Since we teachers tend to focus on changing our students, we
tend to be resistant to changing ourselves. Combine this attitude with busy
schedules, and teachers have a hard time changing with the times. Add to this
problem schools which are resistant to mobile technology being brought into the
classrooms, and we have students who separate their daily lives from their
lives at school. They don’t see much relevance in their school learning.
Because of these things, I believe the trend toward mobile
devices is one of the most important issues in education today. Our students
use them all the time, and some of us do, too. However, these devices usually
only make it into our classrooms when students break the rules. Educators and administrators
need to find ways to allow the use of mobile devices in schools, so school
networks remain relatively safe and students learn to use their mobile devices
for more than communication. Students need to learn academic material in the
same way they are used to learning other things so learning will be more
intuitive and less painful for them. This changes the direction for technology
resource staff. Instead of just managing the networks and troubleshooting the equipment,
the main thrusts of the job will be app research, management of security for
networks and devices, and instruction for teachers in how to best use the
technology available.
Hi Alma,
ReplyDeleteYou make a very valid point. WE don't want to change...we want OTHERS to change. Awesome. Thank you for this. The BYOD movement is coming strong due to limited funding and the creativity of our students. What can you do to help encourage teachers to see this side of the argument?]
Best,
Jennifer
Dr. Courduff,
DeleteGetting the teachers on board is more than half the job. I think some of it is the "trickle-down effect." When the administration decides to go with the BYOD plan, the teachers are more likely to consider it. This is especially true when the IT staff is ready and waiting with help and encouragement.
Hi Alma,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your points about it changing the jobs for some people. I had not thought about the changes to IT staff, but you are quite right. In fact, I interviewed our IT Director and although he spoke about the changes, it had not occurred to me the changes for his line of work as well. He will no longer be spending his time working with school computers and changing them out for newer models because students will bring their own devices. He will spend more time on security, network, and compatibility issues.
Thanks, Alma!
Pam
Pam,
DeleteThe ITRT person I interviewed started off in the 1980's as an audio/visual person, helping get films (usually filmstrips, with projectors)for teachers. Today he helps teachers find those same films on the internet via an iPad. How times have changed!
Thanks for your comments,
Alma
Alma,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the role of the Educational Technologist is bound to change. In my school, we already see the shift occurring. Many in the Ed Tech program at Liberty are a living reflection of this shift. I know a number of IT types who have made the shift toward a better understanding of what Ed Tech is and how teachers employ it to the best effect in the classroom. The take on new Ed Tech for those of us in the classroom is far less about database management than it is about using tools that build deeper student understanding.
Don't get me wrong, databases are amazing tools for teachers, too. Inasmuch as assessment guides instruction, they tend to operate more in the background than tools like Edmodo, Quia or Nearpod.
The best Educational Technologists listen and observe to build a good understanding of a vast array of tools that may be deployed by the teacher. This way they best serve the teachers and students.
Matt
Hi, Matt,
DeleteThe IT person I interviewed has a new job title that accurately reflects the changing times, I think. He is the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher. As he explained to me, his job is to help teachers implement technology in their classrooms, so he teaches the teachers, not the students.
Alma
I totally agree that mobile devices should be placed more in the classrooms. I work at an elementary school and I can see the positive effect that the integration of ipads, ipods and nook colors have had with our students. Too often students are introduced to these forms of technology at home and it would be good if it could be partnered at school with an educational base. Therefore students are advancing upon a form of technology that they are already familiar with. This too is good for students that do not have that prior knowledge with these mobile devices but are able to use them in their educational surroundings. I also agree that a shift in the roles of IT would benefit the movement as well if they can help teachers and professors make better use of this devices to better meet the needs of their students.
ReplyDeleteHi, Tysheonna,
DeleteThe school where I am observing and helping is beginning to supply the classrooms with iPads, but they also allow students to bring in their own iPads to use. I believe they screen them for security reasons, but every iPad brought in by a student is one less that the school needs to purchase. In the classes I have observed, the teachers are more likely to need help using the iPads than the students.
Alma
Alma, I agree with you. School districts and school administrators need to find a method to implement mobile devices as part of their curriculum. I believe school districts are missing a key opportunity to allow mobile devices into the curriculum. I believe one day it will be implemented. I dislike the fact that some school districts are still stuck in 20th century for education. The mentality need to change so that our students can grow future in technology in education. I believe if the curriculum is setup so that students must use their mobile devices to answer and respond to lessons during school hours are appropriate. One day we will get there.
ReplyDeleteAlma,
ReplyDeleteMy blog was very similar to yours. Teachers and students use mobile devices all the time and it has become a huge part of how kids learn now. Kids communicate and discover the world through the use of mobile devices. This is not how we discovered the world, so we have to be ready to adjust how we teach the students.
There is some trouble implementing mobile devices into the classroom because they are expensive and delicate. I teach math and students drop the calculators all the time. I think they do not understand the value of the calculator so I think the same may go for devices such as iPads.
Alma---I must add my comments to your excellent blog this week. I believe you have touched a commonality we are all feeling. Besides the money and resistence others have mentioned, I wanted to touch on training. The trainer holds the key as far as getting teachers on board with all types of technology. Some trainers are excellent and are willing to answer any question---regardless of the simple nature. Other trainers are insulting in their approach to teachers who may not fully understand the program or device but are trying to learn. As a teacher with experience in the pre-computer years of education, I can tell you a trainer can stop a new technology idea before it even gets off the ground. I have grown to appreciate the tech people who are dedicated to passing on their vast knowledge of the world of technology. The others, I avoid like the plague. School systems are not equal in the distribution of technology. It will be years before schools can all function at a higher technological level. My hope is the teachers are willing to learn the new trends and the trainers will be sensitive to the skill level of the individual. The students will be the winners if the adults can learn from each other. Good post this week.
ReplyDeleteDear Alma - we missed you in Skype this afternoon! Please reach out to your group to find out what you missed and where you fit in with the Literature Review development.
ReplyDeleteAlma ~
ReplyDeleteWhen you posted your blog, you must have known I needed a reality check. I am so resistant to changing my life. Stepping out of my normal has been excruciatingly painful this past week as my computer crashed and I learn a new computer and technology. Stepping out of my normal has allowed me to sulk in my sorrow and stress while lagging a little behind. Top that off with an alternative school that does not allow technology and put us teachers in positions of not being able to help our students with their assignments, we feel the constant frustration of being left behind. The teachers at the alternative school do not get the training or workshops that most teachers do. Our school system is not with the current trend of technology and being so unequal in their distribution of the technology we do receive, our County will continue to suffer as we move toward a rapidly growing world where technology is our future.
Blessings ~ Ruth Sholes