Tech in My Placement

This blog post is essentially a reflection upon an assignment given in my Teaching with Technology class. The assignment was simply to conduct a survey on the technological that existed in the school where I am currently student teaching. There are numerous schools represented in my class, and this survey, being conducted at each placement, made very apparent the wide range of technological assets between these schools. These differences stimulated a very interesting discussion regarding the impact of technology in schools and the potential limitations that arise at underserved or technology-poor schools. Additionally, this survey caused me to observe closely what technologies were available at my placement and get to know who maintained the technological.

First, let me describe the types of technologies available at my placement school. To be frank, the list is short. There are two computer labs in the school filled with old Dell computers. These computers are problematic and often inhibit student work as they are slow and tend to inexplicably malfunction. The poor functioning of these computers cause obvious frustrations within both the students and the teachers. When a computer fails, rather than move to a different computer, students will either use it as an excuse to leave or whip out their cell phones and disengage. These computers could be an amazing resource for the students, but more times than not, they actually result in the inhibition of learning.

The available technology in my actual classroom is even more sparse. Though the old chalk and stone (blackboard) is as dependable as technology comes, it obviously pails in comparison to the technological advancements to date that are utilized in many schools around the nation (and in many of my fellow classmates' placements). But hold on to your seats, there's more! We also have an overhead projector and wet erase markers! This at least allows us to bring some color into our note taking, and it allows me to make neat transparent pages on the school's copy machine.

Compared to the computer labs, the blackboard, and the over head projector, the most useful and ubiquitous technology that exists in the classroom and throughout the school are the cell phones that belong to our students. These little computers represent a huge window to the outside world and an opportunity for students to learn, but they unfortunately are more cause for distraction than a source of academic aid. Teachers throughout the school must constantly manage the (mis)use of cell phones during class. Asking students to put their phones away becomes both tiresome and frustrating. There are, of course, many explanations and variables impacting this current class management issue around cell phones—school policy, adherence and respect for school and teacher rules, lesson plan design, student motivation and level of engagement to name a few—but I want to simply emphasize the point that these great technological resources are not being used to their potential effectiveness in the classroom.

Based on the observations presented by my fellow classmates on the technologies found at their placements, it became apparent that several placements were similar to mine while numerous were not. Some schools are dealing with similar technological frustrations—cell phone management, out-dated and failing computer labs—while others were using their technologies to great effect. It seems as though technology can both impede learning (misuse of cell phones/computers/laptops, faulty computers) or facilitate learning (functioning computers, smart boards, individual laptops).

This assignment was helpful in continuing the conversation regarding the impacts of technology on the ability of students to learn. It seems, as can be said for many things in life, that technology must be utilized strategically and with directed purpose otherwise it can be a have a negative impact on learning. However, the availability of effective technologies in the school remains the primary issue in many schools such as mine.