Increased Access is Needed
“I have an inspired and refreshed outlook.” “Children will see how excited I am about the blog. Plus, it’s fun!” “I'm excited to try out this lesson!”
These are just a sampling of the reactions from teachers who discover the power of technology, if used in the right way, an improve learning.
When teachers taking my graduate classes see the possibilities of students learning in new ways using technology, then the demand for technology increases. When teachers plan their lessons, the biggest obstacle they mention is more access to technology, specifically computers with Internet access. One teacher said “There are only so many time slots for teachers to take their classes in the computer lab”. Another said “Kindergarten classes only get 30 min per week of lab time.” In some elementary schools, teachers are limited to thirty or forty-five minutes a week with their class. In others, students can use a computer lab for up to 2 ½ hours a week. Another teacher said “It would be more valuable if more computer time was devoted to each classroom. One hour a week does not help much.” Another stated “Once a week in the computer lab does not create or allow a technology literate environment, especially today.” Still another indicated “Time constraints in the computer lab may negatively affect students with disabilities that need extra time to complete tasks.”
In their district’s middle schools, Computer Applications/Skills is an exploratory course. As part of the 6 week seventh and eighth grade rotations, students learn skills and how to use various pieces of software. This course does increase skills, but at a cost. This cost is due to the fact that the students in any one particular computer applications class do not all come from a single Core (sometimes called Teams or Houses in which students share a team of teachers). Therefore coordinating Computer Application assignments with subject matter teachers and their desire for students to fulfill state standards is extremely difficult. Because of this, what is done in the middle school computer lab rarely supports what teachers are working on at that time in the classroom but instead is simply focused on their own K-12 Technology Curriculum.
What this means for access to computers is that at least one of the middle school’s two computer labs is tied up with the computer courses, with no access to classroom teachers who want to use technology with their students to support their curriculum. A teacher said “There are only so many time slots for teachers to take their classes in the computer lab.”
I know of one middle school that had once eliminated its Computer Applications/Skills courses. Instead, the lab was opened up for instructional purposes to allow classroom teachers to use the lab. The catch was that, if teachers wanted to have their students use a particular piece of software, or use skills such as searching, the teacher had to teach it to their students. On-site professional development support was provided for teachers to help them in the endeavor. A teacher commented that “If teachers knew that the technology is easily available, they would do more with it.” The results of the experiment were that teachers booked the lab continuously through the school year, and took advantage of the opportunities for learning presented. However, I understand the experiment was eliminated when the school district decided that each of the middle schools had to offer the same courses.
Generally, K-12 schools, computer access is scarce. A teacher noted “It must also be available the majority of the time and, because of this, easy to incorporate into the lesson plan.” Another teacher stated “Making technology easily accessible for children is essential”. In K-12 classrooms however, most have only one or two computers in the classroom, but these are not nearly enough for engaged learning practices. One teacher plaintively asked “Currently I only have one computer in my class. I would like to have at least one more.” A Special Ed teacher said “Special Education department cannot use the computer labs so we need multiple computers in our classrooms.
Many teachers see one possible solution as putting laptops in the hands of their students. Comments such as “There should be more computers and lap tops available within the classrooms for use,.” “We really need a set of laptops for classroom use.” And “It would be nice to see each student with his/her own laptop at all levels.” Another teacher said “I feel more computers need to be available in the classrooms so students have more opportunities on a daily basis to use technology on their own and not just when they go to the lab.” Still another stated “The most valuable use of building technology would to make it more available for student use.”
In my opinion, there is a tremendous opportunity for any laptop manufacturer to develop a extremely low cost device, such as the one created for the $100 laptop program, for the educational market.
In a related theme, along with more computers, teachers expressed a strong need for more available data projectors. They have indicated that having their students actually being able to see text clearly is essential.
In summary, the professional development provided by the district is increasingly helping teachers to recognize the potential for technology to help their students learn. Now, teachers are asking for more access to the technology.
