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Week 1
Throughout this week's readings, there were many intriguing topics discussed.
I found that I agreed with or at least related to many of the discussed
items. This is probably because, throughout my 16 years of teaching,
I have experienced some contrasting school cultures. For example,
at the beginning of my career, I taught at a high school with an enrollment
of about 1100 students (approximately 90% white, 5% African American, and
5% of other ethnicity). Most of these students could be classified
as coming from middle-income families. I then moved a suburb of Chicago
where the student population in my middle school was around 850 (approximately
55% African American, 38% Latino, and 7% poverty-stricken white).
Most, if not all, of these students were classified as coming from low-income
families. After eight years, I moved to my current home where I teach
in a high school of approximately 350 students (100% white). These
students are borderline - between middle and lower- income with a few higher-income
families sprinkled throughout the population.
One of the ideas I found interesting was the idea of the "digital divide"
discussed in the book The Connected School by Barbara Means, William
R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla (2001). While it is not surprising that
the more affluent school districts have more hardware than the lower-income
districts, it is interesting to learn that the teachers actually use the
computers and the available technology in different ways, according to
the students' family income level. Means, Penuel, and Padilla discuss
that "Becker attributes these differences in practice to differences in
teacher beliefs: 'Computer use in low-SES schools often involved very traditional
practices and beliefs about student learning, whereas computer use in high-SES
schools often reflected more constructivist and innovative teaching strategies'"
(Becker, qtd. in Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). Unfortunately,
personal experience proves that this may actually be true. However,
this may be because there are simply not enough computers available to
assign the time-consuming research or multimedia presentations that are
more prevalent at a middle or higher income school district. For
example, in the very low-income district mentioned above, more emphasis
was placed on the practical, everyday use of the computers. This
was because there was no computer lab available. The only computers
available were the 5 that I had in my English classroom. Because
of a partnership, I had 5 up-to-date computers in my English classroom.
This made it possible to try some innovative things. However, because
there were only 5, more time was needed to complete those types of assignments.
Therefore, in the end, instruction was more geared to the practical everyday
uses of the computers rather than the innovative assignments mentioned
earlier.
Now, I teach in predominantly middle-income district where there are
3 computer labs of 25 stations each along with several other technical
devices with which the students can work. This allows the use of
technology to be more "student empowering" (Means, Penuel, and Padilla,
2001). The students are using the computers in more professional
ways. For instance, in English they use it for research, multimedia
presentations, collaboration, and designing. These uses allows the
students to make more decisions about there education and puts the teacher
in more of a facilitator's role instead of a traditional role (Means, Penuel,
and Padilla, 2001).
Another interesting topic presented in the readings was that of the
administration's role in the advancement of technology in any given district.
Means, Penuel, and Padilla state, "The commitment, technology savvy, and
organizational skills of the principal are even more than usual critical
factors in determining the success of technology introduction under site-based
management" (2001). I agree with this. In my current district,
the administration wants to be the leader in the area when it comes to
technology education. While this is a continuing goal, it is also
realized that at times there are unavoidable obstacles. For example,
as Means, Penuel, and Padilla mention, there is a lot of pressure on school
districts to excel on state standardized tests. This pressure "...can
reduce administrator and teacher willingness to invest time and effort
in student-centered uses of technology to develop advanced skills and conceptual
understanding that are not measured on the high-stakes tests" (2001).
It is unfortunate, but this could very well stand in the way of expanding
technology education.
The last section of the readings that was intriguing covered the four
mismatches that affect Internet use. To begin, Janet Schofield and
Ann Davidson make some excellent points in their book Bringing the Internet
to School: Lessons from an Urban District. When discussing Individualization
vs. Batch Processing, a problem is mentioned that I have run into during
my teaching. To explain, the Internet is mainly individualized, meaning
one can work alone to learn what is needed. However, when a class
of 25 uses this technology all at once (batch processing), problems occur.
As Schofield and Davidson mention, when several students wan to access
the same web site all at once, servers very often become jammed, causing
additional time to be used for access. When this happens during class,
I simply remind the students that it is like 25 people trying to go through
1 door all at once; you must wait for your turn to enter the site just
as you must wait for your turn to enter through a door. Another concept
mentioned was Continual Change vs. Constancy. Some veteran teachers
feel it is practically useless to learn new ways of doing things because
technology is changing so fast that it is impossible to keep up.
