After having 2 interviews today for different positions, I have noticed that the administration still doesn't get it. They have been told that they need to include technology into the curriculum, they need to get their teachers on board, and they need to learn these new technologies themselves. But... they have no clue why.
This is the very reason why our technology implementation in schools right now is stagnate. Teachers are only using about 10% of what the internet has to offer. They use the internet as an informational resource. Most are not aware of the publishing capabilities.
I went on to explain to these principals about my technology integration goals this year. I discussed weekly podcasts, creations of wiki's, and using feed aggregators to keep up with current topics. I then discussed the reasons I feel strongly about using these tech-literacy's with the students. I had to explain, in detail, what each of these programs consisted of.
Why have some state's implemented these new tech-literacy's, and others, like my state have not even discussed what they are?
Reading other blogs, I feel as though Maryland is slipping behind other states when it comes to web 2.0 literacy's.
Will students from Maryland be able to compete with students from other states in 10 years? I don't know the answer to this. I am going to make a difference, no matter how small it might be. I want to be part of the information revolution and teach every student how to make these technologies work for them.
3 comments:
Woody, I think you may be generalizing about our whole state based on a few bad experiences.
I believe Maryland has started discussing new literacies as evidenced by the new Maryland Technology Literacy Standards, which was approved in February. Whether these new standards actual lead to Web 2.0 applications being implemented in the classroom is still a question but I see this as step in the right direction.
The school district I teach in just added 54 technology positions for the upcoming school year throughout the elementary schools to help integrate technology into the classroom. Again, this is step in the right direction. If you end up working for a district that isn't up to par, I can tell you have the motivation to advocate for change. Good luck!
David, my frustration lies with with the majority of people that are unfamiliar with the publishing tools on the internet. I know Maryland has introduced and passed laws and standards. There are only a handful of teachers that are like you and me. Most teachers do not practice what they preach. They use the internet, LCD projectors, smartboards, CPS Clickers, different programs that the schools buy from companies, and maybe a gradebook software. All of these tools are old technology. Publishing blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, wiki's and learning from RSS feeds is web 2.0 in practice. A very small amount of teachers actually use these vehicles for instruction. These need to be part of instruction in every school
Woody - You make some good points but imagine how, say, David Pink feels - how many years has his Whole New Mind been out and still so many don't get it! But we all work together and look to the satisfaction of when it works! After all, someone has to set up the lcd projectors, right? Anyway, please join us at Teachers Teaching Teachers in August to look at the rich resources of state run online databases, virtual libraries that are rich with voice for our students to be using in their blog posts. If you end up teaching Science this will be a great source of information for you and your students! Please join in the conversation and the fun!
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