Discussion 4 Summary for Moderator assignment

Group Green 2 Summary for Discussion Session 4

The question was stated as below in quotes.

"Friday afternoon, end of another long week, and your principal is at your door. A decision will be made on Monday as to whether to give each of the teachers in the school one computer OR to instead place all of the computers in a lab that can be used by everyone. You have the weekend to think over the pros and cons, classroom versus lab, one versus many. What will you tell your principal on Monday morning? Justify your answer with supporting details."

The overall group view of where an additional computer per teacher should be placed, either in the teacher’s classroom or altogether in a laboratory, was split fairly evenly between those who wanted it in the lab and those who wanted it in the classroom. It came down to how the teachers planned on using the computers. Those teachers who liked to do their administrative tasks and lesson planning on the computer wanted it in the classroom. Those whose views were that we need to expose all the students together to the new technologies wanted the laboratory. Both views have very valid reasons for their choice. It was mentioned that maybe both views could be satisfied if the computers were mobile (computers on wheels or COWS) and could be used in either place. Wireless technology or laptops allow the computers to not be tied to a particular location. This concept of mobile computers also allows teachers to use them in the field, outside the classroom for research in the outdoors. The pros of a laboratory were that a group of students could be taught together simplifying the process of introducing new technology but the cons were that scheduling time in the lab may be difficult and some teachers don’t have the time to go to the lab to do their administrative tasks. The pros of having a computer in each classroom were that the teacher could personalize their computer usage and have the ability to demonstrate the technology during their lessons in the classroom but the cons were that not all the students would get as much personal time on the computer as they would in a lab situation.

The summary of each individual that contributed to the discussion is mentioned below.

Billy compared the pros and cons of having a computer in the classroom or of having all of them in a lab. If the computer was in the classroom then it would become a resource for the teacher, they could personalize it and not have to worry about sharing time with others. If all the computers were put into a lab then a class of students could be taught together which would keep the class more organized and would simplify the lesson planning. Also, individual students could come to do work in the lab but probably not in somebody else’s classroom. He thought that the ultimate decision about where computers went would be made by the administration or principal even though teachers’ preferences would be considered. He had the students in his class use the Internet to research sports history and rules and to find the best exercises to meet their physical education goals. He also asked them to determine what exercises might be harmful and share all this information with their class. He thought that the computer lab would provide a better use of the computers because the focus is to make a technologically rich environment for the students rather than just providing a resource for the teacher’s use in the classroom. He also thought that eventually there would be both a computer in each classroom and a computer lab.

Anthony thought the best decision was to have the computers in the lab because to have the computer in the classroom it becomes mainly a resource for the teacher but to have it in the laboratory it is accessible to many students at one time for a class where the teachers can introduce the new technology in a lesson to all students. Even though some teachers would not be ready to use the lab initially, if there are good role models of some who do use the lab effectively then others would follow. He mentioned that Special Education needs may require you to group several computers together for writing assistance classes. He also mentioned the computers on wheels cart (COWS) that his school used to send a group of computers to different classrooms when requested. He thought wireless computers or laptops were probably the way of the future but they are more prone to be stolen.

Laurie voted for the computer lab since more students would have access to a computer than if they were scattered around in different classrooms. It might keep teachers from using PowerPoint. She liked the COWS idea from Anthony which shows good technology people can overcome logistic problems. She brought up the point about whether McDaniel has a class about what computer technology is available for teaching.

Melissa thought that having a computer in the classroom far outweighed having them all in a lab. Her reasons were that the teacher needs a computer for grading, finding information for lesson plans and using web sites to answer student questions. She felt the computer an invaluable tool for her administrative tasks, lesson planning and for helping individual students.

Heather liked the idea of having wireless technology where the computer can take the classroom outside to study the environment. She opted for having a computer in every class room. She has her computer as a learning station for looking up web sites for dictionaries during reading class and for finding weather reports online as well as in a newspaper. She felt that the students should learn to use the computer for all subjects and that going to a lab at a special time inhibits the view that the computer could be used anytime and, hopefully, anywhere with wireless technology. She brought up that the laptops would need some special handling care and there should be a backup plan if they were not available. She mentioned using an LCD screen off the teacher’s computer which could show students, on a big screen for all to see, how to access Internet information but the LCDs are expensive and hard to move from classroom to classroom effectively. Heather said that she must have at least one computer in her classroom for her administrative and lesson planning needs. She thought the best approach would be to let the teacher teams decide where to put the computers but that usually these decisions are made at the administrative level.

I, Cindy, thought that the computers would be better off in a lab unless you could get laptops where a set or group of computers could be sent to any classroom upon request. It might be too expensive to get multiple Internet connections for every classroom whereas a lab is usually funded with getting the best high speed wideband connections to the Internet. The question really becomes how the teachers want to use the computers. If there is only one computer per classroom, then the teacher would probably be the one to use it the most for administrative and lesson planning reasons and the students would not get much time on it. If all the computers were in a lab then more classes on technology could be taught and the students would benefit more. The logistics of where the computers are located may be a thing of the past with wireless technology. I also brought up how my special education son used the computer at school and home and that it has helped him overcome some of his communication problems. I thought Melissa had a good point about how every teacher should have at least one computer in the classroom but I also mention that the conditions of the classroom before the principal asked his question were not specified. Maybe each classroom already had a computer and this was about where one more computer would go. I shared my ideas about how I would like to use the computers for teaching and asked others to share their experiences and plans for teaching with computers. Then I brought up the idea that maybe the teachers would rather spend money on salary increases than on new technology based on some current events happening in Baltimore City school district.