That is somewhat understandable; however, one must also realize that, as
educators, we must try to keep up in order to prepare our students for
the world THEY live in. Another problem arises in the concept of Open Expression
vs Control over Content. This is a real concern to school districts
because of the legal problems that could result from the misuse of the
Internet or even from honest mistakes that are made. Because the Internet
has open expression of ideas, virtually anything could appear on the screen.
For example, while researching, one of my students used the key work "voodoo"
to search for information. Upon connecting to a given site, pornographic
pictures appeared - on the student's computer in my classroom for anyone
looking to see!! the student told me immediately, but some students
saw the pictures. This, obviously had to be reported. The argument
here is that if the student had simply used only the materials available
through the school's library, material that had be cleared by school personnel,
that mishap would never had happened. Finally, there is the concept
of Technology as a Plaything vs. Technology as a Tool. Initially,
the computers were associated with games and the Internet was a way to
communicate through email and chat rooms. Because of those ideas,
it is difficult at times for teachers to convince the students that when
they use the computer, they should be using higher thinking skills than
just surface communication.
Because of the issues state above, many districts have responded to
the problems. While most understand the benefits of Internet usage,
they also want to protect the district from possible law suits. Therefore,
some restrictions have been imposed on both students and teachers.
Certain sites are banned and filtering systems are employed. Most,
if not all, districts now have Internet user policies that state these
restrictions and mandate supervision of student users at all times.
My district has many of the same policies that are mentioned in Schofield
and Davidson's book. However, unfortunately, the teachers are also
restricted from certain access and actions that could actually help them
enhance their students' education. For example, my students cannot
save a picture from the Internet and place it in their network file.
This restricted the research for their presentations. Finally, after
at least 3 years of Internet service, I was given an access code that now
allows this type of saving. However, there are still several bans that
hold our students back - some justified and some the result of paranoia.
I enjoyed reading this week's information. I related to a lot
of it due to my past experiences in the different cultures I have taught.
For the most part, the research presented was accurate, according to my
experiences.
REFERENCES
Means, Barbara, William R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla. The Connected
School: Technology and Learning in High School. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2001.
Schofield, Janet Ward, and Ann Locke Davidson. Bringing the Internet
to School: Lessons from an Urban District. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002
Week 2
This week's readings were very interesting. More than likely,
many teachers can relate to some of the successes as well as some of the
problems that are attached to having a computer lab or a technology center.
Normally, however, the good that results from such labs far outweigh the
bad that sometimes is present.
In Chapter 2 "(Sallie) Polk's desire was to create a technologically
literate student body ready for the twenty-first-century workplace and
she felt that improving access to computers was key to meeting that goal"
(Means, Penuel, and Padilla 17). This "desire" is currently common
in almost all schools. The administration at Cumberland High School
has often said that their goal is to lead the area in technology in order
to prepare the students for what is expected of them not only in
the workplace but also in today's colleges and universities. Reality
states that today's graduating high school student must have skills
in several technological areas such as web page design, emailing, and certain
on-line skills.
To prepare her school's students to enter the outside world, Polk ".
. . helped to develop a partnership with the University of Michigan . .
." (Means, Penuel, and Padilla 19). This business partner helped
to build a computer lab in Polk's school and offered a mentoring program
as well. Due to this partnership, Polk was on track to realizing
the goal of producing capable people to enter the workforce. "As a result
of these partnerships, Murray-Wright is among the richest of all Detroit's
high schools in terms of technology resources" (21). This type of
relationship makes sense. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.
For instance, the school receives much needed financial help; the students
receive a progressive education; and the businesses receive capable young
people entering the workforce. This type of success is very encouraging
to all the other financially-challenged districts.
Chapter 2 also points out that the students tend to behave in a more
professional manner when in computer labs. To illustrate this point,
Katie Fitzner, coordinator of the Technology Center at Murray-Wright, said
the students in her school took care of the computer lab because it was
the nicest room in the building. She said, "'I think that when students
walk in this room and see how nice it is, they act differently'" (qtd.
in Means, Penuel, and Padilla 22). Likewise, I have noticed that my students
act more professionally when we work in the lab on projects. This
may be because they are more interested in learning when they are doing
something
rather than just listening to someone.
Continuing, the physical setting of the Technology Center described
in Chapter 2 sounds impressive. Having the monitor under the
desk out of the way is ideal. However, my experience tells me that
it is advantageous for the teacher to be able to see the student monitors
at all times. This is to discourage the students from going to a
forbidden site or from playing games while class is in session. If
the monitors are under the desks, the students can easily hide what they
have on the screen. On the other hand, I feel this type of design
is extremely appropriate for the college level and is most definitely helpful
in business settings where there more mature users.
