"The Pros
and Cons of Technology in the Classroom"
"Student learning with laptops:
Measuring the effectiveness of laptops in American classrooms"
My take away from both of these articles is that successful
implementation of technology in the classroom is contingent on the level of
support teachers have in implementation. “Student Learning with Laptops” cites
the example of Birmingham, Alabama, where one-to-on laptops were implemented
and then abandoned within three years. The reason for this was the fact that
there was no support for implementing the devices in the classroom and no tech
support so that the devices themselves became unstable over time.
While some
emphasis is placed on the willingness of teachers to learn and apply the
technology, to me this is a function of the environment in which the teacher
works. Most teachers I have interacted with are willing to at least consider
new technology if it allows them to teach more efficiently and more effectively
reach their students. Granted—I didn’t say all. However, if there is an
environment which supports the professional development necessary to successfully
implement a tool, it tends to get used. The exception to this case is when the
teachers perceive the change to be a case of change for change’s sake. But
again, this is a failure of the administration to communicate the true value of
the change.
“Pros and Cons” lists the expected benefits—timely data, access to
targeted and relevant information tailored to the student’s needs and
interests, aids to differentiated learning, adaptive to multiple learning
styles and adaptive assistance for special needs students. These benefits
underscore what I have said about most teachers willing to consider new
technology—it helps them reach their students.
Of the cons listed, Privacy,
distractions, and plagiarism all have technology workarounds. The concern about
teachers being made redundant by technology seems a little extreme since so
much about successful education is based on the relationships teachers develop
with their students. I don’t totally dismiss the concern, and neither does the
article. However, if replacing teachers with technology were to happen, there
would have to first be fundamental shifts in how our society values education.
Again, not implausible, but such shifts would have to be accompanied by much
more disturbing changes in our society.
The fifth con, the technological divide, is much more troubling. I
have seen this first hand. In the classrooms that I observe where there are
one-to-one notebooks, the students who don’t have access to the internet at
home don’t use their Chromebooks. They are technologically adept as seen by how
often we have to chase them off their smartphones, and by the work they
accomplish when directed to use their Chromebooks in class. As pointed out in “Pros and Cons”, the use of
libraries/media centers are not a complete solution. Yes, access is limited,
but more important, with the proliferation of Saturday School and referrals to
Academic Resource Centers to do mandatory homework, staying after school to do
homework is perceived as punishment by the students. The use of media centers
is also perceived as stigmatizing for students who don’t have, or can’t afford
home internet. Having to stay after school in the media center subtly reminds
the students of their poverty.
By high school, the students who are doing well in school have
begrudgingly bought in to the concept of homework. They may not enjoy it, but
they understand that it is usually for a purpose. (And in the cases
where it is assigned for the sake of assigning homework, the students
understand that the issue is with the teacher, and not the concept of homework
itself.) However, if the student is going to do homework, they want to do it in
a comfortable place, with their music playing, and their feet on the furniture.
Media Centers just don’t provide the unstructured environment the students feel
at home in. And again, the issue goes back to the support that administration
and policy makers give to making technology a success in the classroom.
