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Not All Tech Conferences Are a Waste of Time
Today I attending the Tech Forum New York 2014 hosted by Technology & Learning Magazine. My attendance at this one-day conference reaffirmed my belief that not all tech conferences are a waste of time, even though there remain many that are.
Today’s conference was held at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, New York, near the Tappen Zee Bridge and the Hudson River. This location is easily accessible from most locations in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut & Pennsylvania area. Unlike other conferences that are held in New York City, this conference is accessible by car, with no charge for parking. Being able to drive your own vehicle makes a big difference in terms of convenience for attendees coming from the suburbs. Having to commute by mass transit into NYC to attend a conference may just incline some not to attend.
The day started off with Eric Sheninger (@E_Sheninger) providing the keynote address. This former Principal from the award winning New Milford High School (NMHS) in New Jersey accomplished many things with his address, but there were two things in particular that impacted me. First, I came away feeling very inadequate. I became keenly aware of how many exciting and impactful opportunities I am not providing to the students, faculty and administrators in my school district. Second, and even more importantly, I felt inspired. Armed with a wealth of resources by provided by Eric, I am committed to doing more in my schools.
The session that followed the keynote presented many useful apps and tools that work nicely with Google Apps for Education, Google Chrome browsers and Chromebooks. The “Industry Spotlight” which followed was one big sales pitch from event sponsors. The time could have been better spent offering another useful session.
A luncheon for District Leadership followed the morning breakout session. During the luncheon, the attendees were encouraged to engage in a meaningful discussion about social media in schools. Hearing different points of view from various school leaders was very informative. I always find direct conversations with colleagues to be the most beneficial part of any conference or workshop.
A very interesting “Idea Exchange” followed the luncheon. This roundtable discussion on “Connected Leadership: How Education Leadership Can Remain Relevant in a World of Tech-driven Collaboration”, was facilitated by Tom Whitby (@tomwhitby), the founder of #edchat and Adam Bellow (@adambellow). This session was a free-flow sharing of ideas by all in attendance. The discussions primarily focused on collaboration. The use of Twitter for both personal and professional use, along with the benefits of doing so, were discussed in great length. One attendee who was a self-described “hold-out” was so influenced by the discussion that she created her own Twitter account by the end of the session.
Other discussions included establishing and/or maintaining a blog for sharing ideas and resources with others. I was inspired enough by the discussion to revisit this blog after many months of abandonment, and to write this post. The key take away concept for me is that sharing and collaboration can offer great benefits to all.
I concluded the conference by attending a very informative session on “Rethinking Learning Spaces” including very cool furniture, fixtures and tech accessories from companies like Steelcase.
Being out of the district for a full day in order to attend a conference is never done without careful consideration. Upon reflection of this conference, I am satisfied that the day out of the district was time well spent and was very beneficial.
What Parents Want From Technology In The Classroom
In this article, originally posted on the Edudemic site, are the results of a study where parents were asked to identify there expectations for the use of technology in the classroom as instructional tools, are presented in easy to read infographic.
Here’s an interesting perspective to take on technology in the classroom. A new mobile learning report titled ‘Living and Learning With Mobile Devices‘ talks about a detailed study where parents were asked questions about technology’s role in the classroom, the technology being used at home, and how it’s migrating into education. In other words, the parents are the ones buying a lot of the BYOD we’re seeing in schools right now and it’s important to get their feedback.
So what are parents saying about mobile learning and all the education technology in early childhood / K-12 learning? Basically that technology needs to properly integrated, properly handled, and properly used. In other words, it needs to all be done in a relatively controlled environment where teachers leverage a blended learning environment in order to help guide students with their mobile learning.
Hey Microsoft – Google gets that FREE means FREE
Schools Are Ready to Move to Cloud Computing
Many schools are at a point where they are ready and willing to make the move to cloud computing. When it comes to choosing the best cloud-based productivity solution, the answer is not a simple one.
