Jun
19
Day 1
June 19, 2006 | | Comments Off
The first day of class had my brain spinning. I have had several days where technology has not worked as planned. The challenge has been getting the problem fixed without losing instructional time. Occasionally, I have lost time, but I have learned from these mistakes.
After class, Shanta and I engaged in a discussion about applying ideas learned from the course in the classroom. We discussed how one can get excited about the possibilities of using the technology in the classroom, but if the technology is not available it becomes difficult to execute.
One of the articles by Arnold Pulda in Module 7 offers suggestions on managing technology in a classroom with limited technological resources. I found the suggestions helpful. I am going to read the article again to learn of ways to navigate this issue.
Another concern of mine involves bridging the “digital divide.” My concerns involve making technology accessible to all students. I do not want to see some students miss opportunities to work with these 21st century tools because these students exist in a certain socioeconomic level of our society.
Quaker Valley School District in western Pennsylvania has addressed this issue. They provide computers to all students and teachers. Here is a link to that district’s web site: http://www.qvsd.org/2550115914103416/site/default.asp
About fifteen years ago, my late uncle used Title I funding to create a center in Buffalo, NY where parents and their children could come to use computers (Apple IIs) with educational software. Additionally, parents could pick up a computer and software to take home during the summer recess.
The challenge for me is to take the information I acquire during this course and channel it in such a manner that no child continues to use 20th century skills to solve 21st century problems.
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