The EdTech Bach

What’s a bach?

Bach is the New Zealand word for a small holiday home located on or near the beach. It’s pronounced “batch”. Baches are seen as places of escape, relaxation and recreation. They are not architectural palaces but rather thrown together from a mix of materials and decorated with beach treasures. Baches seem to run in families. Most New Zealand families own one or know someone who’ll let them stay at theirs. And there always seems to be room for one more person to tag along…

Why a bach?

First, I believe there are many similarities between the function of the bach and the role of the educational technology specialist. The bach sits between the stable land and the changing sea. We sit on the boundary between education & technology. Education which has not truly changed since the 19th century and technology which is changing exponentially in the last 10 years – the stable v. the tumultuous.

Second, the bach is a place of relaxation, reflection and thinking about the future. I like to think that I provide a safe comfortable space from which teachers can go and dip their toes in the ’sea’. Hopefully with each visit (or project we do) they gain some new skills and confidence and come back and talk about it. I’m not the only occupant of the bach, both experienced & novice colleagues also stay there and provide opportunities for sharing & reflecting. Spending more and more time at the bach, they will realise and accept that the sea is not going to sit still… And perhaps after a while teachers will feel competent & comfortable in this new environment, erect their own bach on the beach and invite still others to join.

And last, the bach is a suitable metaphor for the blog as a place of thought, quiet, reflection but also a place where you gather the treasures that you find on the beach and in the sea. And a place where you can meet with friends.

The art

The header artwork is a section of ‘Back Beach Bach’, a screenprint by Tony Ogle . I am the owner of a copy (1 of 180 prints) which takes pride of place in my living room. “Tony Ogle has been painting New Zealand landscapes for 20 years… He has continued to further his expertise as a printmaker by creating increasingly more challenging and complex works, most of which capture the breathtaking natural beauty of New Zealand’s dramatic landscapes and coastal areas.” – Tony Ogle @ Artfind.co.nz

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