There are two main options: Microsoft or Google. Microsoft has recently revamped and revamped its Live@Edu solution. Now rebranded Office 365 for Education, at first glance, it may seem like the obvious choice for schools. Most schools have been using some version of Microsoft’s popular Office Suite. The move to the cloud-based version of these products may seem logical.
As is often the case with Microsoft, there is a catch. Free is never really free. There are various options, that most schools will want and/or need that will come at a cost to districts. For schools to truly utilize all of the features that Microsoft has to offer, they will need to maintain multiple servers in-house. At a demonstration of Office365 recently, the representative identified a need for at least four servers. Providing, supporting and maintaining multiple in-house servers is exactly what most school districts are trying to avoid by going to a cloud solution.
To be fair, a district could in fact use Office 365 for Education exclusively via the web and would incur no charges and require no in-house servers. In doing so, schools will be giving up significant functionality.
Microsoft’s Bait and Switch
Most importantly, is the point that Stuart Ridout makes in his blog post Can You Afford Office356 for Education?, about Microsoft once again pulling a “bait and switch” on schools. Hey Microsoft – free should mean free! Schools all over the world are challenged to stretch diminishing technology budgets while increasing the resources they are providing to students and faculty members.
Google Gets Education
Google Apps for Education is truly a free suite of applications that schools do not have to pay anything for and do not need to host any servers in-house, in order to fully utilize this suite of cloud-based computing productivity tools. Google gets it. Free means free.
When comparing Office365 and Google Apps often it is stated that Google’s productivity applications are not nearly as sophisticated as Microsoft’s products. This is accurate. The reality is that Google Apps provide all of the functionality that most users actually need and/or use. The next argument made is that Google Docs (in particular) mess up the formatting of Word documents, which does happen. If the documents are created using Google Docs in the first place, there are no formatting issues.
While Microsoft does offer the ability to collaborate on documents, etc., it is not done directly within the application. Instead, users need to add Sharepoint into the mix, in order to collaborate. This solution requires a one collaborator to “check out” a document in order to make changes. No other users can access (let alone change) the document while it is checked out.
Google on the other hand, offers real-time collaboration within the application. You can actually see on your screen when other collaborators are working on the same document as you .
Game Changer
The real game changer may be the latest announcements from Google that its new Google Drive Cloud Storage solution and its popular Chrome browser are now both available for IOS devices. As schools rapidly move to include iPad‘s in the arsenal of tech resources, the ability to effortlessly access documents from various location may really push Google out in front of Microsoft. Yes, Microsoft files can be accessed on various devices, it is not as seamless as the Google solution.
From its inception, Google Apps for Education has been a feature packed solution. The functionality continues to expand, with no signs of a price tag for schools.
Related articles
- 10 top Dutch universities adopt Google Apps for Education (googleenterprise.blogspot.com)
- Growing Up Google: How Cloud Computing Is Changing a Generation (mashable.com)
- Google Apps for Education: When Will It Replace the LMS? (hackeducation.com)
- Google gives Google Docs offline capabilities (techworld.com.au)
Begin With the End in Mind: More than just a mantra when it comes to technology in education
The Issue
Too often schools are in the position of having exciting new technology available and having to find the best way to implement and utilize it. This approach is backwards, Stephen Covey penned the phrase “BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND” and these words are particularly useful when developing a plan of action for integrating technology in schools.
Instead of trying to find ways to utilize the latest technologies, schools should instead let the instructional goals define the technological tools that should be implemented. As rapid advances in technology unfold, schools are often in the position of buying into what is the latest and greatest and then trying to figure out how and where to use the new technology.
The iPad and now the iPad2 (and soon the iPad3) are perfect examples of this challenge. Everyone can agree on the wow factor of these devices. There is no doubt that mobile technology is going to be a big part of any future technology initiatives. How this devices can effectively be used in instructional environments is still developing.
