Christopher

Part 4 focuses on schools that face serious problems that were inherited from previous administrations or resulted from severe or societal challenges…I am not sure this in unavoidable because new administrators will inevitably have ideas that differ from the previous ones.

__Alexanderville__ __School District__ - New technologies require new ways to do things and will often require new people to do it. At this school the tech coordinator seems to be someone who knows the school very well but doesn’t know the technology very well. He also seems to compliant to do things a certain way because that is the way they have always been done. - I did like the idea of having a student technology club that helps maintain the technology at the high school. - “two years ago our technology budget was 2 million and this year it is $400,000” – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if your district has a long term vision for technology - I think technology needs to be strategically placed in a school. If students completing a unit of To Kill A Mocking Bird I think that particular class can do without technology. - Is typing really a 21st century skill – I really don’t think so __Porter__ __Elementary School__ - This school changed from Macs to PCs. What a colossal waste of time and money. They did this because of a tech coordinator who eventually left the district anyway - I like that the district was at least willing to think outside the box with the video game home loan program. Not sure if it will work and neither is the school because they really didn’t track the programs effectiveness - “A computer can be a toy or a tool, depending on how it is monitored. Computers have to be monitored” - “School today isn’t about life, its about proficiencies” - Isn’t it inevitable that a good principal that turns around a “bad” school will be hired away to a more effective district. - “new, simpler, less expensive technologies will come, but they will not be adopted quickly by schools. Too many schools look at technology as a one-time big cost. It needs to be ongoing and flexible __Fisher__ __High School__ - This school is the epitome of a school that overextended itself and could not keep up with the financial requirements to keep its programs alive. - How can a school who can’t get the clocks get their technology to work? - Old ways of doing new stuff doesn’t work - “if the district made technology a priority, teachers would too” - Spending beyond your means might be worse than spending not enough.

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http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin310.shtml]]

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City__ __Academy__ - I personally like the “project based” learning model but question how it helps with PSSA scores. I think it is more like the “real world” environment and would better prepare out students for the workforce (instead of preparing them for a multiple choice test) but the first question asked is how does it help test scores. - This school had the issue which is my only fear for fully integrating technology into all aspects of education. What happens when stuff breaks or isn’t working? It isn’t that big of a deal if it is a day or maybe two but having a network down for 2 or 3 weeks would be a nightmare and I am not sure how this won’t always be a potential problem. - I did not realize that the dropout rate for online courses was so high. I wonder if the same is true with undergraduate courses which probably have younger people in the classes. - “Tension between theoretical principles and instructional reality was even more dramatic. Technology using teachers found themselves at the center of that tension” - This school seemed to have all the best intentions but when push came to shove they went back to the “old” ways so they could pass the test __Emerson__ __Elementary School__ - These districts seem to all be right on the verge of building state of the art school that will address the needs of their students but by the time these school are approved and finally built the needs and even the types of children have changed - This school has a technology coordinator, which I thought was great because each school should have its own the person. Unfortunately she is also shared with the district special education programs. The reality is that the district should have one person for the school and separate person for the special education program. Why do school districts always do this kind of thing? - If geometric shapes can be taught just as effectively using either wooden blocks or computer that teacher should use wooden blocks (especially if access to technology is limited). - “Would focusing technology resources on the few with greatest needs have led to significant overall gains, without substantive loss to the many?” __Lambert__ __Elementary School__ - What are modular and/or portable classrooms? - If you have a classroom with 5 computers and 20 students. What do 15 students do while the other 5 are on the computer - I like the idea of having quick multiple choice quizzes on the computer that students can take when they are ready. This also seems like a nice easy way to grade students - At this school a teacher was giving a lesson using technology and had a “tech” issue she could not solve. A student in her class was eventually able to solve the problem for her. This is a main reason teachers are reluctant to incorporate technology. - I don’t really like how the author points out all the flaws but doesn’t seem to offer any real recommendations for improvement __Carter__ __Elementary School__ - “Hardware companies are always sending us filled-out grant requests or samples of successful proposals used by other school. We just replace the other school’s name”. Maybe it isn’t so hard to get money for technology. - I find it very interesting that the parent survey showed technology as the number one priority yet the observer does not feel it is the priority of the teacher. I think this is wrong on both ends. I think the parents are overvaluing technology and the teachers are not embracing quite enough. - This school brought up a question I really hadn’t considered. The idea of space limitations in old buildings. Where does all the new stuff fit?

//Chris,

All good thoughts, though there are some I don't agree with you on. For example, giving students the option of working with technology or not does not seem to me to be a good idea. Technology, I believe, should not be optional but required given the unparalleled educational opportunities available, and the its prominence in the majority of workplaces. It is unrealistic to think that students are not or will not be affected by technology, and we have a responsibility to prepare them for that...in fact, become competent with it. We may need to agree to disagree on that, but that's OK. It is worth discussing. Tech gurus having a prep to aid other teachers integrate would be great and an ideal way to embed training into every day teaching. You also made me think about student-run help desks for districts..run almost like an internship.

