I’m super excited to have Will Richardson on campus tomorrow. Dr. Stearns was right… he is a celebrity!
This morning when I woke up, I examined the survey that Will had conducted on his blog. It seems to me that the use of technology in the classroom is being hindered by one fixation (something that we have mentioned throughout the semester). I think that the principals of schools, etcetera, are more willing to block technology rather than take the time to help teachers learn how to use this knowledge. The whole idea of blocking teachers rather than letting them become ‘authorities’ of new media creates this sense of paralysis that seems to create Will’s pessimism ‘bout the future of technology and the classroom. Teachers will become less inclined to teach using different interfaces because they are intimidated—as Alex said they won’t have authority. They will then resort to “the easy way out” which, unfortunately, causes a stalemate in progress.
My brother is a sophomore at Ithaca College and he is taking a course in technology also (New Media Technology or something similar… I don’t remember the exact course name). But, while I was talking to him on the phone the other night, he was telling me how one of his teachers didn’t even know how to use PowerPoint. I don’t consider myself a digital native, but I do know how to use such a simple program. I assure that I didn’t need to take a class to learn it either. So, this got me thinking…
Maybe teachers are using this as an excuse. “Well, since Mr. Principal doesn’t want to show me how to use iMovie” said Mr. Teacher, “I’ll just pass out these copies of standardized tests and let the students mull over them for the class period.”
Now I know this is a huge exaggeration, but… it still makes me think. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it (yes I truly believe this). I’ve never been a teacher so I don’t know what it’s like. But, I do find it hard to believe that people in this profession can’t offer 20 minutes a day to experiment. How about 20 minutes every other day? Sure you can take the weekends off. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed as a student but I always manage to get my work done (knock on wood). Think about it… most of us taught ourselves how to use iMovie, and everyone that was working with Windows Movie Maker definitely did so.
I know life itself can be overwhelming at times; sometimes I use this fact as an excuse. Something stuck in my mind when Scott Stratton came to visit our ENG 506 class. He mentioned that he had basically taught himself how to use all of the new media that he was using in his classroom. I believe that Shade Gomez said something comparable also. I would say that they’re doing pretty OK, now. Hopefully all of the knowledge that Will, Alex, Karen, Scott, Shade, etc. are passing around will get to where it needs to and help future educators.
2 comments:
I don't think that the reason you suggest as to why teachers use administrators as an excuse not to use technology is an exaggeration at all. Why would teachers go beyond their comfort level if no one is pushing them to do so? (Well, of course we know why they can and should do so). But it still shocks me that teachers can be so anti-education; most get their jobs and that's it. From my experiences in this class, I really don't think that sitting down at the computer to play around with a new program is all that hard to do.
Ray, I agree w/you. It's what Will says about transforming oneself before we can transform others. We have to learn how to do it and to do that we have to want to learn.
Teaching is very demanding work. I understand very well why teachers resist taking on what they see as more work. Incentives need to be in place. School and communities need to support teacher development.
And many teachers choose this work because it seems safe and relatively easy. I do believe that. I think the shock when one finally discovers just how complicated the work is can send one reeling. I know our student teachers tell us that every semester.
And of course it's always easier to take the fall-back position and do what's "good enough." We all know about that.
What have you been thinking Ray about teaching? K
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