Says the Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. A lead teacher and technology coach quoted in my inspiration for this post has this to say, "Thre isn't any other option. I cannot imagine going backward." I couldn't agree more. We've already taken a giant first leap in implementing the laptop initiative. Why would we want to take another step back and give them up?
I thought it would be a good idea to look at the future of these intitiatives as I round out my blog postings for the course. In THE Journal, September 2006, Neil Starkman examines the future of one-to-one initiatives.
Why give them up? Because there are difficulties. But, there are difficulties every day, in every classroom, and in every aspect of a district. We just need to learn to manage those difficulties more effectively. This author outlines two of the major "felt difficulties" surrounding these intitiatives:
• A reluctance to deviate from traditional pedagogical norms and adopt a more "constructivist" approach to teaching and learning
• Lack of money
The future of these programs then boils down to what the author sees as the "Believers" vs. the "Funders". As we've seen in my previous posts, there exists a lot of literature pointing to the benefits of these programs. One teacher sums it up with this statement, "It’s definitely changed the dynamic of my classroom,” says Harless. “I’m not the know-it-all anymore. And that’s a good thing.”
NCLB established a primary federal goal for technology in education: To improve student academic achievement through the use of technology, or to "assist every student in crossing the digital divide by ensuring that every student is technologically literate by the time the student finishes the 8th grade regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, gender..." We can meet that goal with ease and students can learn content and technology skills at the same time if 1:1 initiatives are developed with the right goals in mind, provide continuing and meaningful professional development, timely and useful tech support, and are launched with the full support of all the primary stakeholders.
It's a daunting task, but...I'm a BELIEVER!
Ann
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3 comments:
You're right, Ann. Difficulties exist in our classrooms every single day and we do not give up. Why should we give up now when there's something out there with such amazing potential? As you suggest, the laptop initiative can be carried out succesfuly with the right goals, support, and professional development. Since you're not the first school system to ever implement a 1:1 initiative, I think it is critical to look at other examples and weed out the good and the bad in research. There doesn't seem to be the need to totally reinvent the wheel, but a little tweaking is necessary.
You've really peeked my interest in the 1:1 laptop area and I hope we continue to stay in touch as the program takes off.
I found this international blog entry from an educational technology specialist in Bangladesh. I hope you find some of the information useful.
http://123elearning.blogspot.com/2007/02/going-11-international-school.html
Forgive my mistake above....I do know the difference between peeked and peaked! :)
Ah yes, Laine, but do you know the difference between "piqued," and "peaked"? Ok, now that I've made my asinine English teacher comment for the day, on to the post!
I think you're really starting to clarify and crystallize your views and points on this matter. 1:1 initiatives sound great, but they cause difficulties, but nothing worth doing is easy, but there aren't enough support structures, but we have each other....round and round we go!
I think (and hope) that you're starting to see the need for you to take on leadership roles in education to effectively implement these initiatives. Too often have I come across administrators proffering the "next big thing" in education without knowing a damn thing about what they're forcing their staff to do. You've done some great research and, I'm sure, are an expert in your field relative to anyone else in your school.
Was that too much of a rah-rah comment? Oh well!
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