Improving schools with technology:

It would be interesting to conduct a survey to determine if the general public is in agreement that schools should be using the latest technology. I suspect the results of the survey would be that a significant percentage, perhaps more than 70 %, will agree that technology needs to be in the schools. But believing that technology should be in the schools is far easier than actually getting the technology into the schools. The goal is laudable but reaching the goal is a challenge that involves many factors.

If technology is to be incorporated into the classroom, the building that houses the classroom must be looked at. The current state of the 'backbone', the necessary wiring and junction box equipment to support the technology, of a building needs to be examined and a determination made as to how much work is needed to upgrade the building. Were I work I have seen the transition from electric typewriters to computer workstations with wireless printing. To accomplish this the building needed to be modified. Literally miles of wiring, fiber optics, and supporting equipment were installed over an extended period of time stretching into years. Obviously this process requires careful long range planning.

It is the teachers who will incorporate technology into the curriculum. This will not just happen, to accomplish the goal of incorporating technology into the classroom the factors of time, money, support, and stability are necessary ingredients to ensure that the process of integration is cost efficient and educationally sound.

The classroom teacher must be given the time to vet current technology to determine which technology to use and how to incorporate the technology into the classroom and time to develop the curriculum. The amount of time is going to vary from teacher to teacher, or class to class depending on how much technology is incorporated into the classroom. The extend of technology integration in an art class is different than a chemistry class. The classroom teacher with access to various professional sources of advice can make a sound judgment as to how much technology should be incorporated into their classroom

Money of course is in tight supply in most schools districts. Where does the money come from to the buy the technology? And where does the money come from to support the teachers “time” to incorporate the technology into the curriculum? There are no easy answers to these questions. An important component in the answers to the questions is stability. High teacher turnover is a problem. Teachers who stay with a school district can learn how to advocate for the technology they need and as money comes available to buy the technology and they can spend the time needed to develop the necessary curriculum. From start to finish the complete process may take two or three years depending on the depth and breath of integration. For districts that experience high turn over, the process of integration is obviously interrupted.

Support for technology integration is more than just time and money, it is a commitment by the school board, administration, and community to work toward providing the resources needed to build an infrastructure that supports and maintains technology. Computers are part of the technology equation. To support computers there must be personal in place within the district dedicated to maintaining the computers, software and printers. It is helpful to have people on hand to respond to problems as they arise, or at the very least have funds available to hire outside help. Computers are one type of technology that requires specific knowledge to repair them; different types of technology will require different and specific knowledge.