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January 1, 2003
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Myths and Realities About Technology Adoption Among Teachers
By Arnold Pulda
Years back a tire company boasted that its product performed splendidly not in the abstract, not in pretty pictures, but "where the rubber meets the road." So it is with teaching. Every day, and in every class, the teacher must function, and function splendidly, exactly where the rubber meets the road - in the classroom, that is. And this is equally true in the computer room.
The Internet has been around in the national consciousness for almost ten years, and it seems to me that we are now in the third stage of trying to figure out how to integrate it into our educational pedagogy and practices. The first stage, the easy part, was wiring and hardware. The vast majority of teachers just stood to the side while the technicians performed their magic and spoke of routers, T1 lines, networks, and other arcane tools of the trade. The second stage involved allowing the pioneers of technology to spread the word; Ted Nellen, George Cassutto, Kathy Schrock, Joyce Valenza, Bernie Dodge, and others set a wonderful example of online teaching - but most teachers looked at their exemplary work and said "No way, I'll never get there." Now we're in the third stage, where people both inside and outside education are asking for some return, some bang for their hardware and wiring buck - for results where the rubber meets the road. They're wondering why more teachers aren't using the new media. And now teachers realize that they can no longer stand to the side and watch someone else do the work.
Complaining
There is so much talk and writing these days on how the Internet should be used in education. This is as it should be: a lively discussion on the pedagogy and strategy for integrating online resources into classroom teaching does advance the cause measurably. It seems to me, however, that the experience of the classroom teacher is often left out of many of these analyses. I follow this discussion rather extensively both online and in print journals, and I am distressed to find that the teacher's voice is often given only peripheral attention in these considerations. Teachers (including me) most often write concrete how-to pieces, explaining how to do this lesson or teach that specific subject online - but when it comes to weighing in on general issues and big questions pertaining to why and whether, it seems that consultants, politicians, business people, administrators, and even Hollywood celebrities have the stage. Teachers are often regarded as the subject of these analyses, or, more often than not, as the problem. I am a teacher, and I can say that this attitude is not unusual; teachers are, unfortunately, accustomed to working in an atmosphere in which there is a background hum of disrespect from the various parties and constituents. And so it is here, when the topic is adoption of the tools of technology in the classroom. We are told that we can't or won't let go of control, that we can't or won't think outside the box, that we are reluctant adopters of revolutionary information sources. But where are the teachers' voices in this discussion?
First of all, people outside of education seem to think this stuff is easy. In my view, the challenges of teaching are every day enormous. Now add to that the burden of somehow finding the time to search out the best resources online, finding lesson plans that suit your subject, your students, and your curriculum, or writing your own lesson plans based on reliable sites. Given all that, it is no wonder that many teachers don't want to hear about the wonders of technology.
| So, among the myths are: |
Some (roughly) corresponding realities: |
| Adopting and integrating the new media is easy. |
This stuff is hard. |
| Teachers have time for it. |
Teachers don't have time for it, and are not about to be given more planning time or administrative support, unless there is a plan, a program, a raison d'etre, and an anticipated, verifiable result. |
| Students necessarily somehow learn more from online resources. |
Students love to steal mouse balls, sneak to video-gaming sites when the teacher isn't watching, and instantly download pernicious software. Who is surprised by or ignorant of this? Moreover, the teacher is at a disadvantage in the computer room as compared to the familiar confines of her own classroom: there are more distractions where there are computers, and there is fragile, temperamental, and expensive equipment. Then add in the ever-present possibility that the best-laid lesson plan will temporarily go for naught due to technical/network problems beyond the teacher's control. A good teacher is always ready with Plan B - back to the classroom, use conventional resources - but having to anticipate and then deal with all these extra potential sources for disruption does not enhance learning, but detracts from it. |
| An individual student's attention span is magically lengthened exponentially when he/she is in front of the computer, and that that student is at the same time less prone to mischief and distracting behavior while in the computer room as opposed to the regular classroom. |
| The new media will somehow "revolutionize" education. |