Many educational technologists are faced with the challenge of integrating these devices, with out a clear directive of why. That is to say, what is the goal of rolling out these devices. Often boards of education and administrators want the new technology, feel they need to be on the bleeding edge, but do not clearly articulate the intended goals and outcomes for using these devices.
Frequently, as in the case of the iPad, there are significant challenges that must be worked through when adding new technologies into an existing networked environment. These challenges can be overcome, but without a clear understanding of the goals for use, developing a solid solution can be difficult.
Goals
Is there a more ambiguous statement than having children become “21st Century Learners”? It sounds great and looks impressive when included in a technology plan, but what does it mean? Does it mean every student should be able to use tools such as word processors and presentation software to effectively represent the ideas and information learned about a specific topic? Does it mean students will be able to utilize social networking tools? Does it mean children will know how to use Google or Bing to search for information on a topic and then go to the wikipedia link on that topic? Or does it mean that children will learn the skills necessary to develop the ability to skillfully aggregate information and quickly discern what is meaningful and useful, while ignoring that which is not? Or does it simply mean that children will learn how to find and download an app?
The point is that the instructional needs should dicate the technology and not the other way around. The instructional team needs to identify its needs and then work to find technological tools and resources which meet those needs. Sometimes the latest and greatest technological wonders are simply cool gadgets,with little or no instructional value.
There is a place for Technology in Schools
I do not believe this to be the case with iPads. In fact, I believe very strongly that the iPad does bring a lot to the table. Its portability, functionality and ease of use make it a terrific tool for schools. Before rushing to place a large oder for these devices, schools should clearly identify why they are being purchased, how they are going to be used and what the goals and outcomes are for the use of these devices.
Related articles
- EBooks in the Classroom (slideshare.net)
- iPads Improve Kindergarteners’ Literacy Scores (webpronews.com)
- Beijing School Begins Using iPads in the Classroom (penn-olson.com)
Starting An IOS Implementation in Schools
Anyone who is working on bringing iPads and iPhones in to a school environment is certain to face some roadblocks. Schools are a very different environment than commercial entities and homes.
Apple has made some progress in adapting to the ways in which schools must operate.
A good starting point for any schools heading down the path to integration IOS devices is the iOS 5 Education Deployment Guide.
Related articles
- Easy Learning – The Study Helper for iOS – Optimize Brain States (themactrack.com)
- iOS-ification Addendum (macstories.net)
File This Under the “What If” or Wouldn’t it Be Nice If” Categories
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Five education practices that should be replicated nationally
An extra day for teachers to plan and collaborate each week, and requiring classes in advanced reading strategies in high school, were among readers’ top ideas
By Meris Stansbury, Online Editor
Read more by Meris Stansbury
An Illinois district has boosted the percentage of its students meeting state standards by requiring reading classes throughout high school.Education leaders are always looking for examples of successful programs they might be able to replicate within their own districts. But it can be challenging to find a program or policy that could work for hundreds, or even thousands, of diverse schools, districts, and states.
That’s why, in a follow-up question to our story, “Readers: These 10 education policies need to go,” we recently asked readers: “If you could name only one, what school or district practice would you like to see replicated or implemented nationally, and why?” Here are our readers’ best responses.
What do you think of these policies and practices? Could they be implemented on a national scale? And, do you have any ideas of your own for policies or practices that should be spread more widely? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
5. Monitoring networks to gauge application usage
“We developed a system called VIC (Virtual Information Center) that monitors all computers in the district to determine which applications are being used. This is not used in a punitive fashion, rather it is used to monitor if software or hardware is being used and when. We have learned a lot about what [software] teachers will and will not use. It’s all about accountability. We measure what we treasure—technology.” —Andrew Berning Ph.D., chief information and technology officer, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Carrollton, Texas
Five education practices that should be replicated nationally
An extra day for teachers to plan and collaborate each week, and requiring classes in advanced reading strategies in high school, were among readers’ top ideas
4. An extra day for teachers to plan and collaborate
“I would like to see school districts across the country practice a four-day week for students and a five-day week with teachers—one day out of the week, without students, that we could use to plan, prep our classrooms, and prepare students’ work with viable feedback. In my opinion, this practice will help teachers not take work home with them and become exhausted. Students do not know we are always thinking about them, and if they knew how much effort we put into their lessons, maybe they would think how valuable we think their education is to their livelihood. I think this practice already takes place in some of the school districts in Texas. I read about it a long time ago, but I have not kept up with the research on this topic.” —Gail M. Owens, Class Size Reduction teacher, Woodward School, St. Louis, Mo.