The section on project-based learning was very interesting. I agree
with the authors when they state, "Among the gains reported as benefits
of these examples of project-based learning were an increased confidence
in students' ability to solve problems on their own, increased motivation
and student engagement, and greater content learning" (Means, Penuel, and
Padilla 32). In my experiences with project-based learning, I have
noticed the same things. Although the students start out feeling
inadequate, by the time the project is finished, they feel very capable
and proud of their accomplishments. This supports the statement made
by Stanley Henry, a staff member at Murray-Wright. He said that "...students
gain a sense of independence ..."(qtd. in Means, Penuel, and Padilla 32)
when working with technology during project-based learning.
Later in the reading, the subject of staff education was discussed.
A staff member at Murray-Wright said, "'Our old technology plan was more
of a technology-buying plan. Now we need to revise it to include
staff development and integrating it into the curriculum'" (qtd. in Mean,
Penuel, and Padilla 33). I can relate to that statement as can many
other teachers, I'm sure. Another teacher from Murray-Wright
commented that it does no good to simply buy hardware and software; there
must be dollars placed on learning how to use the technology as well (33).
In Chapter 7 there were many good ideas that I may suggest to my administration.
One idea that is worth using is the organization of the sign up for a computer
lab. At the present time, our computer lab sign up is on a first-come
first-serve basis. In other words, one or two teachers could monopolize
the lab all year if they sign up before anyone else has a chance.
Contrary to this method, the Mumford Tech Center uses a system that seems
more fair to all teachers. They allow a certain amount of time per
teacher per department (Means, Penuel, and Padilla 173). That makes
sense. Certainly, this would cut down or possibly eliminate the "computer
hogs" in our district. (I could be one of them!)
Another good idea is that of having student assistants available in
the labs. At Cumberland High School we have office assistants who
help with attendance, filing and other general secretarial duties.
There is no reason that we could not have student assistants in the computer
labs.
Finally, the last idea from the readings to which I can relate is that
of aging equipment. At the June school board meeting, Jim Pattenaude,
the technology consultant for Cumberland District #77, highlighted our
progress in technology this year. He mentioned that when we get new
computers for the labs, the old ones are shipped out to the classrooms.
This is a good idea, but, as stated by the authors, it may bring with it
some compatibility and memory problems (188). This is especially
true when, as Mr. Pattenaude related, the life span of a computer used
in an educational setting is just five years. The problems can be
frustrating for the students as well as the teachers. However, they
also help the users learn more about how to handle those types of problems
with technology.
I found these readings very interesting. They covered areas that could
be common to many districts. Reading about the success of different
projects and programs is encouraging.
REFERENCES
Means, Barbara, William R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla. The Connected
School: Technology and Learning in High School. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2001.
Jim Pattenaude. Technology Consultant. Technology Report. 17 June 2002.
Week 3
The world is changing at a rapid pace. As it writing in Using
Technology to Support Education Reform, ".. the business community
and the public in general are exerting pressure for comparable changes
within schools" (1993). Therefore, to keep pace, the educational system
must be willing to change. While the methods used to teach our grandparents
may still be effective, many things must be added in order to prepare today's
students for today's workplace.
Because of the constant worldly changes, educational practices have
changed throughout the years. Likewise, the tools with which learning
takes place have changed and progressed throughout those years. For
example, the quail-feathered pen dipped in ink to write is now a keyboard
attached to a high tech computer or laptop. In the same manner, the
traditional parent-teacher conference has been joined by electronic communication
in the form or emails and video conferences. Because the workplace is becoming
so high tech, we, as educators, need to be willing to work harder to supply
our students (and fellow teachers for that matter) with the technology
needed to compete in an ever-changingl environment.
With that in mind, it is important to acquire up-to-date technical equipment.
Trying to find quality equipment and funding for it is very time-consuming
and sometimes frustrating. "Many [school personnel] believe that
these elements [technology equipment and professional development for it]
should be regular line items in the school budget" (Means, Penuel, and
Padilla, 2001). One teacher feels that as soon as new equipment is
acquired, the maintenance and professional development expenses should
immediately be built into the school budget (Means, Penuel, and Padilla,
2001). I tend to agree with that; however, reality states that we
must rely on outside funding most of the time.
Consequently, "...parent groups, business partners, and actions of individual
district administrators..." (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001) are essential
in obtaining the funds to keep a school district current in technology.
Parent groups are effective but usually on a small scale. PTA groups
may be able to raise enough money for a printer, scanner, or even a complete
work station; however, to obtain that badly needed up-to-date computer
lab, a school sometimes needs to rely on a business partner of some kind.
