Sun 14 Dec, 2008
Connect
Comments (2) Filed under: Uncategorized, blogging, education, family, politics, technology, writingOne of the problems at our school, and maybe at many more, is the overall ability to connect to the internet. In theory, one should be able to connect at high speeds from anywhere on campus: the lab, the library, classroom, cafeteria, playground, either wired or wirelessly. Without the ability to connect, at high speed, the entire technology initiative falters, sputters, then stops, somewhat like an old car with crud in the carburetor. Cathleen Norris and Elliot Soloway did a study some years ago that found connectivity issues, not reluctant teachers, was the biggest problem in spreading the use of computer generated learning. I have big questions about how the internet and computers are advertised as a panacea for education problems, and always take such information with an entire carton of salt. I think that technology is vastly important in the educational system. We do need to keep up with what the children are using and doing. If we tap into what appear to be useful opportunities relative to technology I think that we really could be able to teach well. Certainly, the technology industry thinks so. Children, who are growing up with a very connected world, think so. At our school, excited, technologically literate teachers have run into, and largely been stopped, by the connectivity issue. When we do have computers that are capable of handling the intense graphics and memory requirements of the internet, we connect, and wait. And wait. The enthusiasm for waiting for downloads is just about zero. The teachers and students, for the most part, have high speed connections at home, either cable or broadband, and know what should be happening. Sitting in the lab, or classroom, with an entire class of children with nothing to do but wait for the site to show up on the screen is a losing proposition. It doesn’t matter what age the children are–kindergarten through highschool–it’s the same. We lose a teachable moment, and the willingness to do such a thing on a consistant basis is slim. I heard a good thought about techno useage at our school: the teachers most likely to lead the way aren’t, due to the slow or non-existant connect speeds. They are, however, expectant, ready, and willing. It is hoped that we will be able to have a fully working, and high-speed, network, with appropriate computers, very soon. I don’t know about other systems out there, but if a high percentage of them are anything like ours, there are a lot of expectant teachers and students out there–waiting. The rub is that the message being put out in the press, and by the nclb people, is that we, meaning school people, just aren’t up to the task at hand. A national committment to fund high-speed networks and the appropriate pieces of equiptment is needed to get past the waiting. Politcal posturing about how much money is wasted in the educational system simply establishes a longer wait. Keep in mind that the study done by Norris and Soloway was done “some years ago”. Comments from readers of this article are welcomed.
joe stafura says:
The author is correct in his assessment that a fast Internet connection is a critical requirement to use the new generation of computer based learning tools. Too many schools miss the opportunity to integrate the Internet into their students lives effectively, the reason being that they view the addition of high speed connectivity in the schools as something extra to what they already provide and want more money.
The correct approach would be to see what isn’t as valuable, or even needed in a school after making the Internet available to each student. First would be some textbooks, history, geography, government, science, even math all have robust and diverse information available saving hundreds of millions a year.
In many classes there would be less for a teacher to do once they stop standing in front of the room and giving a monologue’s that three favorite students listen to and move to an advisor role to help student learn to find information as we do in the working world. Reducing teachers by 20% at the high school level would free considerable funds now and in the future for investment in the education system of tomorrow.
Alisa K says:
Great post! A national committment to fund such high-speed networks is important. Perhaps if we could effectively harness corporate committments to assist in funding high-speed networks for schools as well, this goal would not seem so far away.