3. SEED Math program: Project SEED (Special Elementary Education for the Disadvantaged)
“Started in Chicago in the early 1970s [and] spread to Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, and Sacramento, the program invites college students who are math majors to be trained to teach students (in schools where students are poor) discovery algebra from grades 1 to 6. The regular teacher must stay in the room to watch, and he/she will still teach math by normal methods at other times. College students were paid gas mileage to drive in carpools to SEED sites. When this was implemented in the 70s, it was funded by Title III. When enough students in the school had taken it, math scores improved to the point that the school no longer qualified for Title III. So, SEED math would be discontinued at that school. Scores would fall for the next set of entering students, and [the school] would qualify to get Title III funds again. This was a total waste of time and money. Any school that needs SEED math will continue to need it for others who enter the school. We need to find a better way to fund it. And we need to find a way to deliver it to many schools in the U.S. at this critical point in time.” —Prof. Sandy Feder, Sacramento City College Computer Science Department
An extra day for teachers to plan and collaborate each week, and requiring classes in advanced reading strategies in high school, were among readers’ top ideas
2. Reading as a high school graduation requirement
“During the past 10-15 years, research has shown that there is still more to learn about the skill of reading as a student progresses through high school, just as there is more to learn about mathematics. The process of learning more about the skills of reading changes as a student’s academic knowledge changes and increases. A reading course at the secondary level should not be considered remedial. In 2004, Lincoln-Way Community High School District No. 210 made reading a graduation requirement for all students. The program is organized around seven essential reading skills: Comprehension Monitoring, Cooperative Learning, Graphic and Semantic Organizers, Question Answering/Question Recognition, Question Generation, Structure: Narrative and Expository Text, and Summarization Skills. From 2004–2009, students in the Lincoln-Way High School District went from 66 percent meeting and exceeding state standards to 77 percent meeting and exceeding state standards.” —Sharon Michalak, Ed.D., assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and staff development, Lincoln-Way Community High School District No. 210, Illinois
1. Tablet computers and electronic, interactive textbooks for all students
“The single most economic and productive action which could be taken to improve K-12 education is to provide each student with an interactive 8″ x 11” tablet PC, together with subject material in digital interactive, color, and animated form instead of paper, books, and similar learning materials. A tablet PC soon will cost less than $100—making it less expensive than present learning tools. We’re in an electronic world that is rapidly expanding—[and] K-12 school systems must get with it to keep up with others.” —Stan Doore, former adjunct lecturer (Information Systems), American University
Facebook for Educators: Safely & Securely
Image via CrunchBase
I came across a great post today on the TL Advisor Blog. The information presented is very helpful for educators who are interested in using the Facebook social network for professional use, but may be uncertain about how to do so safely and securely.
As the Director of Technology for a K-12 school district, I do not block many of the sites that my colleagues in other districts do. It has been my experience that the more barriers and limitations that educators encounter in their quest to utilize the latest technology, the more it will result in the educators becoming frustrated and giving up quickly on the use of technology in general.
I also recognize that the educators in my district are professionals and should be treated as such. Each day these educators present materials to our students in many different formats. Being professionals implies that they will use their best judgement and carefully monitor the information they are presenting or is being accessed by their students.
