When introducing a new technology many times I am asked frequently, "What is it for?", or the more problematic questions, "What problem is it for" or "What is it going to solve?"
What I have learned is when answering these in a definitive way, it creates a fixed mindset that will make the technology be seen for that single purpose. Simon Sinek's talked about mindset in a similar manner how the human brain cannot comprehend the negative. In a talk he says, "Don't think of an elephant."
Once the elephant is suggested, it is now impossible not to think of an elephant. The same applies when we introduce a new concept. We need to be affirmative and open-minded, rather than closed-minded to avoid having a fixed mindset and be negative. Therefore when we introduce a technology, let's be careful to provide a description that talks about the positive and possible qualities of it. Not be too prescribed or specific.
For instance, when Google released Jamboard a few years ago, I introduced it to students and teachers as an app that can allow the co-creation of content on a virtual space using various input methods, not just with a mouse or keyboard rather than saying "It is a virtual whiteboard for pen input." I left it open-ended so that people who haven't used Jamboard yet will not just perceive it only as a whiteboard. If they do, they will not know about the other features and more importantly opportunities to use it in creative ways, such as creating posters, story telling, visual organizers, etc.
(recent update example -May 29, 2024) Similarly, when my learning technology coordinator recently introduced me to Brisk Teaching, we didn't just examine it as an AI Chrome extension for teachers. Instead, we strategically introduceed it to our colleagues as a way to streamline the most tedious parts of their workflow using AI. This sparked curiosity and opened their minds to the possibilities beyond just an AI chrome extension. They could then envision how Brisk might help them quickly generate lesson materials, provide personalized feedback, or even analyze student work for potential AI use. By framing it in terms of their needs and challenges, we encouraged them to explore Brisk and discover how it could fit into their unique teaching practices, rather than limiting their perception to a single function.
A colleague called this having a solutions focused culture rather than being problem focused. A great way to visualize this is how Simon Sinek talks about skiers,
"Skiers know this. If you’ve ever seen skiers go through trees, do you know how they do that? It’s very easy. It’s actually surprisingly easy. If you go through trees on skis, you go, “Don’t hit a tree, don’t hit a tree. Don’t hit a tree,” guess what you’re watching? You’re only looking at trees. All you’re doing is seeing trees. You don’t understand how anyone can ski with all these trees, right? As opposed to, “Follow the snow, follow the path, follow the path.” The only thing you see is the path. Skiers know this. If you say don’t hit a tree, you’ll hit a tree. You won’t be able to find a path because all you see is millions of trees. If you say only follow the path, you actually don’t see any trees. There’s actually very sparse trees. There’s plenty of path, there’s plenty of snow."
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