Technology in Training: Harvey Shaw, TIE'13

By the time he enrolled in the Technology, Innovation, and Education (TIE) Program, Harvey Shaw already had 18 years of experience in corporate education, the last several of which he was focused on using technology in training working adults. It was in that role that he saw how powerful a tool technology can be, especially in the lives of adult learners.

“I came [to HGSE] to expand my understanding of issues related to adult post-secondary education so that I could apply technology in ways that make more of an impact on my students, and identify areas of inquiry that would support asking further questions through the rest of my career,” Shaw says. “Technology can make a difference for adult learners, particularly the ways in which technology can support people learning from each other.”

Post-HGSE, Shaw plans to continue teaching and training adults, helping them to navigate the ever-changing work landscape. “So many changes are blowing through the workplace right now that many adults are being left behind,” he says, “but there are so many new technologies that can support them catching up and getting ahead.”

“When you mention Harvey Shaw’s name to TIE students, three words crop up immediately and repeatedly: curiosity, engagement, and generosity,” says Senior Lecturer Joe Blatt, director of TIE. “Based on my experience of Harvey, in class and in the cohort, I couldn’t agree more. Curiosity, engagement, and generosity are qualities we highly value in TIE, and Harvey Shaw clearly embodies them every day in every interaction.  His selection as Intellectual Contribution award winner was universally acclaimed in our cohort.”

Upon learning that he had been honored with the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award for TIE, Shaw answered some questions about his time at the Ed School and beyond.

What is something that you learned at HGSE that you will take with you throughout your career in education? Learning experiences mean much more when they are personally relevant, especially if they support you reflecting on your past, synthesizing your present thinking, and looking ahead to your future. Learning takes many shapes, forms, and experiences, any of which may blow your mind and change your practice for the better. When brainstorming, do so with a diverse team – multiple perspectives and multiple disciplines can make for more robust thinking and meaning.  Social relationships play a huge role in making meaning in the world, and technology can support those relationships. Use research in shaping the development of ideas and solutions.

How did you stay inspired throughout the year? My family — and especially my wife, Mindy — have been boundless in their support and encouragement.  I tried to experience every class as a learner, teacher, designer, and developer, deploying different perspectives as a way to keep the experience fresh. I found a group of friends, some in TIE, some in other programs, to bounce ideas off of and take risks in my thinking. I took a winter term class on something completely outside of my prior experience — informal learning for children — to open new ways of thinking about learning.

What advice do you have for next year’s students going through your program? Take classes that not only investigate specific technologies and the role of technology in education, but that look into the many, many other challenges that face educators. Talk with as many people here as you can to learn from them and test your thinking — this may be the lowest-risk environment for your ideas as you’ll encounter in your career.  While you’re here, create something tangible based on research, get it in the hands of some learners, and document their experience — it’s an amazing, humbling process.  Keep your ears open for interesting classes that you didn’t take or couldn’t fit in, and at the end of the semester, find someone in the class and get the readings.

Despite your busy schedule, you always make time for … A good conversation.  And the sauté station in the Gutman cafeteria.

What will you change in education and why? That’s a really good question. Being a full-time student again has really adjusted my thinking on what it’s like to be a learner today. So much has changed, and yet so many things remain the same, that predicting the exact nature of change is difficult. I can only start from the fact that learning takes at least two people, and so does change. Whatever I’m involved with, I won’t be alone, and we’ll be in it together with our learners, which is where we belong.

Read profiles of the other master’s students being honored with the 2013 Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award.