Our district strives to update technology resources as finances allow. Our tech administrator is cautious, then moves forward quickly with what he believes is the best use of our assets.
Teachers are encouraged to use technology with our students in the form of laptops/tablets wirelessly connected to overhead projectors. Through this, we model appropriate uses of technology.
More student interaction is allowed in one of our elementary classrooms, which has obtained a Promethean board this year. Keyboarding is a facet of the elementary level, as well as the middle and high school levels. Accounting, yearbook, and English classes make use of our computer labs. Our sophomore Spagraphy class students (speech and geography combined) were required to make an ad for a movie, and one of my former students brought in a flash drive to show me his presentation. As with most subjects, some students will have a passion for a topic and go to great lengths on their own time to do their best work. It was a pleasure seeing this particular student utilizing his creative gifts in a class assignment.
Our high schoolers learned a bit about ethics when students were irresponsible with one high school lab. Computers were vandalized and, consequently, were not high on the replacement priority list. Lesson of the day: if you (or your peers) don't respect your privileges, you may live without them for a while.
We seem to be excellent at teaching the core components of technology, and also its usefulness. I think we need a bit more awareness, though, of our incredible dependence upon it. When the lights flicker, I wonder if my students have saved the documents they're working on. When my wireless overhead is tripped by a passing electron cloud, I go into a tizzy and hope the tech admin is near or that a custodian can bring me a ladder so we can troubleshoot my connection back into existence. We really can't get away from technology's influence...even down to the automatic eyes on the bathroom sinks and toilets.
Within my grade level, it's easy to see where I fail at implementing our state's tech standards with my students. The standards speak of design skills and troubleshooting. I'm still showing my kids the basics--where to save on a shared computer, and how to rename a document so it can be identified later.
Troubleshooting is something I'm still working on. If I know what to do and can easily pass it along to the students, I do. However, I teach a remedial reading class. Rather than having students install an updated printer, I'll do it for them. Some are just catching on to the concept of toggling between windows and are amazed that they can run Explorer and Word simultaneously. In a class devoted to reading, I'm already pressing their limits.
In the world of troubleshooting, I do more modeling than licensing of free reign. Most times, I'm invoking a process of trial-and-error. For the kids who haven't shut down due to their frustration (with both reading and a technological hangup), they see me transferring information in different ways. A year or so ago, I wanted my students to save their Word documents in a folder on our server that was dedicated solely to our class. That way, I could open up the same document, check the answers, mark which ones needed corrections, and "beam" it back to the student. Unfortunately, not all students could access the folder. One brilliantly came up with the idea of saving to their individual student folders within the server--the ones they use for their keyboarding class projects. That solved the problem of loading up on a new computer the next day and not being able to access their saved document from the day before, but it still didn't allow me access. In the last moments of class one day, I hit on the idea of having students submit their work as comments on our blog. That way, I could see them and others could observe their work, as well.
Today, a student needed to type a document in study hall and print it. I installed a printer, which I later realized was the wrong one. In the meantime, his document wouldn't print. He observed me pulling up Explorer, typing in the address for webmail, and emailing myself his document as an attachment. I then went to my computer across the room, pulled up his document, hooked up my printer, and printed off a copy for him. Troubleshooting seems to be a lot like playing Taboo--one goal, with a lot of roundabout ways to get there.
We do also evaluate the accuracy of information. I may use Wikipedia articles as references, but I remind the students of their ability to be changed at whim, so we know to go elsewhere for verification.
There are also the inevitable accountability and ethics conversations, which include not plagiarizing, making sure I can see computer monitors, not clicking on ads, and quickly leaving sites which seem inappropriate.
I appreciate being aware of our technology standards and wonder if this is like what reading has become--not just something to teach in an isolated classroom, but "Technology across the Curriculum."
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