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Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Devil's in the Details

When I first began teaching almost 5 years ago, I felt like the smartest teacher ever because I was going to have my students use the internet to find facts and then compose a biography about a famous Virginian. I was all ready to pronounce myself teacher of the year and parade my student’s work around the hallways because I was having my students use technology and therefore that made my student’s work 100 times better.

HAH.

When we first arrived to the computer lab, I assumed my students would be able to at least use the internet to search for facts.

“Ms. Martin, where’s the internet?”.

Oh, the things I didn’t anticipate such as typing skills or the ethics of citing sources or how to teach kids to do a search on the internet or what Microsoft Word was or how to save a document… and the list goes on.

Eventually after many weeks (yes, weeks) of heartache, hair pulling, and headaches (all on my end), the students proudly completed their projects and their teacher survived the several missteps she had made in preparing (hah) for the lesson. I had an opportunity to write about this experience for an earlier course and it was definitely a great experience in how to plan for lessons in general and (especially) technology.

All of the shortcomings of the project were my fault, and I take full blame. In hindsight, I did not assess my student’s needs nor did I teach the several lessons beforehand about things I would assume a fourth grader would know.

But wait a minute, don’t we have standards  to make sure students learn how to use technology situations like the one I encountered (Again, the planning was my fault, but the fact that a fourth grader lacks basic computer  skills such as how to turn one on and off?)?

According to the Maryland state technology standards, my first graders should be able to collect data using a computer and  identify a computer's parts and how they function. While I try my best to instruct my students, I can say grade and even school wide, teachers use their technology block time as “hey, go on PBS kids while I surf the web” time.

We would throw our hands up if our students came in lacking knowledge in the “main” content areas—in first grade, we would have a conniption if our students couldn’t count or identify letters and their sounds. Why don’t teachers have the same concern for technology? There are standards that we are supposed to teach—so why don’t administrations enforce them the same way they do for all other subjects?

 f there was a state test assigned to technology, would we then start to pay more attention to it? Or is it that technology can be “too confusing” and “moves too fast”, so we allow teachers who don’t feel comfortable teaching about or using technology to slide? School systems wouldn’t allow an elementary teacher to not teach math because they “don’t like it”, so what makes technology so special (or not) to receive that treatment?

5 comments:

  1. Jenn,

    Powerful post. I feel the same exact way and you said it better than I could!

    A few things... it made me laugh when you had all these great ideas when you first started teaching. Isn't it funny how we envision teaching as so perfect and easy and we all see ourselves as teacher of the year? And then... we walk in the classroom. :) Sometimes it's impossible to plan for the things we face!

    Also, all your first graders can count and identify letters and sounds?? Some of my darling first graders are STILL learning. Every once in a while I do want to throw up my hands. But I DON'T! Like you said, why quit on technology when we can't quit on reading, writing, and math?

    All teachers do need to have a concern for teaching technology. You and I do because we obviously love it, but what can be done about the teachers who are set in their ways and want nothing to do with it? Something has to be done.

    Are you provided with technology block time? Is it built into your schedule? It's certainly not built into our schedule. But it should be built in! How can we teach our children these standards when we aren't provided with time for it?

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    1. Kate,

      I freakin' wish all my kids knew all their letters and sounds and how to count! I'm glad it's not just me (because there are days where I'm feeling like, "wait, why is it just me...").

      We are provided with Technology block. When I taught in Prince William County, VA., the computer lab was a "first come" policy. It was wonderful for me, because I was loving it, but also worisome at the same time because it was like, well, what's going on with the other classrooms...

      How do you get a chance to use tech at your school?

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  2. You bring up some very valid points. Unfortunately, with the current testing climate, everything that is not math and reading gets pushed to the side. Hopefully with the new curriculum and a future changes (hey, they got rid of TN2) we will be able to incorporate computer use into our lessons on a regular basis. If we don't teach how to use computer programs and navigate the web, we are doing a great disservice to our youngest students.

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  3. Wow, nicely said.
    I totally agree with you – just because it is not enforced, does not mean we need to skip teaching the basics of technology to our students. Truthfully, I gave up expecting that my second graders will come to me knowing how to log in, open a page, get connected to internet, etc. In the beginning of the year, I spend 3 to 4 45 minute periods at the computer lab teaching them the basic steps. During the first day I concentrate on log in and log out procedures, getting to a blank word document, and changing fonts and sizes. During the second day, I teach them how to align text, how to add pictures from clipart, and how to save their documents. During the third day, we learn how to use and to navigate through Internet. Slowly, after building base of the pyramid, I start stacking up.
    This is a generation that has not seen a day without electronic gadgets, these are the kids who rely heavily (even at the early age) on internet. We were discussing polygons and I said that I don’t remember the name of a polygon with 20 sides. Without a moment of hesitation, my students (same kids that did not know how to get to internet in the beginning of this year) told me to go to Google for an answer. The moral of this story is: the more we expose the children to technology the easier it is going to be for them to advance in it.

    Lilit

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  4. Wow, what a post! There are many teachers at my school who use technology as a bare minimum - even though our staff is mostly young. Technology is already an extremely important tool in society today - try getting a job without those skills! Until technology skills are given weight in the school system, it will be difficult to get everyone on board. It could be up to us to encourage and support those teachers, pointing out the options for technology use, and how to go about it. Lead the way! (it sounds like you already are!)

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