The reality is that teachers, students, administrators, and parents will change the way that education works. New sources of information might indeed be revolutionary, but these sources are mainly neutral and passive by their nature: it is the users and conduits of that information who will determine whether the way students learn will change. In their own time, many teachers' tools have been hailed as revolutionary - among them the blackboard, the VCR, the overhead projector, and the graphing calculator. The Internet might be more or less important in its effect on education than any or all of these, but unless and until students and teachers use this tool wisely and regularly, it will have little effect on the process of education. |
| Teachers should somehow relinquish (or, worse yet, "return") control of learning to students, without the slightest clue as to how, why, or whether students ever had control, or whether they should indeed have it now. |
Students are often poor judges, at best, of the reliability of information; at worst, they sometimes plagiarize information that they deem worthwhile. I have found, over and over again, that it is best to impose structure and exert control strongly at the beginning of the Internet unit, and then to ease up when the teacher can see that students are fully on task and engaged by the online content. The lesson plans that I write move from the simple ("Who wrote this document?") to the more complex higher-order thinking questions. By the end, I am more than happy to let students ask their own questions and direct the focus of their own research. |
| Teachers don't think outside the box enough. |
Actually, the stuff fully inside the box - often taking the shape of standardized testing, and state frameworks - is being emphasized more and more as central to the teacher's job, vital to the education of students, and fundamental to the entire educational experience. In Massachusetts, where I teach, MCAS simply rules the roost. The standardized test is, in effect, the "box." Anything that advances students into and through that box is desirable; that which doesn't, isn't. So online learning, like all learning, must fit into that "box." I hear from my colleagues elsewhere that the same is true in the state where they teach. |
| Teachers can do this alone, one by one |
The task of learning, adopting, and sharing the tools and content of the new media can not be done alone. Teachers are used to doing everything else by themselves, almost all the time in almost every situation. Despite authentic and sometimes effective efforts at teaming and cross-curricular collaboration, the fact is that teachers usually stand alone with their classes, and, in most cases, prefer it that way. Not here, though: the teacher in need of help in learning how to use software and the Internet in the classroom requires mentoring and nurturing, both in the planning and execution stages. It is essential that the mentor stick with the pupil through the entire process. |
Explaining
Lest you think that much of the above is whining and complaining from an educator who does not use the new media in his teaching due to the listed hurdles (time, supplies, support, work, control, attention span, etc.) rest assured that the opposite is true: it is whining and complaining from one of the converted, one of the evangelists. I actively use many of the new media tools, and have been since I started teaching nine years ago. The same is true for my students. I am an early adopter whose enthusiasm for student-centered learning using online resources has not flagged a bit despite the impediments that sometimes stand in the way.
But I think I understand the difficulties involved, from a teacher's point of view, where the rubber meets the road. Most of those difficulties can be diminished and conditions ameliorated with common sense policies and procedures generated and implemented at the building level and in the classroom, one teacher at a time. None of them require bureaucratic oversight, education-reform initiatives from the state legislature, or big-money P.O.'s approved and signed by the local superintendent. Each can be put into effect next Monday morning, in each classroom, in all computer labs, with the cooperation of teachers, department heads, and the school principal.
These proposals, which, together, comprise a plan for action, fall into several categories:
- Leadership and accountability;
- The structure of mentorship among teachers;
- Creating a concrete building plan;
- Giving the right tools to teachers;
- Keeping it simple.
Leadership and accountability
To principals: this work of helping your teachers use the tools of technology frequently and effectively takes leadership; it requires active and forceful advocacy; it needs ongoing support: time, resources, money. Is this - the meaningful application of technology to education in your school - important to you? Is it high on your list of priorities? Are you willing to commit resources to it, and in considerable amounts? Are you willing to use both the carrot (incentives) and stick (accountability)? If yes, then lead your faculty by stating what your objectives are, how you plan to get to them, and what the rewards will be. Be concrete; mix promises with threats and deadlines. Then lead your department heads, and have them lead their teachers also.