Yes, there are those that may not behave as professionals, but my experience has been that this is the rare exception and far from the norm. I will not burden the vast majority of the educators, who are working hard each day to provide the best learning environment for their students, with road blocks put up to prevent a limited few from behaving inappropriately.
There are tools for me to review online activities, when warranted, after a problem is brought to my attention. I have no desire or need to be monitoring the activities of the educators in my district in real-time.
Instead, I prefer to spend my time working to assist my colleagues in their efforts to find the and utilize the best technology resources for and with our students.
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“Advice for Choosing Pages, Groups or Profiles When Using Facebook for Education by Lisa Nielsen
When I speak about schools such as these, I often get a lot of questions like this one I received recently from a Twitter follower.
“Great ideas for Facebook, but would we be taking a social risk? Facebook is taboo for many admins and districts are frowning on FB because of the potential risk for unprofessional behavior bit.ly/gCEp2n .”
My reply to such inquiries is always the same. Tools have no intent. Facebook doesn’t cause a risk for unprofessional behavior, but it catches those who engage in such behaviors. What we’re really saying when we block and ban is that we don’t want to bother dealing with issues such as those who have chosen to publicly engaged in unprofessional behavior. It is much more convenient to turn heads the other way.
After I’ve convinced educators that Facebook is a powerful tool in education because it’s one that our kids are already using and it is our professional duty to use and help keep kids safe in the environments of their worlds, I’m often asked this question:
“Would you encourage using a Facebook page or profile to connect with students? Is there a difference?”
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| Students bring their own devices to New Caanan High School and use an unfiltered internet |
There is not a one-size-fits all answer. It depends on your intent. If you are like me or Principal Chris Lehmann you have one profile because it’s just another way to communicate and you’ll communicate with your students in any way they wish. The idea of being two separate people may just be too hard to keep track of and you enjoy being a professional and social role model for students. If you are like librarian Michelle Loots (Luhtala) you use a personal page to connect with friends and family, a professional profile for students and apage to keep students in the know about library activities.. If you are like first grade teacherErin Schoening you create a page as a window into your classroom to connect students with parents. If you are like Brooklyn Tech High School you use a page as a place to connect with present and past students and teachers. You might be like Education Land, a group created to connect those who are interested in education.
If you want to understand how you can maintain a professional presence on the site separate from your personal profile, here are some tips, directly from Facebook’s Safety for Educators page (note: You may also want to visit the “Teachers” page in the Facebook Safety Center.) First they suggest that if you are a teacher and have a personal profile, you can consider creating a group or a Page specifically for interacting with students, parents, or colleagues. Create Friend Lists to control what parts of your profile students are able to access. If you don’t get the difference between pages, and groups, and friend’s lists here is how it’s explained on Facebook’s Safety for Educators page.
Pages, Groups, and Friends Lists Overview
Pages
Pages are for broadcasting great information to people on Facebook. For example, you could create a Page called “Ms. Smith’s 9th Grade Science Class” where you post daily homework assignments. Anyone can become a fan of a Page on Facebook. People who choose to become a fan of a Page will see updates on their profile. To create a Page, click here. Pages are free, you can control them with your personal profile, and they keep your profile separate from your students.
Groups
Groups make it easy for members of a community to connect, share and even collaborate on a given topic or idea. For example, you could create a group called “American Literature 101 Discussions” where you and your students can contribute to group discussions. Or you could create a group for all of the educators in your your department to collaborate on lesson plans and share ideas. To create a group, click here.
Friend Lists
Friend Lists provide organized groupings of your friends on Facebook. For example, you can create a Friend List specifically for your students. Then you can control which parts of your profile are visible to this entire list. You can also filter your view of each list’s stream of activity separately on the home page, or send messages and invites to this group of people all at once. To learn more about creating and managing Friend Lists, click here.
