TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
MY PHILOSOPHY
The integration of various forms of technology in the classroom has been both an anxiety provoking process as well as a rewarding experience for teachers. For the savvy technology teacher who prides him or her self in being able to not only read html but also follow the latest trends in spyware, games and spreadsheet software, the introduction to technology has been and continues to be exciting. To other educators the introduction to computer technology has been filled with Windows inservice hours with no computer in the classroom to apply newly learned skills and increased levels of anxiety and frustration. Giving those who do not "live and breath" computers an endless nightmare of system crashes, messages that the Internet is "down" and new programs that need to be mastered before the old programs have been of any use. So, what does all of this have to do with my personal philosphy on the integration of technology in the classroom? Well, I have been both the frustrated teacher of endless "crashes" and the elated Internet guru over the course of the past fifteen years that I have been in education.
As a student in college getting ready to embark on my student teaching experience in 1988, I wrote a paper with the idea that one day everyone would be able to have their own personal computer and that teachers would actually be able to teach via the Internet to students who needed or wanted to be home schooled. It was a radical idea at the time. In the process of writing the paper, I didn't even own a personal computer! My first experience with computers came in my second year of teaching when a computer was given to me for my classroom with a mandate that I attend 20 hours of Windows training to learn to use it. That seemed fair enough, except the computer had problems and I was inundated with paperwork, students, and a host of other activities. The new computer didn't seem to make my life easier at all. Over the years; however, the system got better and I became totally reliant on the computer's gradebook system to get me through each six week grading period. Yes, I had succumbed to the computer's real charm - its ability to compute grades in seconds!
Six years ago I left the hustle and bustle of large inner city public school life and embarked on a journey to the great Piney Woods - a rural town in East Texas. In 2000 the school still did not have a computer for every teacher and they had NO GRADEBOOK SOFTWARE! I cringed and thought about how I could possibly go back to hand averaging every student's grades. It was then that I realized how dependent I had become on the computer and how easy many of the time consuming tasks of the educator had become with the right software programs to do the job. Today, I am a leader in my small school and a proponant for technology of all types in the classroom. Many of my colleagues very rarely use a computer for instruction. Some use their time at the computer reading email, searching the Internet or entering grades to be averaged, but actually using the computer for instruction is rare.
I am continuing my quest to learn what I can about integrating technology in the classroom because I know that utilizing similations, lecturing with Power Point, creating newsletters and finding ways to teach a concept through interaction with the Internet is not only motivational and an attention gaining tool but also imperative if a teacher is really going to give a student what he or she needs to be successful in today's technology based world. The amount of information that we can access and learn is growing at an exponential rate. The days of memorizing facts and paper and pencil tests are over once you leave the public school setting. For many large schools and private schools that day has already come. I still believe access to education and educational tools will continue to grow as the Internet becomes a part of every American household. The more we can introduce computers and various programs of instruction and assessment to students, the better prepared the student will be when he graduates from high school.
In today's job market students must be knowledgeable of computer basics, be able to collaborate with each other to solve problems, and be able to access information quickly. Technology in the form of computers and the software that runs them is crucial to today's work place environments. As educators who are given the task of preparing America's young people to become productive citizens, it is not only necessary but morally imperative that we provide equal access to computers and computer aided instruction. I believe that the ability of what a student can learn and create relies heavily on the amount of technology the student can have access to and the number of teachers who are well trained and understand the best way to integrate various forms of technology into instruction and assessment.
The possibilities are endless in how computer technology can be of help in the classroom for assuring that no child is left behind in fulfilling his or her potential. The computer is not the panacea for all the problems which plague today's youth or public education but it is certainly a tool that over time and with master teachers at the helm can and will make a difference in the lives of children all across America. The children are ready for the challenge, it is up to all of us as professional educators to get over the frustration and fear and embrace the challenge and rewards of meaningful and challenging computer aided instruction!