Are you finding the resources you need?
No. At school the resources I need to further integrate tehcnology into my classroom are not available. What I do have (a projector), I make extensive use of, but new technology is difficult to come by in a district that hasn't passed a school levy since 1992, and is facing large budget cuts due to the failure of the most recent levy.
Do you need to modify your action plan?
Possibly. One of the steps my action plan required was the acquistion of new technology. I have been denied one grant and the grant my school was approved for gave teachers projectors, which I already have. I may have to change my plan to take into account the fact that my students may not be able to use computers in school during science class.
What have you learned so far?
That many teachers, even some of the younger ones are not comfortable with, or do not even know how to use technology in basic ways. Of the five other science teachers in my department at school, I would say that three of them have very limited ability to use computers beyond email and word processing, one of them is adequately computer literate, and the other one is very computer literate. So my second goal of teaching other teachers to use technology is a definite need in my particular school.
What new questions have arisen?
How do I deal with trying to integrate technology into my curriculum when I have no access to computers? We have two computer labs in my school that are blocked out for use by the important classes (math and reading) and never available for use to my students. I could get a couple classes in during the course of a week, but there are some periods where the labs are literally never available when my students would be in my class. Do I just say some is better than none and forget the kids that are in the wrong period?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
We have very similar situations. At my school we share one computer lab (30 computers) between 1700 students. The school would never publicly admit this but it is the reality. I waited for weeks to get a day in the lab and the media specialist called in sick. They did not have enough subs so they moved her sub to another class and closed the lab for the day. The next available day is at the end of February. The students are poverty stricken and most do not have access at home. I share your concern of how to plan for these types of integration when access is so very lean. I keep talking about trying to get grant money and am hoping in my new network of online collaborators I will find a source to fund at least a set of laptops.
ReplyDeleteFor cash strapped districts this is especially fatal. Technology is constantly changing and after a few years equipment is outdated and expensive to upgrade. These needs should be recognized as an integral part of the budget and planned for. Possibly the next generation of administrators will be digital natives and realize a solution to this problem.
Since you do have a projector your should model, model, model! At the very least, expose them to as much as you can! Again, I share your frustration at the lack of resources.
Thank you for sharing your story. I used to work in a district that hadn't passed a levy for 16 years, so I can relate to a lack of resources (we even had buckets on the floor when it rained). My new school has a Tech Academy within the school, and all of the students have their own laptops, we also have two computer labs, and five laptop carts. The amazing thing (which is probably a good sign) is that I STILL have trouble getting computers for my studnets to use. So many people are planning ahead, that it is going to force me to do the same.
ReplyDeletePlease keep writing grants. There is money out there - I've received a lot of grant money, and it's made all the difference for me and for my students. I've found that the key is to follow the directions to the letter - and don't get discouraged. I now consider finding $$ to be part of my job (I teach Environmental Science and use the money for our projects). Some of those applications are almost 20 pages long, but it allows me the ability to do something I feel great about - helping my students (who are also from poverty) prepare for their future.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your situation. There are so many schools that have limited technology. In my school we have 2 computers to a classroom. I find this is really friustrating due to the fact as educators we are encouraged to tech 21st century fluency skills to our students but yet we do not have the proper equipment or enough equipment to support this type of instruction for our students.
I think it is great that you are taking the step in writing grants to provide your school with the proper technology they need. Have you had any progress researching the websites that Molly listed above? Good luck!
Thanks,
Lynda