expert in everything, especially when you’re a teacher and you’re held to such high standards. But it’s okay. There’s no need to apologize. You can just say, “I’m still learning.”

Hopefully, you have some kind of support system at your school. It might be the tech department, a tech coach, or a tech specialist. You might even be fortunate enough to have another teacher who is really into tech and likes to help.

Tim Bogatz: Any of those—or all of the above.

Can we talk about having a good mindset when you’re faced with technology that feels scary or makes you anxious? How do you approach learning something unfamiliar?

Jen Leban: I would tell teachers the same thing I tell students. Although adults’ anxieties and worries can be much bigger, the first thing to remember is that you’re not going to blow up the machine if you press the wrong button. People are afraid to touch anything because they think they’ll mess it up, but that’s not really a thing. You usually can’t mess it up.

One of the best things about technology is that there’s almost always an undo button. Especially now, you can use revision history, restore previous versions, reload, and refresh. Technology is probably safer than ever before.

My favorite trick is Control+Z. It’s your undo button. Since we’re on a podcast, picture the letter Z in the air. Draw a Z like you’re erasing away your mistake. Control+Z is like wiping away the mistake. If you remember nothing else, remember that strategy. There’s no harm in trying.

I have three other quick things. The second is: take one step at a time. Learn one thing, one trick, or one new tool. Don’t try to do it all. Start with Schoology, or whatever your LMS is. You don’t have to do everything at once. Being a new teacher gives you some built-in forgiveness. People understand that you’re learning.

Next, find a trusted friend. If you’re a new teacher, you’re probably assigned a mentor. Hopefully, you were assigned someone who knows the tech platforms. If not, choose a better mentor. You’ll quickly learn which teachers are good people to ask.

Lastly, ask yourself who is putting this pressure on you to use the technology. Are you being directly told that you need to use the iPads, the Apple TV, and everything else? Or are you putting the pressure on yourself? It’s easy to think, “I have this iPad, so I have to use it.” Maybe you don’t. Maybe it’s there for you to use in the future. You don’t need to add all of that to your plate immediately.

Tim Bogatz: Maybe it’s something you can use in the future. You don’t have to use it right away. I like the idea of stepping back and asking, “How much do I really have to do here?”

As you think about all of that, what if we reframe it? What are some of the opportunities available with technology? What are you seeing teachers do when it comes to tech or bringing new ideas into their classrooms?

Jen Leban: I like the idea of reframing because it turns technology from a “have to” into a “get to.” I love tech, so I’m a “get to” kind of teacher. I know not everybody is built that way, and that’s okay. It takes all kinds of people to teach art.

There are some really cool things you can do. First, digital art galleries and portfolios are a tried-and-true idea. It sounds like Chloe’s school is already doing that. Artsonia is an easy option because it’s a service that does much of the work for you. If your school doesn’t use a dedicated platform, digital portfolios don’t have to be big or complicated. They could just be Google Slides.

Tim Bogatz: So many secondary teachers love Google Slides. It’s easy to put together, easy to edit, and easy to work with.

Jen Leban: Exactly. Add an artist statement, and you’re done. Don’t make it a big thing.

As far as really cool, above-and-beyond ideas go, I love the possibilities of making art more interactive and bringing it to life. That’s not beginner-level stuff, but when you’re comfortable and want to do more, you can explore things like turning kinetic sculptures into little animated GIFs. We made cardboard automatons with my eighth graders, and it was fun to turn them into little GIFs.

You could take a static portrait and make it talk or speak the artist statement. That’s funny, too, and I like funny stuff. You could also use QR codes as part of an art display. A QR code might lead to a video of the work in progress or a student talk about the work, especially in high school as part of a larger presentation.

Those are fun bonuses for later, when you start to feel comfortable. I think of them as whipped cream. They’re not essential, but they’re delicious.

Tim Bogatz: Perfect. That’s a perfect way to think about it.

Jen Leban: One final good use of technology is coming to The Art of Education Community, by the way. Plug.

Tim Bogatz: Love it. I was just talking to Amanda last week about how much we love the community and how we plug it eight times every episode. So here we go—you’re getting that off the list.

Another dilemma Chloe mentioned is worrying about breaking things. What’s your best advice for not breaking stuff?

Jen Leban: Number one refers back to what I said earlier: Control+Z. Wipe it away with that Z. It’s fine. Press, “What does this button do?” You don’t know? Press it and find out. If it doesn’t work, revert or go back.

Seriously, breaking stuff is more of an unrealistic worry. Not that it couldn’t happen, but it’s usually not the problem. I’m going to have a little soapbox moment here, if you don’t mind, Tim.

My next piece of advice is related not to breaking things, but to making your life harder: please write down all of your logins and passwords somewhere and keep that information with you at all times.

I know it’s annoying. I know teachers are thinking, “There are so many logins and passwords.” You’re right. But so much time gets wasted on password drama, especially when your school uses two-factor authentication and you have to enter a code sent to your phone.

