T&L Advisor Guest post — Carl Hooker, Director of Instructional Technology, Eanes Independent School District: In honor of #TeacherAppreciationDay and#StarWarsDay, our state is holding its yearly high-stakes test known as the STAAR. Ironic isn’t it? This got me thinking. If you are an educator, which Star Wars characters would you regularly encounter? Who would play these iconic roles?
• Luke Skywalker: A brazen, hot shot that is wet behind the ears but has knowledge and power that he hasn’t yet realized. (Played by a new teacher)
• The Galactic Empire: A massive organization, hell bent on ruling the galaxy and squashing any hopes of rebellion or uprising by the Republic (Played by every major testing corporation)
• Han Solo: A bold, somewhat unorthodox hero that tries to do what’s best for him, and sometimes helps schools (Former USDoE head Arne Duncan)
• Princess Leia: Fighting for the good cause and trying to undo the evil known as NJLB (No Jedi Left Behind) (played by Diane Ravitch)
• The Emperor: Obsessed with power and wanting to rule all of the educational space by providing bloated, expensive systems to “manage learning” (Played by all the major LMS companies)
• Darth Vader: Started out as an innocent boy, supporting education and the ideas behind a standard set of content. As he grew older, he turned to the dark side and now makes districts pay for their lack of data integration with his clunky system known only as “Digital Textbooks” (played by the “Big Three” textbook companies)
• The Force: A powerful force that unites all of us and gives us hope for the future through free, open platforms. (Played by Google Apps for Education, OER, and Clever)
Want to celebrate #StarWarsDay and win something? Go tohttp://iPadpalooza.com/StarWarsDay/ and sign up for free throughout the day for great prizes!
