Monday, September 3, 2007
What if technology is not readily available?
By our enrollment in this class I think we all agree that technology is important and is a very useful tool in the classroom. We will be learning how to use technology so that our students can benefit from our knowledge of the topic. By getting absorbed into the content of the class, I think all of us are thinking about how we can apply what we are learning to our future classrooms. But have we stopped to think about the chance that our future classrooms and schools may not have the resources to provide the very technology we are learning to use? This may refer to (and I hope it is) a decreasing number of schools, but what are the options for a teacher that teaches in a school of need? There may not be an up-to-date computer in every classroom, or projectors, or adavanced software. I honestly would just like to know what you think of this situation and what you as a teacher would do. Is it feasible to raise some money, or to petition the state? What are a teacher's options when his/her students are not able to benefit from technology that most other students take for granted?
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2 comments:
This is a very valid concern and interesting questions. Part of what we will learn this semester is to discuss what if situations, fundings, sources, professional development, and the issues related to equity, access, and social justice in teaching with technology. I agree with you that we should be ready to respond to situations where access is the major problem.
I have been thinking the same question, Lauren. Personally, I plan on teaching in a school of need up in the city, and based on my past experience, a half the schools are not equipped with up-to-date technologies. Part of the challenge of being a teacher is thinking of creative ways to incorporate these important technologies into the students' lives. We could have field trips to libraries that do have technologies so that the students can become familiar with them, or we can utilize a personal labtop, etc. in class. Of course,we could always apply for grants and/or funding for the schools. Either way, it is vital that students are exposed to the technologies to better prepare them for their futures.
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