Blog Reflection – Week of September 17th

All right, I have found a new thread to toss into the discussion of whether schools should have technology in the classroom that has the potential for student abuse. Some of our classmates would ask schools for unfiltered access to the Internet; some (especially Liz perhaps) would ask for students to have the opportunity to use their cell phones; and others would probably like to see every class equipped with electronic whiteboards. An opponent to these ideas, however, generally raises the issue of student abuse, but what would it take for students to stop abusing these forms of technology, and more broadly first-rate technology as a whole?

David Warlick, in his blog on September 25th, raises this exact question. He cites a school district in Arkansas that gave unfiltered email accounts to its students. When the technology was first offered, there were certainly students that abused the system, and each of the abusers appropriately received some type of punishment, usually a temporary ban. As the program continued on, the number of email abusers lowered, and after five years, there were no incidences of student email abuse by the semester break. At the end of his blog, Warlick asks, “But I wonder how long it takes for a new classroom technology/tool to evolve from being a new toy to play to becoming another learning tool, another part of schooling, a technology or tool to be worked?”

I would like to elaborate on two possible answers to this daunting concern. First, I think time will probably be the most important factor. As students spend more time with the technology, their initial attraction will most likely diminish, but this will enable the opportunity for students to become more attracted to its educational components. Being somewhat new to wikis and blogs this year, I have never been tempted to abuse either forms of technology, but that’s because I only recognize them as educational mediums. The more time I spend with them and the more often I see my colleagues interact with them, my understanding of their use only solidifies. One thing that I am sure concerns schools, however, is how much time is necessary. For instance, many of us realize the awesome potential of both wikis and blogs, but if a classroom of students continues to abuse them, a principal or other administrator may step in and say, “All right, that’s enough.” How do teachers who are excited and optimistic about relatively new forms of Web 2.0 instill a sense of patience within their administration? How can we convince our administrators that there are educational benefits to come?

Second, I think teachers should take it upon themselves to spend a considerable portion of time educating students about the particulars and potential of Web 2.0 technologies. I suspect that some students abuse technology because they are bored with it. Maybe a student has mastered all of the ins and outs of posting a blog – that takes, what, a whole two minutes? Perhaps, we can encourage students to take more ownership in their blogs and wikis. For instance, we can ask them to start a series of blog posts that are related to a specific topic, and we could ask them to upload at least one picture or video clip that supplements their posts. Students are capable of so much more than I am sure most of believe – let’s push them forward. If students are challenged and limited by their own creativity, I believe less abuse will occur in the virtual world.

Blog Reflection – Week of September 10th

This week I would like to weigh in on the issue of whether schools should remain on the leading edge of technology.

While many points were raised last Friday during the Point / Counterpoint Presentation, there was one type of reservation, which many people shared, that failed to convince me. A common concern among the audience was that schools should regularly attempt to ride the second wave of technology, instead of surfing on the leading wave. By focusing time and money on preparing for the second wave, some of the audience members thought school would be able to incorporate the technology more effectively. However, this thinking process seems quite Machiavellian, if not selfish. Is it fair to risk the time and effort of one school for the benefit of one’s own? If other schools struggle and flounder, is it right to use this information to satisfy one’s own “ends”?

I believe schools should always attempt to learn alongside the other schools risking their resources in order to develop the technology and methods that will increase the academic livelihood of its students. As educators, we need to think about not only what are students know by the time they leave high school but also what are they capable of learning after they leave. Our students need to be prepared to learn new skills, simplistic and advanced, and with the technological job market share exponentially growing from year to year, our students need proper training. If the world’s information base is doubling every two years as some statistics report, then teachers must focus their efforts on teaching a perpetual learner. One way that teachers can offer students a fighting chance in the future is to help them embrace the technological frontier.

On a different note, I would like to share a story about a school in Pennsylvania that David Warlick mentioned recently in his blog. In the school, each core (English, Math, Social Studies, and Science – sorry World Languages) classroom will receive the following technology and services:

• one laptop per student desk (cart of 25)
• a teacher laptop
• a printer/scanner
• imaging software
• productivity software
• a web cam
• an electronic whiteboard
• a projector
• up to three digital still cameras (per eligible school)
• up to five digital video cameras (per eligible school)
• Infrastructure (wireless network, servers)
• technical support

Imagine what we could do with these toys. The question immediately arises, however, whether too much technology in a classroom inhibits the learning process. Can all of this technology be carefully wielded? Perhaps, David can show them how.