Lastly, I also liked your thoughts about laptops for educators, specifically to allay some of the fears and trepidations associated with new ways of doing things. Let teachers become immersed in the technology to build a comfort level. Good stuff. Thanks!

David//

Some thoughts as I read this week chapters

- I love the idea of everyone (including teachers) having a laptop. I understand it costs money but I think by giving everyone access to a laptop you allow them to “use” technology in there everyday life. I still think one of the greatest hurdles to technology is fear of making a mistake and by allowing students and teachers to use technology for things like research, reading, social networking, banking, making reservations, etc…you eventually take some of that fear away. - I like the idea of offering students an option of using technology or not. In one class some students used laptops and others took notes from a text by hand. As a teacher I do not think we should have the option of how we present information. Teachers should be using whatever technology is available and they are comfortable with - We have a technology department but do not have a help desk. I think a help desk is a great idea so that students and faculty have somewhere to go for individual issues - I like the idea of laptops as a catalyst for change. - I have never met anyone named Chet. - If I had a classes with no more than 15 students and no computers I would be a very happy teacher - The author mentions that the school had a school board member that had recently lost a job and was having trouble finding a new one because of lack of computer skills. He said this school member helped push technology in the school…I think this shows how important it is to identify your allies in the district and how important it is seize an opportunity when it becomes available - “Every classroom has five computers, a digital camera, a black-and-white printer, and a large screen monitor”…This seems excessive for each classroom to have and I don’t understand why a class of 20-25 students gets 5 computers. - I really liked the bear idea of allowing a student to quietly put something on top of a computer to let the teacher know that they are having trouble. - Why isn’t Microsoft office, excel, wiki spaces, social bookmarking, skype, etc being taught in a class at the middle school/high school. Isn’t technology important enough to warrant its own class? - “Computers were supposed to transform school. But so were videodiscs, television, and radio. Thomas Edison predicted motion pictures would make teachers unnecessary. Before that blackboards and wax slates were probably hailed as revolutionary tools. NICE POINT. -I like the idea of the technology “gurus” in your school/department getting an additional prep or free period. This would allow those teacher times to help other and may help motivate others to embrace technology - Technology will be a service to what we do in school and not an add-on” I found it very interesting that all of these schools are spending thousands of dollars in different ways to address technology but none of them could definitively say that it is working (specifically improving test scores). Everything we do in school is data driven except technology use.
 * __St Johns__**
 * __Longfellow__**
 * __Ludlow Springs__**
 * __Western Hills__**

-I just got done reading the assigned chapters and my immediate response is that I sometime underestimate the differences between elementary and high school. I think this makes it even more difficult for a district to come up with a district wide technology “plan”. The reality is that the technology needs of the elementary, middle and high school are very different and thy each need separate plans. -From a high school standpoint I think the story of the typing teacher at St. Mary’s is an example of something I see a lot. In her situation she is teaching her kids a valuable skill but when they reach the next level the difference in skill levels between those students and students from other skills causes a problem at the high school. At North Penn we have 3 large middle schools and I notice difference between the educational experiences of the students from these different schools. -Is technology written into teaching contracts? - From a teaching standpoint does our contract mandate a certain amount of technology training? - From a school district t standpoint do they or can they mandate a teacher to actually use the technology available -While the author points out some ways technology is being used at these schools he also makes a point of talking about computers that are not being used at every school - The best technology is useless without good teachers who care about the students and understand the curriculum - Is computer access and technology important enought to replace textbooks? Especially old outdated textbooks. Would eliminating textbooks solve the budget isue regarding tyechnology? - I really like how Wissahickong gives a laptop to every one of its teachers. It allows its teachers to use the technology in their lives so that they can get comfortable with it and I think they might be more likely to use technology in the classroom.

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I had to leave class early last week but it looks like we are supposed to embedd videos on our wikispace

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1-I think we “embrace” the technology as educators and try to empower students to use these tools but do very little to talk about the proper and appropriate behaviors when using these tools. I think we do a very poor addressing digital citizenship with our students. Some thoughts: Where is this taught in our schools? When should it be taught in our schools? Is it even the schools responsibility to address this or is it up to the individual parent?

Do we even have a set of nationally recognized digital citizenship guidelines? Are we as educators really experts on digital citizenship? Is this something that is being addressed in colleges right now? Do new teachers take classes on digital citizenship? 2 – As administrators I do thin it is up to us to facilitate and inspire our teachers and students to use “digital-age resources”. I don’t think you need to be the most technological savvy person in the building but you must be willing to put time and effort to learn how to use the tools that are applicable for you job.

I am fortunate enough to work in a district that has made a significant commitment to technology but at the same time it has done a poor job in the training of its employees to “ensure ongoing professional growth in technology fluency and integration”. We do not get “tinkering” time and thus many do not actually get comfortable enough with much of this technology to wholeheartedly incorporate it into our classrooms

We spend millions of dollars on technology but the PSSA’s are still given on a bubble sheet answer

Throughout all of the current reflections the one hot topic that pops up over and over again is Digital Citizenship and because of what happened in Lower merion...we are heading in the right direction now. Districts are designing and rewriting new citizenship policies for students, parents, and staff.

Theresa