Obviously, it makes sense that the businesses would want to invest in the
educational system since the products of that system will someday be in
the workforce. However, there are times when the business partnership
is not exactly the best avenue to take. For instance, many times
a representative of a business will promise to send computers or build
a lab when authorization of that promise has not actually been given.
In this case, the result is a disappointed teaching staff with no equipment
or terribly out-of-date equipment which can only be used for word processing
(Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). As proof of this, Dr. Hamilton
of Renaissance High School in Detroit, MI, related that businesses have
tried, "'to adopt [us], but unfortunately some of the stuff that they have
given us is old. They may refurbish it, but it's not the kind of equipment
that we need to really push our students forward'" (qtd. in Means, Penuel,
and Padilla, 2001). Because of the possible problems with business
partners, it is also important for the district administration to foster
a progressive attitude, backing that attitude up with room in the school's
budget for acquiring new technology and for maintaining that equipment.
Another interesting problem that is overlooked at times is the difficulty
that successful schools have in acquiring funding for new technology.
One would think that if the school is succeeding, there would be little
or no risk to a business partner to supply that school with extra money
or equipment to further their success. However, sometimes, the successful
schools are put on the bottom of the list. This is because it is
assumed that they are doing fine without it. Therefore, although
success should be an advantage, it often times is a disadvantage when it
comes to funding (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). According to
the readings, Renaissance High School in Detroit, MI, has run into this
problem. This school has had a tradition of academic excellence,
yet does not have the technology that other, less successful schools have,
even in their own district. When they tried for business partners,
some potential donors felt they should not "...mess with the traditional
pencil-and-paper-based curriculum if it works" (Means, Penuel, and Padilla,
2001). Also, Renaissance doesn't get as much money from state funding
because they do not have as many low-income families as the other schools
in their district (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). Unfortunately, as
educators often see, more attention is given to the very low, unmotivated
students rather than to the average and successful students. With
attitudes such as these, Renaissance, as well as other successful schools,
may not have the opportunity to see just how far those already achieving
students could go.
"Nevertheless, these Detroit students of color, many of whom will go
to elite, predominantly white institutions of higher education, will face
competition from students who have had technology integrated into their
math and science courses from middle school on" (Means, Penuel, and Padilla,
2001).
Therefore, the once successful and achieving students are immediately
behind the other students as they go into college or workforce. "According
to Lawrence Snyder, Professor of computer science at the University of
Washington . . . , college is 'too late' to begin the process of developing
fluency with information technology" (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001).
A Renaissance science teacher said, "'Our students are not competitive
because they do not have the things that are needed to be competitive,
to learn, to gain from access to technologies and everybody else is ahead
of them. It has nothing to do with their intelligence, They
have the intelligence and the can do it.'" (Turner, qtd. in Means, Penuel,
and Padilla, 2001). I have felt this way also. We need to advance
in technology as quickly as possible in order to service our students.
Technology advancement is essential for schools because of the benefits
involved, both for students and teachers. Experts believe that
the "...primary motivation for using technologies in education is the believe
that they will support superior forms of learning" (Using Technology
to Support Education Reform, 1993). They feel technology takes paper-and-pencil
learning to the next level and allows students to decipher conclusions
on their own (Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). As authors
Janet Ward Schofield and Ann Locke Davidson point out in their book Bringing
the Internet to School: Lessons from an Urban District, the student
benefits of using the Internet include increased knowledge, high-quality
work, diverse experiences, and enhanced reading skills. However,
the biggest benefit found by experts in the field lies in the fact that
students seem to enjoy their assignments more, making them more motivated
to complete high-quality work. Likewise, the teachers enjoy benefits
from Internet usage. As stated in Schofield's and Davidson's book,
when teachers used the Internet as part of their regular lessons, "...they
communicated more with others about professional matters, engaged in more
professional development activities, increased their knowledge of computing
and the Internet, took on more professional roles outside the classroom,
and experienced more pride and enthusiasm about their work" (2001).
Generally, teachers feel more comfortable about using technology after
using the Internet consistently, whether it was used as a part of the lesson
plans or professional development. This comfort level also leads
to teachers feeling proud of their ability to use technology while giving
them more "...energy and enthusiasm for their work" (Scholfield and Davidson,
2002).
As it writing in Using Technology to Support Education Reform,
"...technology has transformed the workplace..." (1993). This is
true for all professions, including the field of education. Teachers
need to progress in their knowledge in order to point the students in the
right direction. Students and teachers alike need to prepare themselves
for the ever-changing workplace. The only way to do that is to foster
attitudes that are open to change and to the challenge that change brings
with it.
