When one to one technology is implemented at the middle and high school level how is it handled? Does it enhance the entire educational experience of the students or is it more of a "technology for technology's sake" add-on? I believe that the answers to these questions determine the usefulness and value of the one to one environment and that too often the initial benefit is mostly one of tech for tech's sake.
This blog will consider disruptive innovation as applied to educational technology and cover ed tech implementations in various environments--from the planning behind the roll out and the results gained from the inclusion of one to one technology in the middle and high school classroom.
5 comments:
Your view would seem cynical, but too often I have seen technology adopted, with great expense and disruption, but with little vision, resulting in a state of chaos that leaves everyone feeling frustrated. Careful selection of appropriate technologies and planned implementation can prevent this scenario, but many rush into upgrades based on anecdotal evidence of technology's effectiveness.
A school district here just gave their students interactive calculators to help teach grade-school-level math. Some of the instructors went for a very structured implementation and tight control of the devices. One instructor -- an instructor of an all-male class -- gave each child a calculator and allowed them to experiment and take them home. These students had an immediate increase in their interest in math and their test scores shot-up. I think many educators don't think about implementation -- they feel that having the technology present in the room is enough. Admin. can also be guilty of saying a school HAS something even if they refuse to train the faculty in how to use it. For example, we HAVE smartcarts -- and we talk about them a lot -- but few of our instructors know how to use them. Some were placed in the classroom without the periferals necessary to hook them up. But, we've got 'em and everyone's real proud.
Sorry that's long.
Whether we like technology or not is irrelevant we need to teach our children responsible adaptation when it comes to education, the internet, recreation (gaming, surfing) and we need to balance technology with a realistic effort to get our children outdoors to interact with the real world. I love technology now, but I used to just live for "the bush". I've found a happy medium and believe our education system should too.
We have smartcarts at PJC too. The one in the classroom that I use is locked in the closet, but we have it! If we are going to have the technology tools in the classroom, then we need to make good use of them. I am not surprised at the outcome for the math students that Kellyann mentioned. Children, no matter what the age, have better learning experiences when they have hands-on opportunities that are real and relevant. Technology is here to stay and we need to make it work for us in the classroom and that depends a lot on how a teacher feels about the technology. I am an advocate for using technology tools in 1st through 12th grade classrooms, but not before.
I have read the comments from the postings and find the information facinating, and somewhat frustrating for anyone involved with the non-use of the classroom technology. The situation you describe can follows adults in the workplace, as well. I like the example of the diffeerent styles of introducing the technology described, and liked the one where the teacher sent the device home, what a great way increase the comfort level of the students (constructivist approach), and scaffolding the expereince (novice to master); and the test scores were the measure, totally great!
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