“I have an inspired and refreshed outlook.” “Children will see how excited I am about the blog. Plus, it’s fun!” “I'm excited to try out this lesson!”
These are just a sampling of the reactions from teachers who discover the power of technology, if used in the right way, an improve learning.
When teachers taking my graduate classes see the possibilities of students learning in new ways using technology, then the demand for technology increases. When teachers plan their lessons, the biggest obstacle they mention is more access to technology, specifically computers with Internet access. One teacher said “There are only so many time slots for teachers to take their classes in the computer lab”. Another said “Kindergarten classes only get 30 min per week of lab time.” In some elementary schools, teachers are limited to thirty or forty-five minutes a week with their class. In others, students can use a computer lab for up to 2 ½ hours a week. Another teacher said “It would be more valuable if more computer time was devoted to each classroom. One hour a week does not help much.” Another stated “Once a week in the computer lab does not create or allow a technology literate environment, especially today.” Still another indicated “Time constraints in the computer lab may negatively affect students with disabilities that need extra time to complete tasks.”
In their district’s middle schools, Computer Applications/Skills is an exploratory course. As part of the 6 week seventh and eighth grade rotations, students learn skills and how to use various pieces of software. This course does increase skills, but at a cost. This cost is due to the fact that the students in any one particular computer applications class do not all come from a single Core (sometimes called Teams or Houses in which students share a team of teachers). Therefore coordinating Computer Application assignments with subject matter teachers and their desire for students to fulfill state standards is extremely difficult. Because of this, what is done in the middle school computer lab rarely supports what teachers are working on at that time in the classroom but instead is simply focused on their own K-12 Technology Curriculum.
What this means for access to computers is that at least one of the middle school’s two computer labs is tied up with the computer courses, with no access to classroom teachers who want to use technology with their students to support their curriculum. A teacher said “There are only so many time slots for teachers to take their classes in the computer lab.”
I know of one middle school that had once eliminated its Computer Applications/Skills courses. Instead, the lab was opened up for instructional purposes to allow classroom teachers to use the lab. The catch was that, if teachers wanted to have their students use a particular piece of software, or use skills such as searching, the teacher had to teach it to their students. On-site professional development support was provided for teachers to help them in the endeavor. A teacher commented that “If teachers knew that the technology is easily available, they would do more with it.” The results of the experiment were that teachers booked the lab continuously through the school year, and took advantage of the opportunities for learning presented. However, I understand the experiment was eliminated when the school district decided that each of the middle schools had to offer the same courses.
Generally, K-12 schools, computer access is scarce. A teacher noted “It must also be available the majority of the time and, because of this, easy to incorporate into the lesson plan.” Another teacher stated “Making technology easily accessible for children is essential”. In K-12 classrooms however, most have only one or two computers in the classroom, but these are not nearly enough for engaged learning practices. One teacher plaintively asked “Currently I only have one computer in my class. I would like to have at least one more.” A Special Ed teacher said “Special Education department cannot use the computer labs so we need multiple computers in our classrooms.
Many teachers see one possible solution as putting laptops in the hands of their students. Comments such as “There should be more computers and lap tops available within the classrooms for use,.” “We really need a set of laptops for classroom use.” And “It would be nice to see each student with his/her own laptop at all levels.” Another teacher said “I feel more computers need to be available in the classrooms so students have more opportunities on a daily basis to use technology on their own and not just when they go to the lab.” Still another stated “The most valuable use of building technology would to make it more available for student use.”
In my opinion, there is a tremendous opportunity for any laptop manufacturer to develop a extremely low cost device, such as the one created for the $100 laptop program, for the educational market.
In a related theme, along with more computers, teachers expressed a strong need for more available data projectors. They have indicated that having their students actually being able to see text clearly is essential.
In summary, the professional development provided by the district is increasingly helping teachers to recognize the potential for technology to help their students learn. Now, teachers are asking for more access to the technology.
posted by Rich Levine | 7:36 PM
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