As a high school teacher one of the ever present engaging issues of life is technology in the classroom. There are constant battles between aspiration and application, techno-boosters v techno-skeptics, technological types and end users and the worriers and the let her rip types.
As part of teacher professional development recently we had a teaching visit from two leaders of the Technology push at an elite private school. Our school is heading down a similar route to the one they have already implemented. The heart of the strategy is for every student to operate their day at school from WiFi connected devices giving them access to the internet at all times. The acronym for this is BYOD. The vision is to enable all classes access all the time to the internet for lots of facets of learning.
The first presenter mapped out the vision and the levels of implementation including methods used to manage difficulties and objections. She created a sense that the goal was desirable and achievable while in a realistic way mapping out the challenges. The session included some group work in which we were asked to address four aspects of the project and record our vibes about it. Inadequate time was allocated but it was the start of an important internal conversations.
The second presenter addressed many of the practical challenges of technology in the room. He revealed to us some of the advanced search options embedded in Google to enable students to better analyse the value of the sources they are using in their research. He brought us up to speed with some of the technological possibilities that are out there and showed us samples of video productions created by students at their school.
In my own post session reflections I found the issues in this area are fascinating.
Budget issues involve the tension between the cost of new technology offset against past school costs. A textbook in print costs say $50 per student (possibly per decade) and an e text book is say $15. A tablet will cost around $400 or about $200 per year for replacement loss and repair. The advantages of internet based education are numerous but who stumps up the $200,000/year for a school of 1,000 students? Where does the technological bandwidth and infrastructure come from for 1,000 devices accessing the school systems 24/7 from any location?
Classroom management is a big issue in IT. Schools could have policies to enable students to roam freely in quests for information and learning. There is bad stuff out there and there are students who have been known to do stuff in school that is less than the most desirable. Strategies to navigate the staggering range of options out there while keeping students on task is a challenge the dimensions of which make some nervous. The overpowering magnetism of a bmx bike on a single curving line on an otherwise blank screen trumps nearly all other learning for some students.
The fast change and conservative institutions create problems. Education departments and schools are inherently conservative. Technology is fast moving and transformative. Conservatives are not the only ones who have difficulties picking a path in fast moving times. It is a fascinating time to be involved in schooling and I am thankful that I am a junior level teacher and the big picture decisions do not fall to me. They strike me as complex requiring courage and good sense.