Technology in Future Schools

I agree and I disagree with this article. I find the article out dated. I think that if the author could have gone into the future at the time he wrote the article to find what schools are doing today he would be shocked. Schools are moving toward a technological school. More and more teachers are using computers not only to learn about computers but also to learn within subject area. Schools are moving toward charter school models and small school models which relate closer to his idea of the technological school. Many schools across America have a laptop for every student to use in every subject and I think that model is spreading. He viewed schools as only have the historical ways of teaching from a text with questions and practice and then a test as a rock that will be hard to roll away. Yet we are doing that already. I have been out of high school for seven years and yet I was graded on my ability to make powerpoint presentations and videos. In the schools right now students are being graded on their ability to make websites and animations that relate to the topic they are studying. Also many schools are moving to a block scheduling, where students are in the classroom for about 90 min with a teacher for one subject and have about four classes a day. Personally I think this is the model we need to be reaching for in our public high schools. This gives the teachers time to be more in-depth, to get out into the community and do something. The fifty minute classes are soon to be in the past and I think we are advancing a lot quicker than the author ever anticipated.

Computers as a Catalyst for Change in the Classroom

This article just enforced my belief that in order to change you must look at yourself and see the need for change. It took self reflection for all of the teachers to make a change in their classroom. I found it interesting that most of the teachers that were using computers in their classrooms the most also are teachers of learning and not teachers of facts and figures. Schools today need to be focusing on teaching students to think and for learn instead of rote memorization. This type of knowledge is what is going to help them get and keep jobs in this technological world. Using computers in the classroom is way to teach them how to learn. Computers are one of the best tools to seek out knowledge now. We can communicate with people across the world, we can look into libraries all over the world, and share our experiences. Computers give even the worst artist a change to make a beautiful piece of art. Computers are amazing tools. If we are teaching our students to be life-long learners then we must teach them to use computers.
I also found it very interesting that one major catalyst for change in the classroom was school environment. In schools where the use of technology is expected, the teachers would change their teaching style to fit in with the school expectations/goals. It makes me worry about the schools that are lead by those who are “scared” of technology. Will the students’ interest be able to make a change in the classroom? We, as new teachers, are being taught to pay attention to our students and what they need to learn and are interested in learning. But none of the teachers said that their catalyst for change was student interest in computer use. Why is that? I hope that as a future teacher I will be able to take into account my students’ interests for change in my classroom.

Digital Divide?

I started reading this article and found it very interesting. What I had always thought of as just a case of luxury has become an argument of inequality. Computers and other technology is expensive and so I found having it in your home was just a luxury and of higher priority to the family. I went to a rather poor high school and we had a very good computer lab. Our school bought the computers with grant money. But according to the powers that be not having a computer in your home becomes a case of inequity. When the article continued with its ways to eliminate the intangible inequities, I was really disappointed. Having the teacher go over software before student use to be sure all students were represented seemed a little over kill. It is important to try and make all lessons culturally open but if a software program is really effective at teaching it should be used. And having women and people with disabilities come into the classroom to show how they use technology well would not encourage but discourage many adolescents from learning to use technology. To those students, these outside adults just aren’t cool, and they don’t want their peers thinking that they want to be like the presenters. As teachers, to avoid the digital divide, we need to have technology use during school hours to be expected. Part of participating in our classroom is using information gathering software and digital photography/videography. As long as the computer lab time is given in class and students aren’t expected to work on it out of class, just expecting technology use could help close the gap.