Cynthia
Vaskis
SLM521 Spring 2004
Article
citations
File:
artsfive.htm
Combs,
Gail (2004).
Why Teachers hate Tech Training … and What to Do About
It. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools,
11(1), Jan/Feb, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2004, from
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/combs.shtml
The author
describes several reasons why teachers do not readily accept technology into
their teaching practice. Some reasons
are that the technology training efforts are either too minimal, too technical,
or not given at the time appropriate for the need and the teachers are expected
to remember it months later. The
training must be given closer to the time of need and have example applications
given in a non-threatening (not too much technical lingo) environment so that
the teachers can absorb and use it.
Vail,
Kathleen (2003). School Technology Grows
Up. American School Board Journal,
September, 2003. Retrieved April 16, 2004, from
http://www.asbj.com/specialreports/0903SpecialReports/S1.html
Technology
was infiltrating education rapidly in the 1990’s but has since declined due to
school board budget shortfalls and traditional teaching views that are wary of
expending finances unless a real need is identified. Now educational researchers are finding how
to effectively apply technology to help children with learning
deficiencies. Easily available Internet
access via cable, broadband, wi-fi (wireless networks),
and COWs (Computers On Wheels), along with the laptop
and personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, has put technology directly in
the hands of the teachers and students.
Through the use of student portals and electronic testing, the time gap
between student performance and teacher remedial assistance has narrowed. The future holds a virtual multimedia
environment which hopes to meet the needs of our children through a more
efficient use of technology.
Joyner, Amy
(2003). No Strings Attached. American
School Board Journal, September, 2003. Retrieved April 16, 2004, from
http://www.asbj.com/specialreports/0903SpecialReports/S5.html
Wireless
technology is catching on in some middle and high schools in Florida, Virginia,
and Maine where each student has their own laptop computer. The educational environment is changing
toward a more collaborative connection between students interfacing over their
laptops and with Internet educational resources. Mobile carts hold wireless laptops easily
moved to a classroom when required.
Because many classes can use the same equipment, school budgets are now
freer to invest in professional development and technical support. The schools found that if parents were
responsible, instead of the students, for the student’s laptop then there were less problems.
Teachers are learning how to incorporate the laptop learning into their
lesson plans.
Buchanan,
Bruce (2003). The Broadband Buzz. American
School Board Journal, September, 2003. Retrieved April 16, 2004, from
http://www.asbj.com/specialreports/0903SpecialReports/S2.html
Schools
that have broadband connections are able to watch videos and listen to audio
tracks of educational information on-line much faster than with older cable
modems and DSL connections. The minimum
speed requirements to do this are with a T1 or T3 connection which can make the
difference between waiting minutes for a screen with a lot of graphics to
pop-up versus seconds with a high speed connection. Schools spend a lot less money on their
Internet connections than the business world.
Rural districts may not get broadband and they would probably benefit
the most being far from other educational resources. Schools are getting more Internet materials
aligned with their state’s requirements and students can access rare materials
on-line that were previously unavailable.
Teachers are recognizing the need for other methods of teaching to help
those students who learn better via visual or audio means than through reading
text and the Internet can provide that learning experience. The school districts need to focus on hiring
more technology specialists to help the teachers fully utilize the power of the
Internet.
Levine,
Elliott (2003). The Data Trek. American
School Board Journal, September, 2003. Retrieved
http://www.asbj.com/specialreports/0903SpecialReports/S4.html
Much time
is spent on testing and reporting student progress due to the No Child Left
Behind Act yet the turn around time for those results to come back to the
teacher in a meaningful form to alter their instructional methods to improve
student performance is far too long (in some cases half a year). The Internet provides a means through
specialized student reporting software to shorten that time and even provide an
understanding of where the student’s short comings are in the testing
process. There are products that help
the teacher maintain student progress and report it to their school district
which can then perform some statistical comparisons to focus on improving
teaching in certain areas lacking as noted by student performance. Many software products are being promoted as
helping meet the NCLB Act’s requirements but are actually a promotional
lie. Now the government has a site to
check which packages do actually meet the NCLB Act requirements.