There are factors that must be taken into consideration when
planning for schools. Schools and districts must plan for enrollment,
faculty and staff, instruction, and for budgets. I have discussed funding
issues in previous posts, but funding is an issue that plagues schools on a
daily basis. Funding is one reason why many schools struggle to integrate
technology during instruction. Many schools would like to incorporate
more technology into instruction, but they either cannot afford the devices or
have no money left to properly train teachers after purchasing the devices.
One way schools can accommodate their students is through centralized
facilities.
Centralized facilities can generally be referred to as
"shared", and is an appropriate method for schools that have limited
supply of equipment and/or trained staff (Picciano, 2011). Many schools
have centralized facilities in the form of a general computer lab.
Schools may either assign each class a designated time slot to use the
lab, or teachers may sign-up for time to use the lab. Some schools may even
have a combination of these methods. As noted in the chapter 13 case
study, some schools may even need to share the computer lab.
In my experience, I have noticed that one of the issues with
assigned computer lab time is that teachers do not use the lab as it is
intended. Why? Teachers have not been prepared to use the lab for
instruction efficiently. Some teachers look at time in the lab as an
additional prep, rather than a tool to extend their instruction. So, how
do we encourage teachers to use technology as an instructional tool? Perhaps we
should look at decentralized facilities.
Emily Douglas defines the term "decentralized" as one
authority figure that makes decisions at various levels (Douglas, 2013).
So, decentralized facilities can generally be referred to as using
technology in the individual classroom, facilitated by the individual teacher.
Most teachers I know feel they fail their students in the area of
technology in the decentralized facility. Most
classrooms these days have interactive whiteboards, but they are sometimes used
as "supporting tools or fancy chalkboards" (Eteokleous, 2008).
Overall, teachers feel inadequate when it comes to decentralized
and/or centralized technology usage because they require training that is not
always available because of funding. One of my colleagues suggested using
eLearning as a way to provide teachers with professional development
opportunities. This program is online and free for teachers, and they can
complete PD courses customized to their individual needs at their own pace.
Picciano (2011) describes a combination of centralized and decentralized facilities
in schools as being the "happy medium" depending on the amount of available
equipment and technical training of the faculty. This combination allows students access and exposure
to 21st Century skills.
Watch the You Tube video above for a tutorial on how to create your own interactive whiteboard activities.
References
Douglas, E. (2013). Centralized or decentralized? That is the question. Retrieved from
Eteokleous, N. (2008). Computers and education. Retrieved from
Picciano, A.G. (2011). Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology (5th ed.,
text). Boston: Pearson.
Bethany,
ReplyDeleteAccording to the folks at THEJournal.com (http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/12/13/The-10-Biggest-Trends-in-Ed-Tech.aspx?Page=3), desktop PCs (and by extension centralized labs) are "losing steam" because of the flexibility and personalization of mobile devices allow for learning to take place anywhere at anytime. But you are right that teachers often need training in how to use the technology for anything other than a glorified blackboard.
Even for teachers who can use it, they still have to solve the problem of how to use it in a way that helps kids score better on national assessments. Technology has the ability to fundamentally change education, but the end result (the real end result that anyone cares about: test results) of education are the same only more so. The trick is to reconcile the potential of technology in education with he limitations of a curriculum that is geared toward increasing test scores.
It is interesting that you, Paul, and I all wrote on a similar topic but presented different points. One point you made in particular that stood out to me is how teachers feel inadequate or like they've failed the students because they do not have sufficient skills themselves. Paul is right on about test scores; they seem to drive every decision. The challenge is figuring out how to give teachers the time they need to learn and effectively integrate those technology skills into their classrooms. Too many other things related to those test scores get in the way. I like the idea of using eLearning for a more on-demand approach to PD. SimpleK12 offers many free webinars live and on-demand on tech topics and many others. Thanks for another thoughtful post - I've enjoyed our group this semester!
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