REFERENCES
Means, Barbara, William R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla. The Connected
School: Technology and Learning in High School. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2001.
Schofield, Janet Ward, and Ann Locke Davidson. Bringing the Internet
to School: Lessons from an Urban District. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002.
Using Technology to Support Education Reform. Sept. 1993. 25
June 2002 <http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/TechReforms>.
Week 4
While this week's reading in its entirety was interesting and helpful,
there were certain sections that I can relate to at this point in my career.
The first one was the section on Best Practice High School. The authors
said that Best Practice staff members have a close relationships with their
students and that this relationship is noticeable. They also state
that Best Practice holds student forums to show the students that the administration
and staff care about the student body's feelings and opinions when it comes
to the physical surroundings or the high school experience. Likewise,
student forums are also held at Cumberland High School. Sometimes,
there are valid student concerns that have been overlooked by the administration
for years. For example, at the last two student forum, several male
students have complained about the fact that the boys bathroom does not
have any stall doors. This fact has been overlooked for years probably
because it has not been a concern directly related to state test scores.
However, it is a valid concern. If the students are able to voice
their concerns, they may feel better about their high school experience
and might even perform better in the classroom. Making small changes
for the students could really boost the morale and could help with classroom
and school discipline.
Another concept to which I relate is that of having advisors.
In an Aurora middle school where I taught for seven years, we had advisory
periods built into the schedule. I believe, as do two of the Best
Practice teachers, that advisory periods help with school discipline.
Kathy Daniels, a Best Practice teacher, refers to the advisories as "...'our
first line of defense,' and Tom (Daniels) adds, 'We work as hard as we
can to make sure no one falls through the cracks'" (qtd. in Means, Penuel,
and Padilla, 2001). When it comes to technology, Best Practice sees it
as "... a tool that can support learning in the curriculum areas" (Means,
Penuel, and Padilla, 2001). To emphasize this fact, "Tom Daniels explained,
'Be careful to see it [technology] as a tool to get information - to help
kids learn - rather than the end itself'" (qtd. in Means, Penuel, and Padilla,
2001). With this in mind, one of the English instructors at Best
Practice stated her irritation about not having enough access to good quality
computers. She said she would love to have all her students write
drafts using word processors because she thinks "'...computers are great
for revising as you draft'" (qtd. in Means, Penuel, and Padilla, 2001).
I agree with this thought. Being an English teacher myself, I feel
if the students were given more access to computers, even the most reluctant
students would be more motivated to complete their writing assignments.
Another part of the week's reading assignment that was thought provoking
for me was the chapter on institutionalizing a change within a school district.
I have been so focused on completing my proposal that I really had not
thought of how to continue the program once it is accepted. This
chapter helped me to realize that while I may get funding for the next
few years, I need to focus on the possibility that the initial funding
may
not always be there. If I plan to write ECOS into my English curriculum,
I must also plan how to pay for it. Janet Ward Schofield and Ann
Locke Davidson help with that in their book Bringing the Internet to
School: Lessons from an Urban District. They list certain
things that help in determining if a district is "ready" for a proposed
change. One concept is that there must be "...a degree of stability
or variability in the environment..." (Schofield and Davidson, 2002).
In other words, it is hard to institute a change if there are a lot of
district changes already going on like changes in administration or staff.
Another way of assuring a change is to have the pressure to make that change
come from the inside. To explain, administration "...plays a major
role in sustaining a change when they show specific form s of support for
putting that change into practice" (Schofield and Davidson, 2002). Also,
other key individuals within the district must be in support of the program.
These individuals must be vocal about their support as well (Schofield
and Davidson, 2002). In my case, a key individual in support of the
ECOS program is our counselor, Diann Bomer. She will be instrumental
in the smooth transition from the old careers program to the new one (ECOS).
Finally, as with other things, politics can play a key role in institutionalizing
a change. Certain community members have been known to make phone
calls to board members, putting pressure on them to vote one way or another.
As Schofield and Davidson say, "...the community can play a critical role
in promoting and maintaining change" (2002).
I learned a lot from reading these sections. They were both informative
and interesting. I feel much more prepared to present my proposal
after reading this week's assignment.
REFERENCES
Means, Barbara, William R. Penuel, and Christine Padilla. The Connected
School: Technology and Learning in High School. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2001.
Schofield, Janet Ward, and Ann Locke Davidson. Bringing the Internet
to School: Lessons from an Urban District. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002. |
