i spent some time talking to one of the recent graduates of the program who was mentored by my mentor teacher. i had seen the school before, and i had a hint about the poor conditions. but after talking to her, she says the extent of the classroom technology doesn't go beyond an overhead projector.
all through my life, i've been in classrooms that had at least one computer. in elementary school, we had old apple computers. in middle school, each teacher had a computer in the classroom. in high school, each department had its own computer lab.
but as there was a ton of technology present in all of these schools, i feel that teachers must not only be knowledgeable of that technology, but must also be able to use it effectively. in elementary school, we spent an hour or so every week in the computer lab playing oregon trail (which was such a great game). in middle school, we learned to type. in high school, we used those computer labs to sometimes for word processing, but it was more of a way for the teacher to make sure the students did their work.
so the question comes down not to how much technology we have, but what we do with it. still, i wonder just how much technology i could teach if all i have is an overhead projector.
2 comments:
Larry
You bring up an important point about the fact that it is not what you have but how you use it that really is significant with technology integration. In addition, I think your concern over just having an overhead is valid. While it is rare for a school to have nothing more than an overhead, there are some small grants that you can apply for in order to get some tools for the classroom. We are going to talk about this more in the Fall, but MACUL (Michigan Computer Users in Learning) has small grants (2500 or less) for classroom teachers who want to integrate, but don't have the tools. Here is the link:
http://www.macul.org/page.php?pid=153
Another great organization is called I Love Schools, where you can ask for donations for your school for different tools and resources.
http://www.iloveschools.com/
These are just a couple examples of opportunities for teachers to bring technology into underprivileged districts.
One other quick addition is that it might be all the more reason for your to connect with your building and district tech person. Sometimes assumptions are made because things (tech, in this case) aren't plentiful in the building that they aren't available at all. Check it out, Larry...I'd be really interested in what you discover.
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