Technology Teaching Tips

* Possible Remedies for Integrating Technology

2008-11-17T00:08:00.011-06:00

Based on two National Center for Education Statistics (NCES , 2008):

A large majority of institutes agreed their program graduates posses the skills and experience to integrate technology into instruction. However, a large majority of these teachers indicate that barriers impeded the ability to do so in the classroom, two major barriers being 1.competing classroom priorities (76%), 2. time (67%).

Thoughts:

If competing priorities and time restraints are major issues in fitting in technology based learning , would school issued laptop computers help resolve this? Would extended learning be a possibility since every student has a computer? (ex: class period is used for content learning and demonstration via multi-media, then the work performed by students at home using labtop.)

* Hi Tech Cheating

2008-11-16T23:22:00.007-06:00

In a news article in the "Boston Globe" entitled, Teachers Fight Hi Tech Cheaters, reads:

"When a private Connecticut school's students began taking English and history tests on computers last year, temptations for cheating loomed just keystrokes away. As an anticheating measure, Greens Farms Academy spent two days clearing every computer's hard drive before the exams and disabling the connection to the Internet. ''It was a tedious, time-consuming exercise", said Justine Fellows (Berdick, 2005). link to article

Thoughts?
As a MTT teacher, strategies/techniques for preventing misuse of technology is just as important as engaging the learner. Any thoughts about anticheating measures other than clearing hard drives and disabiling the Internet ? (evidently the test wasn't online).

* Government Spending for ET to Exceed $56 Bllion

2008-11-16T18:56:00.009-06:00

An article written by Dave Nagel appears in "T.H.E. Journal" September 2008, entitled,

"Educational Technology Spending To Top $56 Billion by 2012". link to article

Thoughts:
If you were in charge of approving school distsrict applications for government funding, say laptops for every high school students, what would be one of the most important requirements the district would have to present as evidence to assure long-term successful outcomes for such an initiative?

* Laptops Put in the Hands of Every Student ...

2008-11-16T15:23:00.012-06:00

Two excerpts taken from the text book "Computers in Education", under the chapter entitled, Social, Legal, Ethical and Human Issues, state:

1) "Green County, North Carolina, with over 70% of the student population having free and reduced lunches, put wireless laptops in the hands of every middle and high school student in the county". 2) "Cobb County Georgia's 1 to 1 initiative will distribute over 17,000 laptops to students, the most comprehensive initiative in the country" ( Houghton, 2008, paragraph 8). link to article.

Thoughts:
Any combined thought with mention of the terms: 1) fair & equitable access to technology; 2) Parental responsibility; 3) Available resources for those with financial hardship?

* Teachers are Becoming Promoters...

2008-11-16T05:04:00.022-06:00

An excerpt from an article entitled Cyberethics: Identifying the Moral, Legal and Social Issues of Cybertechnology in K-12 Classrooms, reads:

"With more and more schools getting the web, teachers are becomming promoters of web-based activities encouraging to and forcing students to go online. Increasing technology use seems to be a wonderful goal, but online crimes are increasing daily, with teenagers being the ones who are committing the majority of these cyber crimes" (Brown et al, 2008, p. 1). link to article

Thoughts:
Any thoughts about how the school district or administration is going to deal with this problem? (ignore the author's remark blamming teachers).

* Purpose of Blog

2008-11-14T10:06:00.013-06:00

The purpose of this blog is to initiate topics of discussion, which primarly entail students' use of technology in secondary schools and future plans for use by the school district. This does NOT include what we already know... the benefits of technology as a learning tool! Rather, this blog is about the conditions and barriers that impeded technology from being an effective learning tool.

The blog is intended to stir up debate from replies to a post in which an excerpt from an article, story, or report is presented regarding current issues and future technology plans in public education. For example, should or should not a school district put computers in the hands of every student? YES because the computers will be configured for a specific learning network that will help prevent misuse. NO because the district does not have an adequate strategic roll out plan that will help assure long-term intended success.