Everyone hates that—even tech people. But it’s an unavoidable annoyance compared to what could happen if your account were hacked. I hate to sound like a mom saying, “Write your password down,” but it’s important. It’s an unpleasant chore, like taking out the garbage or cleaning the bathroom, but it has to be done.

Tim Bogatz: I like that way of thinking about it. This may be a waste of 45 seconds right now, but how much time will you waste later if you don’t have the password or your account gets hacked? Future you will thank you.

Jen Leban: Future you will thank you. We all hate it, but it’s a thing. In my experience in the tech and ed tech world, I’ve heard some horror stories. So take it at face value: write your information down, keep track of it, roll your eyes, and enter the six-digit code that was texted to you.

If you have to contact your tech department for help, give as much detail as possible. Every district is different. You might have a really cool tech department, or you might have a terrible one. I did everything in my control to fix an issue before reaching out because contacting tech support was my last resort.

Explain the issue and explain what you’ve already tried, including turning the device fully off and on again.

Tim Bogatz: I was just going to ask if that’s part of the checklist.

Jen Leban: It is. Tell them explicitly that you restarted the device. Otherwise, you’ll waste time going back and forth while they ask, “Did you try this? Did you try that?” Sometimes every response takes 24 hours. Front-load your request with all the details, and you can save yourself a lot of energy.

Tim Bogatz: I like it.

I want to circle back to our last question. We talk about this a lot on the podcast. Chloe is new and maybe hasn’t heard me say this before, but why should we not care what students think? Along with that, why is it okay to say, “I don’t know”? What’s the best way to address not knowing tech in front of your students?

Jen Leban: The first thing is to let go of your ego. You’re going to look stupid in front of the kids. Be willing to ask for help.

I was the technology teacher, so I wasn’t an art teacher teaching tech. At one point, I was the technology teacher, and I would randomly ask the class, “All right, who figured out how to do this?” Someone in the class had figured it out, and I’d ask them to show me their solution or help another student.

Kids love being the expert or teaching you something you don’t know. That’s also a strategy for teaching in general. It’s one of the realities of teaching in our modern times: things move quickly, and you have to be okay with saying, “I don’t know. Let’s ask each other. Let’s crowdsource.”

That’s one reason I chose to teach tech. I like learning new things, and I’m comfortable saying, “I don’t know. I’m the teacher, but I don’t know what’s going on.” Your life will be much easier if you’re not afraid to say, “I don’t know,” “I haven’t learned that yet,” or “Let’s figure this out together.” Those are great approaches—not just for technology, but for teaching in general.

Tim Bogatz: If I can be flippant for just a second, if you’re teaching high school and you’re worried about tech, remember that there are students in your class who don’t know how to type, save files, or write an email. You don’t need to worry so much about looking dumb or not knowing tech. There are plenty of things we take for granted that many students do not know how to do.

Jen Leban: That is true. The idea that kids are digital natives is a myth. They like to pretend they know what they’re doing, but they often have no more of a clue than we do.

Tim Bogatz: Adults have failed kids in this way for a long time. We say they’re digital natives and assume they know everything. Then no one teaches them because we keep falling back on that assumption. Just because they spend a lot of time on an iPad or a screen doesn’t mean they’ve figured everything out or that anyone has taught them these skills.

Jen Leban: There are students who know a lot and have taught themselves how to code or do other advanced things. You’ll quickly learn which students those are and which students are trustworthy.

One of my favorite examples comes from when I was teaching eighth-grade technology. I had a student who loved coming up to me at the beginning of class every day to demonstrate the latest games students were accessing, how they were unblocking them, and how they were getting around the filter. Every day, he’d say, “Did you see this one, Mrs. Leban? Look how they’re doing it.”

He was fully telling on his friends, but I think he really wanted to show me the cool thing he had found. I thought it was cute and endearing. Shout-out to Will. I’ve seen him on Instagram, and I love him. You’re not supposed to have favorites, but Will, you were one of my favorite students.

Tim Bogatz: I love it.

Jen, do you have any last words of advice for Chloe or anyone listening?

Jen Leban: Sometimes art teachers view technology as the enemy. I would challenge that and encourage you to think broadly. One reason I love both art and technology is that both disciplines require creative problem-solving.

In both fields, there isn’t just one right answer. There are multiple ways to achieve the same or a similar result. I love that, and it’s one reason I live in both worlds.

It’s easy to hate tech, especially in modern times with AI. I will absolutely jump on that hater train with you, so don’t worry. But there’s also a lot of good we can do with technology. Be open-minded about tech in general. Think about how you can use tools to solve problems in creative ways, and embrace the uncertainty, the uncoolness, and the not knowing.

Approach it with the attitude that you and your students are learning together. It’s hard, but it’s necessary.

Tim Bogatz: I love that advice. It’s something good to think about as we move forward. Jen, thank you so much for coming on and talking through all of these issues with me. I appreciate it.

Jen Leban: Anytime, Tim.