Connecting with Other Facebook Using Educators
If you want to connect with other educators who are using Facebook for Learning, join the Facebook in Education page. This page is a resource for teachers, professors, administrators, counselors and others who work in education. You can refer to this page for privacy tips to help you maintain both a personal and a professional presence on Facebook. You’ll also find answers to common questions including how to report abuse to Facebook and the best way to use Facebook as a communication tool in your school. To become a fan of this page, click here and choose the “Become a Fan” option at the top of the page.
Read Librarian Michelle Luhtala’s response to this blog post at Y U Need 2 “Friend” ur Students!
Lisa Nielsen is best known as creator of The Innovative Educator bloghttp://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com and Transforming Education for the 21st Centuryhttp://ted21c.ning.com learning network. Lisa is an outspoken and passionate advocate of innovative education. She is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Thinking Outside the Ban” and determining ways to harness the power of technology for instruction and providing a voice to educators and students. Based in New York City, Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities helping schools and districts to educate in innovative ways that will prepare students for 21st century success. Her first book “Teaching Generation Text” is set for a fall 2011 release. You can follow her on Twitter @InnovativeEdu.”
Related articles
- The Why and How of Using Facebook For Educators – No Need to be Friends At All! (theedublogger.com)
Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation and Adobe Youth Voices Public Service Announcement
“The Peapod Foundation, created by the Black Eyed Peas, collaborated with Adobe Youth Voices, a non-profit spearheaded by The Adobe Foundation, to create a new public service announcement. The PSA demonstrates the power of the arts and technology to engage youth from underserved communities.
Through their collaboration, the Peapod Foundation and Adobe Foundation have launched two Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academies that will give kids access to use video, dance, music, and art to spark social change in their communities.
Learn more and view the PSA here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efSYEZZNrEQ
Crystal (Adobe Youth Voices)”
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Education Technology PSA | Edutopia Group Discussions by and for Educators.
“Test Prep and Learning are Two Different Things”
Image by Ewan McIntosh via Flickr
I just made,excellent use of the last 14 minutes or so of my time ,by watching TEDxNYED – Will Richardson.
Not long ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Will as a keynote speaker at a local technology conference I attended. I had heard and read a great deal about him. It was all true. His style made the audience feel very comfortable, very quickly. It was his content however, that was most impressive. Will Richardson presented very thought provoking ideas and observations, in a very straightforward manner.
I was unable to attend the TedxNYED on March 5th, in New york City. From the videos I have reviewed, it appears I missed out on some spectacular speakers and talks. Aside from Will, well known speakers such as Alan November and Gary S. Stager also provided unique insights during their presentations.
Will’s points were particularly poignant. As school’s around the country face financial obstacles and are forced to reduce the number of teachers, they are also being pressed to improve test scores. Schools are in fact becoming (or already have become) primarily focused on test prep and test scores. During his talk, he points out that “test prep and learning are two different things.”
We have become so driven to produce high scoring test takers, that we are not allowing our children to be creative or to learn in the manner that is best suited for them.
We need to stop the assault on teachers and focus on the needs of children. Children can do amazing things, if we encourage them and allow them to do so.
Related Articles
- TEDxNYEd Talk (weblogg-ed.com)
- My TEDxNYED Revelation, Takeaways and a Suggestion (edtechpower.blogspot.com)
I could not agree more…
Heather Wolpert-Gawron posted a piece which was featured on Edutopia today. As I read through each of the issues and corresponding responses, I found myself nodding in agreement and quietly saying “yes.” Yes, to everything she wrote.
Yes, legal concerns can be overcome through proper modeling. Yes, teacher training is possible and who better to teach teachers than other teachers? Freeing up teachers from mundane an outdated tasks to allow them the time to impart 21st century skills on today’s students makes perfect sense.
I may be wrong about this, but whenever I poll teachers and students about technology available at home, the response is that nearly all (if not all) students have computers and broadband access to the Internet. Those that do not are directed to the local public library.
Of course implementing technology can be expensive, but as stated, “”we cannot afford to fall any more behind in our comfort and use of technology.”