Spend the time and money described and recommended below for in-house, ongoing, department-centered teacher training in technology, and then hold teachers accountable for the extra effort and money. Everyone involved here - students, parents, administrators, taxpayers - is indeed entitled to accountability. Where teachers now are asked to turn in lesson plans to their department head for review, they should henceforward keep a separate, brief, log of their progress in adopting online resources. As part of their standard annual evaluation, teachers should now be held accountable for a standard that reads something like: "Integrates technological resources - the Internet, software for research and presentation, and other computer-based tools - productively into his/her teaching repertoire regularly." Software and websites, websites and software: these have to become part of the teacher's tool kit every bit as much as graphing calculators and chalk.
Mentorship: Organization and Implementation
Every building should have a specialist responsible for developing online curriculum. This person should be full-time if the funds are available to support the position. Once that person is on board she should form and work with a committee made up of one technologically-savvy teacher from each department, and work on effecting change in the school through that group. If the school's budget will not fund a full-time technology liaison, the principal should create that committee. Armies are organized by squads, platoons, companies, and battalions; schools are organized by departments. Every department has at least one true technology geek, a person who has been out front of the digital parade - the guy who knows just where to find that gorgeous 1756 map of the colonies at the Library of Congress site, that woman who knows fast and efficient search strategies that will save you and your students lots of time and frustration, that person who can make Inspiration diagrams get up and dance. Those people should be identified and then encouraged (bribed? flattered?) to share their information and expertise with their colleagues. Those teachers - again, one per department - should be given reduced teaching responsibility (one fewer class is sufficient), with that freed-up time to be replaced by working with their colleagues on research and planning for online lessons. Once this departmental organization is established, then dissemination of Internet information, resources, and strategies should be organized and shared within the department.
Keep the mentorship in-house. Counseling among and between teachers in the why's and how's of technology should be organized and applied locally, within the department, inside the school, one-to-one, rather than looking and waiting for the outside provider/consultant to come in occasionally to deliver the dreaded "staff development workshop." Teachers are a tough audience to begin with, jealous of their time and attention. They generally range from the skeptical all the way to the cynical to the bunch of guys in the back of the room laughing and pointing. But on the other hand, no one is more grateful than a colleague for a small favor, a hint, a time-saving shortcut, a great Web site or two, or a lesson plan that can be used right away. Just the other day, in the teachers' room over a coffee, a fellow teacher asked me about alphabetizing long lists of words; in a few minutes I showed her how to do it in Excel. Her gratitude since has been prodigious. While we were sitting there yet another colleague came along and showed us how to insert an invisible comment into a cell. Although I have a reputation as the spreadsheet guru around the place, I didn't know that trick - but I do now, and I can share it with others. So the other teacher and I are, in turn, very grateful to that third teacher who took the time and trouble to show us such a nice and handy little skill. The moral of that little story? First, mentors and teachers should take advantage of mentorship opportunities big and small, planned and spontaneous. I see it happening often: sharing a skill, passing along a terrific Web site, and other small exchanges that help grow the local network. Second, if you break up that bunch of guys in the back of the room into small groups or even individuals, mentorship can gain traction, and they, too, might come along.
Two last thoughts on mentorship: first, the mentor should act as guide, not as boss. The classroom teacher should make all the important decisions: the subject or nature of the project, the class, the structure of the lesson, as well as the final say on the resources that both mentor and teacher have gathered. For instance: the mentor may be in love with that gorgeous scanned-from-the-original Zimmerman Telegram at the website of the National Archives and Records Administration, but if the classroom teacher decides that it is peripheral to the focus for the lesson on World War I, then the document is out. This is just another way of stating something that teachers already know: that the resources should not determine the objectives or content of the lesson. Both participants in this partnership will want to maintain their attention on who are really the ultimate beneficiaries of the collaboration: the students. Learning is the objective, technology is just the tool.
