Many school administrators are afraid to allow some extremeties of technology into the classrooms. Technology over the years has changed the make up and matter of what and how our students learn. Such technologies include instant messaging, video games, skype, and many more. A challenge that many technology savvy teachers face is the opportunity to challenge our students in the classroom with the advancement of technology.
Some students get their technological gains in the computer and technology classes, but what about the core classes? Isn't technology just as important in these classes as well? What options can we give our students with limited amount of technology in the classroom? What ways can we reach out to our administrators and beyond, to allow our kids to explore technology in all core classes:?
The way the world is moving leads me to believe that schools need to take a more active role in providing opportunities to use technology. Sadly, money seems to be a major issue, as is the nagging fear that somebody somewhere could do something to jeopardize the safety of a student. That fear has created schools to have an aversion to some of the advancements in technology and all that it has to offer, and really, who can blame them? But, I do think that we need to be educated educators and find ways to safely incorporate all that we can technologywise because it is a reality for our students, and isn't it our job to prepare them for the real world?
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a good point regarding reaching the administrators. I have found this to be a problem in my school. Several sites were blocked. Almost seemed like my students could hardly access anything. I was most concerned about eductional sites. I finally wrote an email to the principal explaining the value certain sites had for my students and she finally allow IT to unblock certain sites.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, our problem hasn't been administrators blocking technology, it has been that they are too zealous to adopt unproven technology. e.g. I maintained a very efficient and popular website for my classroom for years, the administration wanted us to switch over to using a system called "moodle" that is both cumbersome for the students and tedious to maintain for the teachers. It has seen very little use and has been a burden. I think technology is wonderful, insomuch as we are using it with a clear plan of execution with data to back up its use, not mealy because it is the latest trend. Some things add to our teaching practice, some things distract. So, I think it is important to be cautious with what we implement.
ReplyDeleteSee you all back at Walden Online.
Unfortunately, a lot of the problem right now is money issues. With all of the pink slips being handed out to teachers, as well as support staff, there is certainly no money for technology. Thankfully though, we are a Title 1 school and monies just got earmarked for technology. Each teacher was just given their own document camera and LCD projector, which I use for teaching across the curriculum. Technology should certainly be used in all classrooms, not just technology classes
ReplyDeleteJust a note on what Nick said. A website and Moodle are not the same thing. A website simply allows the visitor to access information. Moodle is a course management system. It is designed to make teaching, assignment submission, and grading much easier for teachers. In fact, Moodle and Walden's eCollege are both course management systems. I bet you think that eCollege is pretty easy to use and an effective time saver. It looks as if Nick's administrators didn't really explain Moodle very well and probably provided minimal training. Most teachers love Moodle.
ReplyDelete