Technology is an interesting beast. It is clear that day to day, it will never be the same. This creates challenges for an entity such as education. Education is notorious for being always behind the times in technology. The challenges prosed by this article let a little sunlight on the subject. This article also puts into perspective how my own experiences are directly tied to the musings of the author.
"Hall and Hord’s Concerns Based Adoption Model"
This model listed some very interesting points regarding the implementation of change in school technology. One of the more relate-able subjects was that of ensuring the technology needs of the teachers were being met. Too often teachers are left without, due to lack of chain of command leading to the individuals that can make things happen. A personal example of this can be seen in my own classroom. I have been working for FCHS for 3 years now. From the time I arrived, I knew I had a smartboard in my classroom. This is a great addition to any classroom when trying to implement technology. Sadly though, my smart board has gone without a power cord for the entirety of that time. There has been little or not connectivity between me and whatever source of technology can get me a power cord. The Concerns Based Adoption Model stated that, " 3) That technology specialists must have a well developed understanding of what is going on in classrooms and in schools." In my cases this is not accurate. The stages of concern come into play in this scenario. I am clearly categorized as "non-use."
I've enjoyed being able to take this article and compare it to my own scenarios. It raises many interesting ways of looking at technology change.
Dan,
ReplyDeleteWith technology changing from day to day like you stated make it difficult to keep up in my opinion. That change makes it exciting and aggravating all at the same time. Selfishly I like how the changes have made it much more affordable to buy a big screen TV. The situation that you have in your classroom has to be very frustrating. All because of a simple power cord the school and county are depriving your students of using and learning from technology. It is just another example of how our schools are so poorly ran. I also agree with you about how the IT specialist should have an understanding of what is going on in the classroom. Just like you I believe that many schools see this is not the case.
Casey