I will be starting a new position in the fall and I can already see that I will be facing barriers with technology. I will not have any computers in my room, however, a computer lab is available. I have a laptop that I can bring from home, but I’m not sure that I will even be able to use it in my room. The world we live in now is very technologically advanced, but our schools are not keeping up. Teachers lack the time to design lesson plans that enhance the use of technology and even if they find the time to do so, they may not have the equipment available. The part of the article that discussed how a teacher from the 30’s or 40’s could walk in a modern classroom and have no trouble teaching was really eye-opening. This could only be said of very few professions. Many changes need to be made within the classroom so we can prepare our students to survive in the technology age.
iannolte said,
June 14, 2007 at 7:02 pm
I know what you mean. In my classroom this year I had six available computers, which at times was worse than having none since not everyone could fit on there at one time. We had a computer lab, but there was a computers classroom in there full time. The standard operating procedure was to send students from your class to other class rooms to work, which was hardly ideal. It just discouraged me from doing more with the computers because getting everyone on was such a hassle.
bluivy311 said,
June 14, 2007 at 7:09 pm
I agree. How sad it made me when he spoke of a doctor from the 30’s and 40’s going into a modern day hospital being totally lost and a teacher from back then coming to our modern classroom and transitioning just fine. I have struggled with using technology until this year. I was bit by the bug and have found that if you want to keep up with the times-you are going to have to change your way of doing things. I got a smartboard this year and have weighed the good and bad. It was nice to see how more positively students were in class because I used technology. The one bit of advice that I would give you is that you are taking an extreme risk by bringing your laptop to school. I lock mine up often and won’t leave it in the classroom when I am not there. Call me paranoid, but if something does happen to yours-just remember that the school probably won’t replace it. Also, I just thought of something-you might want to look into a projector and hook it up to your computer in the classroom (if you do have one). It is a lot less expensive than having that laptop in there. Just a thought….
kshaffer said,
June 14, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I agree with the article and your comments stating that few professions can maintain practices from the past in light of today’s technology and the prospects for the future.
As we strive to educate the students of the future, it behooves us to step up and retool!