It is time for parents, community members, teachers and administrators to ban together in recognizing the importance of effective use of technology to the future of our students.
We speak about the achievement gap between the different cultures in our schools. Meanwhile, however, many of the stakeholders in education have created a vast trench that lies between those who accept the inevitability of technology and those who still refute its place in our classrooms.
Policymakers demand our schools must reflect the 21st century, yet continue to deny schools the funding to do just that. Additionally, our districts block many of the online sites for collaboration from our schools.
It is fear that guides many of the decisions about educational technology: fear that we will be left globally behind by countries more committed to technology integration and also fear that our students will somehow be scarred its use.
Frankly, there are many reasons to avoid providing technology as a more common and frequent tool in education. However, as stated in “Strictly Ballroom,” one of my favorite movies, “a life lived in fear is a life half lived.” Fear cannot shut us down from our mission: to educate students for their future.
For the Naysayers
Here are some typical arguments against technology in schools — and better ones for using it:
1. The legal issues are daunting: what if a student writes inappropriate content online? Answer: Our job is to teach them how to use the tools of the real world. After all, using a circular saw is dangerous too, but only through shop class have many students learned to build a birdhouse safely. So is it with technology. Parents and teachers must be a part of monitoring and modeling. It may be scary, but without teaching students about appropriate use, they will surely encounter exactly that which we are most scared of.
2. How ever will we train all those teachers? Answer: It’s simple. Have teachers train teachers. Give teachers who know how the paid release time to be trainers during their contracted hours of those who don’t know how. There are willing teachers on every site, at every district, teachers willing to take on hybrid roles in education that allow them one foot in the classroom and one foot working to improve the pedagogy and practice of those who need to learn. For those who train, they will, as a result, avoid burnout by being permitted ways to utilize their other skills, all the while helping other teachers improve their own 21st century knowledge.
3. Where does the time come from? How can we add more to a teacher’s plate? Answer: How ’bout this? Don’t. Instead, take something off teachers’ plates rather than put more on. We have to prioritize, and including technology is too important. We can’t continue to have teachers waste their time on the curricular needs of yesteryear. We need to redefine how a teacher spends their time during the day and redefine the curriculum of tomorrow.
4. Some students don’t have access to technology at home so how can we expect them to use it for assignments? Answer: To this I say, many homes don’t have libraries either, but we still teach how to read. The fact is that it’s a school’s job to step up to provide and instruct. Even though some students may not have access to a computer at home, the school needs to see its role in equalizing the differences between those who have and those who don’t. It’s also society’s role to find a way to provide for those homes in a more equitable way or our country’s children will be left behind. Some districts are already working in conjunction with phone providers and computer companies to help bridge this gap. Those districts should not be few and far between, but should be commonplace.
5. It’s expensive. Answer: Nevertheless, “we cannot afford to fall any more behind in our comfort and use of technology.” Policymakers need to start backing up their demands with funds. Parents need to be a part of monitoring their student’s use at home. Teachers must continue to develop the skills that make them the technology guides in the classroom. For as the gap gets ever wider, the money it will take to fill the divide will increase. We are already in the red. Our reluctance to think and plan ahead has already created a debt of technological knowledge.
Taking Action
We can’t allow fear to dictate our progress, nor can we allow those who won’t move forward to dictate whether we do move forward. We cannot allow policymakers to insist on adoption and not provide for it, or worse yet, tentatively provide it and not find bravery and support by those within education’s walls.
Teachers need to be on the forefront of curriculum, not in its wake. We need to be leading the charge towards preparing our students for their future, not hindering our march towards tomorrow.
View the original source for this post here
Related Articles
- Tech Changes Practice; Practice Changes Tech (techpudding.com)
- Teaching seen as crucial in topping ed rankings (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Turning Teachers Tech-Savvy (foxnews.com)
- Competent Teachers and Their Practices (socyberty.com)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Barometer Soup 