What is the one thing about Educational Technology you will take with you from the course?

I learned that educational technology is a vast and ever changing field. It encompasses research, tinkering with technology, teaching, evaluation, business savvy, and the ability to deal with complicated social issues. As an academic librarian I’m used to dealing with all of these issues, but it seems so much more pumped-up, more in-your-face in ed tech. I think the rapid developments in technology and the evolution of instructional approaches has made this a field of constant change that has thus amplified all of the issues in the field. Just think of all of the issues school districts have with social networking applications, or the research opportunities that pop up every time a new tool is made available. Change is the only constant in this field and one’s success in educational technology depends greatly on a willingness to experiment and to accept failure as a path to success. This is no country for old men made of granite or cherubs too timid to step up to the plate and take a few swings.