Gina Hicks

LS521 sm 02

06/05/02

Article Critique #1

McKenzie, Jamie. (2000). “Pacing Change” [Electronic Version] FNO From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal, Vol.10, No. 3, November/December. Retrieved 06/05/02 from http://fno.org/nov00/pacing.html.

In the article “Pacing Change,” the author, Jamie McKenzie, describes pacing changes (the pace at which schools grow with technology) as an important piece to getting teachers and other school personnel adept at using technology. He describes the way schools go about attaining and using technology as “backwards” and calls for a shift in current practices. Teachers have gone from unwired classrooms, to wired classrooms, and some even now have wireless classrooms! A pace of change that is too fast for schools to catch up can cause anxiety and chaos among the people needed to go along with the change. Some schools even create the appearance of moving into change and growth without the necessary means to carry through with it. Careful planning for change can be the difference between mere appearances of change and making worthwhile changes that last. He describes nine suggestions for implementing technology in a new way called “Traits of Managed Change.” The nine suggestions are as follows:

1. Professional development precedes or accompanies installation;

2. Program development precedes or accompanies installation;

3. Resources are moved about strategically where they are most welcome;

4. No classroom or program before its time;

5. Different schedules and pathways for different folks;

6. Recruitment and courtship precede assignment;

7. Escape is eliminated;

8. Leaders question and listen;

9. Retreat, regrouping and rethinking are honored.

Through implementing these nine ideas, schools would be investing time first, ahead of buying the new technology. Taking the time to train teachers, to ask questions, to trouble shoot early in the process, instead of after everything is in place, are keys points of “Traits of Managed Change.”

As a classroom teacher, I agree with the author’s point that it can be overwhelming to be confronted with new information and technology and also be expected to “know” how to use it. I also think that the ideas presented in the “Traits of Managed Change” seem logical and necessary to help eliminate those anxious feelings. When I am learning new software, or learning how to use “Tools” within a program, I find it most helpful and faster to actually see another person completing the task. The author’s plan calls for professional development and program development prior to installing new technology. I would find that beneficial as a classroom teacher.

I also see how the author’s ideas correlate with the ISTE National Education Technology Standards and Performance Indicators For Teachers. These standards call for teachers to demonstrate understanding of technology, be able to plan and design effective lessons, to implement technology in the classroom to maximize student learning, along with other pertinent indicators. If schools were to implement the author’s steps prior to “jumping on the band wagon,” teachers would be more competent with technology and thereby also following the standards for this field.