Part of the reason many schools are not utilizing available technology might lie in the fact that in many buildings, the responsibility of keeping up-to-date in technology falls solely on the teachers who are willing to step outside of their required roles and assume the position of “resident technology expert” of their building. Many teachers are not comfortable assuming this role for a variety of reasons.
I had the opportunity to visit two different schools while on vacation in Los Angeles, CA last week. One school, outside of the city, was a private school. The majority of the students at this school lead very privileged lives. They are the children of Hollywood actors and actresses or other big players (producers, directors, etc.) in “the business”. I went to observe their computer class.
The other school was a new charter school in Sherman Oaks, CA. This school touted itself as being a math, science and technology school. The population was mostly upper middle class. I observed their after-school program, which included computer club and homework help center.
Both schools had dedicated computer labs with 20 or more computers in each (with internet capabilities). The private school did not have a strong emphasis on technology usage. The school was not fully “wired”; there were no SmartBoards, document readers, etc. in any of the classrooms. Their program relied on the expertise of the computer teacher, who was not formally trained in educational technology (he was a graphic arts major in college). They did not have any standards for technology usage. The computer teacher had no real support system. If anything goes wrong with the equipment, he is pretty much on his own.
In the charter school, on the other hand, every classroom was “wired” with the latest technology. Their program also relied on the expertise of the teachers. There was no dedicated IT professional due to budget constraints. One of the teachers confided to me that because of some system malfunctions, they couldn’t use the technology at all until just a few weeks ago! There was no one available to get their servers up and running well enough for the students to use the computers regularly.
My visits were enlightening. Just because you have all the equipment doesn’t necessarily mean the students are benefiting from it. Also, there is an urgent need for districts to maintain their initial hardware investments with a dedicated IT staff who can support the staff members willing and eager to use the technology. And another thing…there are technology standards available for those districts willing to implement them. Students across the nation are having vastly different experiences with technology in school. We need to do more to make sure we level the playing field in terms of technology usage in our schools.
Valerie
I used to laugh along with the snow day jokes made, at my expense, by family members and friends who are not teachers. The gentle teasing when weather reports predict even the smallest amount of snow went without challenge. But the seriousness of the matter becomes very clear when more than 200 children are stuck in school without means of getting home during a snow event in the city of Yonkers, NY.
Yonkers is the 4th largest city in New York State. It has been compared to San Francisco, by some, because of the steep hills you have to navigate to go from one end of the city to the other. While the hills offer picturesque views of the Hudson River, they become an absolute nightmare when we get even the smallest amount of snow.
Over 200 children were stranded yesterday in my school waiting for busses to pick them up. Parents who have cars couldn’t make it on the streets of Yonkers to come and pick them up. There were no afterschool snacks to give the students. All anyone could do is wait and hope that the busses could make it through. We have students as young as 5 years old travelling on busses throughout the city. The students were nervous and their parents were rightfully worried. This scene went on in many of the 39 elementary schools in Yonkers. It took me more than an hour to get home yesterday (it’s usually a 15 minute ride). I’m not complaining about my ride home-I’m an adult, I can handle it.
The next time you hear a joke about schools closing at the first sign of snow, think about what you would do or say to the hundreds of children who don’t live within walking distance to their schools about how they are going to get home during a snow event. Shutting down an entire school district based on weather predictions is not an easy decision.
It takes a special kind of person to be able to drive a school bus in Yonkers. I don’t think they get the recognition they deserve for transporting students safely to and from school in inclement weather.
Valerie
Rein: Any means of restraint, check, or guidance.
Reign: The exercise of sovereign power, as by a monarch.
I wasn’t sure which one to use because they both sound adequate to describe my feelings this week…so I used both!
Increasingly I’m feeling more pressure to stop questioning the powers that be (district leaders, principals, etc) regarding our use of technology in the classroom. I can’t help but notice that everytime someone raises an issue with computer use (among other things), we get a sudden flurry of walk-throughs and “learning walk” visits. It feels like a subtle hint or reminder that ‘big brother’ is always watching and to stop making waves.
As I mentioned in my last blog, I’m trying to change how curriculum content gets taught across the board in my school. I’m trying to encourage other teachers to take a risk and use new methods and/or technology to teach topics and maybe we’ll see some different results. I don’t have much support in my efforts. When I ‘buck’ the traditional methods, there is a sudden congruence meeting whose sole topic seems to be to ensure we are using all the required textbooks on a daily basis. No names mentioned, of course, but I get the hint.
For now, I will continue to learn about implementing technology and use it when and where I can. I need to develop both confidence and competence in the field before I gear up for the fight. I’m looking forward to the day when, very soon, I will be in a position to exert more influence on our policies regarding technology use in the classroom.
Valerie
