Technology Challenges

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Permalink Reply by Susan Howe on January 27, 2009 at 2:36pm

Technology does not get to students in our district. They are locked down fairly tight. The frustruation is that the district will not use or write policy to punish those who mis-use the technology. I wish they would assume it will be used for good reasons and punish those whom abuse it but the current practice seems to assume most students are going to abuse it so no one is permitted to use it. We should be teaching students to use it responsibly for educational reasons. No wiki's, no multimedia, no podcasting, no movie maker, no hyperlinks in MS Office... the list goes on and on. I realize it is a challenge but with proper policies in place, perhaps we could begin to prepare students for their future.

Our district has begun to give teachers the tech tools to develop a tech rich classroom which is greatly appreciated. It is a step in the right direction. It is a starting point.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Hannah on January 27, 2009 at 3:00pm

Thanks so much for your input. it's feedback like this that helps us understand what issues educators (and students) are really facing out there. That helps us (at netTrekker) try to figure out what we can do to help!
Thanks for joining the netTrekker Village - we hope you will find some valuable info here that will help you use netTrekker (and other technologies) with your students.

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Permalink Reply by Danielle on January 27, 2009 at 2:44pm

It sounds like my former technician went to your district. We were locked down so tight! We couldn't even right click!

I have another district who can't use wikis and so they are using the UserDefined Template as a wiki. Try that one out and see if it works for you.

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Permalink Reply by Rod Rychliski on January 27, 2009 at 7:04pm

I am in Canada and have been staff development leader with my school board since 1996. I have been a classroom teacher longer, but involved with technology in the classroom since the '80s. Your lament is not new and has been around for many years. There is lots of software out there that will meet your curriculum integration needs. I'm thinking of Kidspiration, Hyperstudio, powerpoint as well as the many resources you can find in neTTrekker. I think the big problem is time. We need time to plan. Plan well and the job it done! We are being bombarded with all kinds of expectations as teachers; social, literacy, numeracy and the big two: accountability and every child will succeed-with large class sizes. On the side, I always ask my students to ask their parents why they don't have 35 children ( jr. grades) at home? But for some reason as teachrers we can DO IT!!!! As a teacher I am a professional. I am able to make decisions that I believe will benefit my children. Sometimes we just need to "close the door to the classroom" and do what we feel is best. If you are passionate about what you believe in your children will succeed. Partner with other teachers at the same grade level. Plan and SHARE. For three years I taught grade 4 along side another teacher. One day I heard her on the other side of the wall teaching math and saying the exact words I was. I said Karen, why don't we team teach. I do math, art and phys ed.... you do Soc/Sci lang. and music. Did that work out well! It reduced the amount we had to plan and gave us more time for CREATIVE thinking. We need to push those hurdles over!

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Permalink Reply by Marci Campbell on January 28, 2009 at 3:46pm

Thanks for the insight into your classsroom! Like Laura mentioned it really helps us at netTrekker to understand what educators are needing. Breaking down the classroom walls for eductors was one of the many reasons we created neTrekker Village - it will provide a peer group for teachers that desire to collaborate with other educators. Teachers are SO creative - and one teacher's inspiration will certainly spark others. It is exciting to see what is being shared even in the early stages of this community.

I agree with you - teachers need the time to be introduced to new skills, develop those skills and most importanly have time to plan on how to bring those skills into the classroom. Hopefully, we will see many discussions on how this is accomplished in classrooms across the world!

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Permalink Reply by Denise Housley on February 8, 2009 at 10:42pm

Our issues are familiar. Our challenges are getting teachers trained on the wealth of technological equipment and resources they have been provided. All training has to be done after school hours so it is a challenge to get teachers to put in more time off contract.

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Permalink Reply by Ellen Budish on February 9, 2009 at 12:35pm

I am very lucky because I work in Palm Beach County in the state of Florida. If you visit our Learning Tool page 4 Kids, you will find that we have many successful learning tools (Technology) to assist our students and teachers! http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/learning_tools/4kids/

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Permalink Reply by Ellie Simons on February 9, 2009 at 3:39pm

One big challenge for me has been getting teachers to try the technology. It seems as if so many of the teachers I am working with do not want to use the marvelous tools that our district has provided. They often voice the idea that they do not want students "wasting time" at the computers. It is difficult to integrate technology into classroom teaching when the attitude towards the technology is so negative. (I am a school librarian but my involvement in teaching information literacy overlaps with technology educators.)

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Permalink Reply by Kirsty Wertz on February 18, 2009 at 9:18am

Hi Ellie--this is an interesting challenge. How do you combat teacher's concern around having students "wasting time" at the computers?

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Permalink Reply by Lorraine Whalen on February 11, 2009 at 9:15pm

Our district faces many of the same challenges you have listed in your discussion. Currently, I've been struggling with how to help teachers balance how to infuse technology programs that will support curriculum, gather data for progress toward standards, differentiate for the range of student abilities; with projects that build 21st Century skills, allow for creativity and individual expression, and critical thinking.
Teachers and students are limited by infrastructure, time, schedules, access to equipment, and teacher's own understanding and ability to learn new applications and develop interesting projects.
Even with all the limitations, I'm always amazed by how dedicated teachers are to provide the very best instruction for their students and what incredible work students can produce with good guidance.

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Permalink Reply by Alice Sather on February 15, 2009 at 4:09pm

I think the common comments I hear are related: "Too much to do with what I already need to accomplish." "No free time to learn about this and to understand how I could use it." "Unless I have time to practice it isn't going to mean anything to me, or be useful." "Students need to learn to do research the 'old' way." "How does this relate to (math/language/ reading?) " "How do I know it is going to be around long enough for me to invest time and trouble in figuring it out?"

These are my hurdles, not personally, but facing these walls with the other staff brings me up short in how to help them understand the power and use of netTrekker. Part of this may be that our school has been operating under a mandate for the last 8 years that teachers increase in their understanding and skills regarding integrating technology into the classroom, as well as increase in their use of integrated curriculum. They have had many classes and in-services to this effect, and the mandate continues, but there doesn't seem to be any clout behind the mandate. No one is held accountable in not doing this. No own is acknowledged for doing this, either. That I know from personal experience.

I have done what I can to model integration, including numerous methods and across several curricular areas. Rather than becoming interested or seeing it as a method of instruction more attuned to what the 21st century will be, the teachers thank me for doing something supportive of their traditional units and methods in tech classes.

I wonder if teachers are so used to mandates coming and going, approaches touted as "the way" recanted a few years later, that there is no longer any belief or "buy in?" Certainly in Minnesota we have gone through numerous major revisions in approach over the last 15 years. I think many teachers don't accept (or want to accept) that the 21st century really is brining on, and going to demand, some very different skills and tools used than earlier. I think many parents don't grasp that. We were recently involved in a questionairre regarding technology integration, and both teachers and parents didn't indicate a recognition of this. The students didn't either, but they won't if those directing their education don't help them become aware of it.

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