Week+4+Reflection

Designing Student-Centered Learning Experiences with Technology.
A topic of this week's readings was on teacher professional development. In Pitler's McRel Technology Initiative report, he states that Cuban.... "asserted that other barriers to technology integration include the introduction of new software and software upgrades, the limited capability of older computers in schools to support newer software, the unreliability of technology, and the lack of technical support to keep computers and networks running. In my current position as the campus technologist, I face the reality of this statement on a daily basis.

I basically have two responsibilities, to help teachers integrate technology into their curriculum and to keep the technology running. But really, if there is a problem fulfilling the latter, the previous responsibility is really a moot point.

At the beginning of the year, we reimaged our lab computers to update them. Maybe not a good idea. Just this past week, a history teacher spend the whole week struggling with her technology project in my lab. Microsoft Word was hanging, the sharefolder were not working properly, and the printer had to be constantly restarted. Not surprisingly, but the end she was really frustrated to the point of say, "I am not doing this next year!" Wow, this really broke my heart. I also teach multimedia classes and we have a blast! The students are engaged, excited, and motivated to learn just about any topic because of the multi-sensory experience that comes along with technology use. I wish all teacher could experience for themselves how much technology can do. But alas, until I can solve the computer/network issue....

Using Technology with Classroom Instructions that Works, and Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools, gave a lot of suggestions on online resources that gave me a lot to think about. How about steering teacher towards online resources. Unless the network is all the way down, which rarely happens, we don't experience problems on the internet. They could use Google docs instead of Word, wikis instead of sharefolders, and instead of printing, the students can upload their projects and the teachers can evaluate them online, without using their most precious commodity, paper.

Once the teachers begin taking their first steps towards a cyber classroom, we can go online to create an effective social network type of professional development program to instruct, encourage and support, as suggested in Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools. I can see teacher learning to use podcasting to deliver instructions, blogging to gather student comments, using wikis (my current favorite) to gather materials for students, plus creating websites for student/parent information such as homework dates.... and so on. Hey maybe one day paper won't be such a commodity after all.

Pitler, H. (2005). //McRel technology initiative: The development of a technology intervention program final report// (Contract Number ED-01-CO-0006). Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. (ERIC Document Reporduction Service No. ED486685) Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED486685&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED486685.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). //Using technology with classroom instruction that works//. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). //Web 2.0: New tools, new schools//. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.