So what does this all mean to Josh?

So what does this all mean to Josh? Josh’s learning disabilities and attitude towards traditional methods of teaching puts him at a disadvantage. However, with the use of technology he is engaged and he can perform at the higher levels. Our school does lack equipment to meet his needs but recent improvements have created a lot of opportunity for differentiated instruction. Unfortunately, some of Josh’s teachers lack the knowledge or desire to incorporate technology into the curriculum. On the other hand, the administration keeps internet restrictions to a minimum, allowing teachers to take advantage of software and resources students enjoy and understand. At the same time, the school is firm in handling any cyber bullying and takes swift action against the offenders.
Overall, it is unclear how Josh will fair. My hope is that all staff members understand the value of incorporating technology and work to improve student achievement. I believe by furthering my education and investing my time in technology education I can lead the charge against traditional, boring, and unattractive ways of teaching, which the Joshes of our society have grown to hate. I believe it is not only my job, but my obligation to create lifelong learners and I am committed to doing just that for Josh.

Cell Phones and Cyber Bullying

Some teachers do not mind if students use cell phones during school hours but most teachers treat personal electronic devices like an illegal substance. Either way, cell phones can be thought of as a tool to do good or evil. A recent social issue in schools is cyber bulling with text messaging. Schools have various ways in handling the problem, but what about my school?
I asked multiple students, teachers, and administrators what they think would happen if a student in our district was caught bullying another student by text messaging using a cell phone during school hours. After some class discussion most students believed that the offending student would have to talk to our assistant principal. The resulting discipline was unclear. Student opinion varied from suspension to a warning. The most disturbing part of the conversation was that the majority of students admitted to never thinking about the consequences. Even with no supporting statistics, this would lead many to believe it is a common occurrence. Teacher belief was much more homogonous. They believed that the student would be sent to our well-respected and feared assistant principal. They believed the resulting consequence would be detention or suspension. In the end, virtually all staff and students agreed the bully would be sent to our AP.
I explained the situation to our assistant principal and he referred to the “behavioral consequence chart” and pointed out that the student’s parents would be contacted. He also expressed his deep hate for students who intimidate, harass, or belittle other students. He went on to say he would also suspend the student for 3-10 days, give them 7-14 community service hours. He also pointed out that the any student using their cell phone during school hours would have their phone confiscated. First time offenders for a week, and repeat offenses are for a month. He routinely comes under fire for taking student cell phones and keeping them for extended periods. Parents have even come into school demanding they give them the cell phone. Surprisingly, he has won every battle. Parents have a hard time fighting back after he points out the policy in the student handbook that was signed by the parent and student in the beginning of the year.

Google Earth

For students Google Earth is a fun way to fly around the world and zoom in on places of interest. It can also be used to reach students that prefer nonlinguistic representations. Graphic organizers, pictures, diagrams, charts, and drawings are commonly used aids for visual learners and Google Earth can be used in the same way. Recently I created a lesson in which students created a Google Earth Tour that would highlight specific locations within a city. The students would summarize information about a building or structure and would attach these notes to a 3D model. As a group they would then present the various locations as a tour. In addition to showing the building models and self created descriptions, they also clicked on the wiki descriptions and user uploaded pictures to show different perspectives. While students enjoyed this project, the real benefit was for my students with disabilities. Obviously students who are visual learners preferred this lesson. More surprisingly Josh and my other students who have attention disorders seemed to be able to focus better. Maybe it was the change of pace, maybe the visuals made more sense to them, or maybe it was just fun. Regardless, the attention disorders seem to fade away. Josh who typically scores very much below average, was able to create a clear and well thought out presentation.

Technology requires desire

Districts across the state, including my district, are attempting to improve their technology. However, even with the best resources equipment is meaningless unless the staff has the desire and knowledge to utilize it. A survey was administered to P-W teachers and other teachers from the Lansing area to gauge the attitude and perception of technology in the classroom.
The data shows that nearly 80% of P-W teachers use technology regularly. This is near the other school averages, however, many teachers are using projectors regularly, but unfortunately just to show video clips. This is a very minimal use of technology and does not utilize the equipments full potential. It seems some teachers do not have the skill and/or the desire to create anything technology based to present students. The school is attempting to address teacher’s lack of technology skills by offering more department time to work together on incorporating technology. In addition, the administration is increasing the number of technology based professional development sessions. The training is available but that will not totally address the issue.
The survey results reveal a more troubling area of concern. Almost 90% of PW teachers believe technology aids in student learning. However, only roughly 70% of teachers regularly use and seek new ways to incorporate technology. Therefore, approximately 20% of PW teachers believe in benefits of technology but fail to utilize it. The participating teachers in this category also admitted that the school provides enough technology to them and have some form of access to training. Unfortunately, it seems some prefer to keep the status quo and not seek to improve their methods even if they believe students would benefit. Sorry Josh.