lfuller 's Profile

spoken and unspoken expectations

integrate technology

The district seemed to understand that we educators needed time to learn and change; they even hired and paid fellow teachers to help us more effectively use technology in our curriculum.

similar to language immersion.

The expectation was that I read and respond to the information, and that if I didn't, I didn't care.

Staff development, already a precious and rare commodity, was now almost exclusively about technology.

This meant we were not discussing: whether our curriculum was relevant to students' lives; who was getting suspended and why; how rapidly our community is changing; how we could make our school more inviting and useful for families; the implications of heavily increased screen time on students' bodies; how computer-based learning might change how students process information and how they interact with others. And we weren't talking much about ways technology could help or hinder us in our analysis of these questions, even after repeated requests to have this discussion.

invasion of my teaching time

intrinsic part of
my curriculum and communication

between one and two hours a day reading, writing, and responding to email;

Without realizing it, I became more disengaged from my students, losing critical relationship time.

Big Brother had arrived.

Trust eroded.

I had to re-establish boundaries, reiterating warnings on proper usage. I constantly monitored student behavior related to laptop use, becoming distracted from the content—but most importantly, becoming distracted from my relationship with students.

one person alone with one machine,

Students spend less time talking to each other or having quiet moments, and spend more time plugged into iPods, cell phones, or laptops—all at the same time, when possible.

problem-solving and analytical thinking

Precious public school resources have been diverted to technology, while other needs have gone unmet, such as money for teacher planning to integrate curriculum or to create a school-based family resource center.

emphasized the internet and text-based discussions online, rather than in-class dialogue.

"The laptops are a waste of money and distract students from their school work

By reflecting on the potential promises and pitfalls of our choices, we put ourselves in a better position to use technology as a tool to create a community that values relationships, analytical thinking, equality, and justice.

Here are a few of the questions I would have asked before we embarked on a
technology-heavy educational strategy:

Encyclopedia of Educational Technology 

Field Trip Earth  

Google for Educators 

Great Web Sites for Kids 

International Children's Digital Library  

Invention at Play 

Jan Brett's Web Site 

Publishing with Students 

Quizhub.org 

Reading Rockets 

ReadingQuest.org 

RealeBooks 

RubiStar  

Scholastic 

Sesame Street 

Starfall 

StoryPlace: The Children's Digital Library  

The National Archives on Google Video 

U.S. National Archives and Record Administration 

Version 2.0 Comic Interactive 

World Wide School 

Young Writers Workshop 

Youth Radio