Wednesday, August 22, 2007 4:11 AM
by
jtspencer
paradigm shifts
For the next few weeks, this blog will focus on technology-related issues.
Technology integration sounds so easy. It seems to be a simple matter of training teachers and providing equipment and a school begins to flourish. Yet, there are countless schools that provide some sort of professional development and a host of resources only to watch as a small handful of teachers take up the challenge. The reality is frustrating, with students rarely using computers on a regular basis. Indeed, Bulgaria beats the United States in internet usage while, in South Korea, the entire nation is hi-fi and students bring laptops to school. Still, the answer is not as simple as funding or even professional development. On every level, there needs to be a major paradigm shift.
Teachers: Integration rather than Segregation
When teachers walk into my classroom, they often ask if it is a computer class. When I explain that we use the computers in our social studies class, the next assumption is that I have some sort of standardized online curriculum with flashing text, sound effects and rote memorization drill and kill. Instead, I try and integrate technology to amplify what we already know to be best practices. In other words, when we do community service, students write blogs and offer feedback electronically. They create one-minute videos and post them on youtube and myspace. When we have class discussions, they connect to the ongoing discussion of an online forum. My goal is not to replace traditional methods with technology, but rather see how technology can be used according to the best methods I know.
Students: Education rather than Entertainment
Upon arriving to my class, students assume it will be "fun," in the same sense as flipping through flickr or commenting on facebook is fun. Instead, I explain that technology is a tool - a sharp, dangerous tool that is not meant for mere entertainment. In making this paradigm shift, I have realized that I need to be gentle and slowly ween them from the amusement addiction. Thus, they create humorous podcasts or enteraining comic relief for their documentaries. Yet, I explain from the beginning that they are tools for learning.
Districts: Open Source rather than Proprietary
It is possible to buy thin clients for $100 and use a $2,000 server to create a fast-running, forty student computer lab. Instead, schools opt for the massive mobile lab. When they begin buying software, the bills become outrageous. For example, they might spend $100 per computer to have Microsoft Works when Open Office or Star Office are available for free. They spend hundreds on Dreamweaver when NVU will suffice. If a school spends $300 per computer on software licenses (that have freeware alternatives), they could buy really nice computers in two years for every computer they are loading with software. The point is that there are so many cost-cutting methods that would provide more of the basic hardware and software for a cheaper price. Yet, districts are often skiddish about open source solutions.