"Schools need to prepare students for the workplace, and businesses need workers who are prepared not only in basic skills but in higher order thinking skills and problem solving that form the core of most new curricula" (Richards, 2001, p. 114). Our schools need funding and materials and one of the best ways to obtain these are through corporate partnerships. However, we must be careful to avoid some of the trappings of business (Richards, 2001).
Partners can offer great opportunities when it comes to technology for our schools. Many schools obtained both hardware and software as well as other benefits such as cable and TV materials (Richards, 2001). Still, our schools need to use each of these properly and avoid partnerships that seem too good to be true. As Richards states, we must not treat students merely as consumers (2001). Our schools need to maintain a learning environment, not a sales environment (Richards, 2001).
My school has many partnerships that help in funding our sports, academics and provide incentives for our students. I feel that our school does a good job at keeping the commercialism that can come with partnerships out of the classroom. Our students already are bombarded enough with advertisements. School should be a safe haven for them.
All in all, partnerships are beneficial, if used properly.
Resources:
Richards, J. (2001). Strategies for creating successful corporate partnerships. In LeBaron, J.F. & Collier, C. Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Staff Development
As educators, we need to be able to change and adapt along with changes in technology and its integration in our schools (Collier, 2001).Through the use of mentors, administrative and even student support, we can become better at using technology for classroom and even personal use. Integration will only happen if we all take ownership and tailor staff development to our own specific needs (Collier, 2001).
Mentors are a great way to help any teacher that wants to learn something new. My first year teaching, I had a mentor to guide me with anything that came along, including technology. Our school, as I said before, is lucky enough to have an ITRT on site to mentor and guide us through any technological roadblock. Often, the mentors of new technology are the younger teachers that are new to teaching, but professionals at all things electronic. To this day I still help my mother program her phone. Sometimes, I will help a person at school with the grading software and in return they may help me with something that I have not yet mastered. We all need to work together to be successful (Collier, 2001).
Administrators need to provide development for teachers that is tailored to individual needs (Collier, 2001). We need to group teachers according to ability and content area to maximize productivity during a technology development session. Those with little technology experience will need to go through more of the basics than those that have been doing this for years. It is simple differentiation, just for the staff instead of the students.
Often the best source of technological advice are the students (Collier, 2001). Many of our kids grew up with computers in the home and I am sometimes asking them how to fix things when something goes wrong. I thought I was technologically inclined but some of these kids are amazing in thier skills on a computer. This can truly make one feel old, even at 26. Granted, they still listen to some of the same music that I do but the computer thing is a real generational gap.
All in all, we need to constantly support each other as a school community (Collier, 2001). f we want to succeed, the support simply needs to be in place.
Resources
Collier, C. (2001). Staff development for technology integration in the classroom. In LeBaron,
J.F. & Collier, C. (eds.) Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mentors are a great way to help any teacher that wants to learn something new. My first year teaching, I had a mentor to guide me with anything that came along, including technology. Our school, as I said before, is lucky enough to have an ITRT on site to mentor and guide us through any technological roadblock. Often, the mentors of new technology are the younger teachers that are new to teaching, but professionals at all things electronic. To this day I still help my mother program her phone. Sometimes, I will help a person at school with the grading software and in return they may help me with something that I have not yet mastered. We all need to work together to be successful (Collier, 2001).
Administrators need to provide development for teachers that is tailored to individual needs (Collier, 2001). We need to group teachers according to ability and content area to maximize productivity during a technology development session. Those with little technology experience will need to go through more of the basics than those that have been doing this for years. It is simple differentiation, just for the staff instead of the students.
Often the best source of technological advice are the students (Collier, 2001). Many of our kids grew up with computers in the home and I am sometimes asking them how to fix things when something goes wrong. I thought I was technologically inclined but some of these kids are amazing in thier skills on a computer. This can truly make one feel old, even at 26. Granted, they still listen to some of the same music that I do but the computer thing is a real generational gap.
All in all, we need to constantly support each other as a school community (Collier, 2001). f we want to succeed, the support simply needs to be in place.
Resources
Collier, C. (2001). Staff development for technology integration in the classroom. In LeBaron,
J.F. & Collier, C. (eds.) Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Technology for urban schools
"Preparing all children for viable futures may seem expensive, but it will be money well spent. The cost of graduating class after class of students unprepared to meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's workforce will be far more expensive" (Gallagher, 2001, p. 41). This quote sums it all up about education in many of our urban areas. We are for too preoccupied with teaching to a test than to actually promote learning through technology. Also, urban areas are often the most difficult to incorporate technology due to the fact that there is no major tax base to fund any major projects. On top of that, there are many aging and older school facilities that are difficult to upgrade(Gallagher, 2001).
Teaching and emphasizing minimal standards for our urban students is a good thing. We need to have competent skills and means to measure those skills. However, the high stakes accountability that our students have to face is far more important to our lawmakers than upgrading technology in urban schools. It simply is not economically possible to have both up to date technology as well as provide all the needed services for urban students. These schools can receive various levels of funding which are determined by economic need, the number of students with disabilities and most of all test scores (Gallagher, 2001). Urban schools are notorious for lower scores and higher levels of poverty and special needs. Unfortunately these major problems seem to overshadow the need for technology integration (Gallagher, 2001).
Old schools can also pose a challenge to technology integration due to inadequate wiring, expensive renovations and even hidden dangers such as asbestos. According to Gallagher, these factors are just more reasons that many urban schools are stuck in a cycle of low achievement and continue to pass unprepared students through the system (2001).
Luckily, our school does the best we can with the materials that we have. We may have 25% of our students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, but we have a supportive PTO and are always looking for new ways to improve our technology plan. We are all stakeholders in the process and many of us have even taken on the challenge of technology integration as one of our professional goals. Hopefully, we will make a difference to our students and set an example for some of those urban schools out there that deparately need a change.
Gallagher, E.M. (2001). Technology for urban schools: Gaps and challenges. In LeBaron, J.F. & Collier, C. Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Teaching and emphasizing minimal standards for our urban students is a good thing. We need to have competent skills and means to measure those skills. However, the high stakes accountability that our students have to face is far more important to our lawmakers than upgrading technology in urban schools. It simply is not economically possible to have both up to date technology as well as provide all the needed services for urban students. These schools can receive various levels of funding which are determined by economic need, the number of students with disabilities and most of all test scores (Gallagher, 2001). Urban schools are notorious for lower scores and higher levels of poverty and special needs. Unfortunately these major problems seem to overshadow the need for technology integration (Gallagher, 2001).
Old schools can also pose a challenge to technology integration due to inadequate wiring, expensive renovations and even hidden dangers such as asbestos. According to Gallagher, these factors are just more reasons that many urban schools are stuck in a cycle of low achievement and continue to pass unprepared students through the system (2001).
Luckily, our school does the best we can with the materials that we have. We may have 25% of our students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, but we have a supportive PTO and are always looking for new ways to improve our technology plan. We are all stakeholders in the process and many of us have even taken on the challenge of technology integration as one of our professional goals. Hopefully, we will make a difference to our students and set an example for some of those urban schools out there that deparately need a change.
Gallagher, E.M. (2001). Technology for urban schools: Gaps and challenges. In LeBaron, J.F. & Collier, C. Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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