'Advancing' technology

I miss chalk. Yes, the side of your hand was covered with it by the end of class, and yes, there was a need to clean the chalkboard constantly. It wasn't perfect. But I want to look at chalk as a technology. You might be used to thinking of technology as something new, but I'm using Ursula Franklin's definition of technology "a way of doing something".

Chalk, along with it's partner the chalkboard, is a way to display an image or text to a group of people. It does the same thing as a flat-screen TV or a LCD projector or a Smartboard. And here's where chalk pulled ahead.

1) Ease of set-up. The chalk is in the tray, and all you have to do is pick it up. No loading, no calibration.

2) Compatibility. All chalk works with all boards. There's no Chalk 2007, and thankfully, no Chalk Vista.

3) Operating costs. A new box of chalk is almost free, and erasers and boards last a LONG time.

4) Troubleshooting. Every possible problem can be fixed with a wet cloth and some elbow grease. Nothing goes wrong, ever.

I understand that there are limitations as well; no technology is perfect. Pictures are difficult, and depend entirely on the skill of the person holding the chalk. But many of you will remember the improvements that did occur, from colored chalk to tools that allowed you to draw a musical staff or a grid for graphing. As with most technologies, there is a considerable amount of time between "What's it do?" and "I'm good at this"

It is important to keep in mind that every time we shift educational technology, we lose some features and gain others. We also restart our own expertise. This begins my attempt with Blogger, and it's a less familiar tool than the chalkboard. Even if it has more potential, the things I can achieve might be more limited.

But, we have to start somewhere.