Second, the mentorship should occur from beginning to end. That means, of course, meeting about and agreeing on the items mentioned above (subject, duration, etc.) and then executing the lesson together in the computer room. This latter part is important: getting one extra teacher-body in there has a greater salutary effect than mere doubling - it feels like 4 or 5 of you are in the room to help the students. And, finally, remember that the project is not finished until a rigorous evaluation is done. The partners can use a rubric for this, or something less formal. Student input should be included.
Making a building plan and keeping it focused
The committee of departmental technology facilitators should focus on concrete, achievable objectives. Administrators and teachers should not get bogged down discussing or trying to fix problems that either (a) can't be fixed in the short term, or (b) can't be remedied on a local (this school; these teachers; these students) basis. They should focus on the here and now: the teachers we have, the equipment that is here, the immediate objectives. They might want to keep their eyes on of broader policy issues that need to be addressed, but such matters should not distract educators from getting down to their real work, which is helping teachers to guide students.
The committee should meet for an hour every other week to compare notes and collaborate on planning. From this committee should come several documents and policies: (1) the school's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP); (2) a short list of Best Practices for teachers that picks up where the AUP leaves off: basic rules of the road in regard to helpful strategies for managing the computer classroom (printing, group work, and so on); and (3) a short list of the best sites for the department's discipline.
Tools of the trade: Mouse balls, unbroken windows, Web sites, and AUPs
Sometimes the little things count big. Over the last decade or so New York City has had terrific success in reducing its crime rate dramatically by following what is called the "broken windows" method of policing. The theory goes that if police pay attention to the details which in themselves are indicators of crime and lawlessness, such as broken windows and graffiti, then they help create a climate and attitude of lawfulness and respect for order. Much the same can be applied to schools as relates to the little things which help technology run smoothly - the same effects, such as keeping the network up and running and even maintaining a level of basic supplies such as mouse balls and paper for printers, which, when lacking, demonstrate a carelessness and lack of commitment to a school's technology plan and effort. There is no reason that a missing mouse ball should disable an entire workstation. These little parts cost cents, as do floppy disks; the entire mouse costs only a couple of dollars. Even inkjet cartridges, when bought in bulk, are inexpensive. Teachers and students are happy when the machinery is functioning properly. On the other hand, if a visitor hears in the teacher's lunchroom that "the network is always down," or "I couldn't run my lesson plan in the computer room because six mice were missing," then that visitor is likely to see computers that are not being used, too. The little things count. So administration should give each department a budget consisting of time, incentives, and a couple of hundred dollars. With the money the facilitator can purchase a backup supply of mice, mouse balls, and those other inexpensive but crucial items that, when missing or broken, can cripple an expensive machine and derail an excellent lesson plan. With the other two, time and incentives (PDPs, awards, recognition, attendance at conferences, promotion), department facilitators can encourage all teachers to use technology in their own work.
Teachers should seek out and use the best educational web sites. Yes, this seems so obvious. But to me, there are "best" and then there are "truly best." The truly excellent web sites are these that are exemplary not only by their content but by their usefulness, as well. The best educational web sites should have curriculum-planning guides and aids to help teachers use the lesson plans that are at the site, or at least to help them to create their own lesson plans. These web sites should also reference state and national standards and frameworks addressed by content contained on the site, so that educators will not have to fear that they are straying away from teaching what is relevant for taking standardized tests. Standards-based education is not a fad that is going to disappear: it is the rule of the road in public schools for all teachers, whether they are using the new media tools or not. Many of the best sites are created at ".edu" sites from prestigious colleges, and are the result of collaboration among faculty, students, and IS people. Sometimes our friends in higher education seem to forget that it is the student (at various levels, having various skills) who is the final consumer of this information, so they don't go that one extra step to make their web sites student-friendly. On the other hand: I am currently taking part in creating an NEH-funded web site for the U.S. History survey. Every summer I spend a month writing teacher- and student-friendly lesson plans to accompany the documents and content that are posted to the site. It seems to me that that is a good model: great documents and rich supporting content online are wonderful; the same stuff, cast in usable form, is better yet. I don't think it's asking too much of these website teams to append some guiding questions, and refer to national or state standards to help teachers do their job. Teachers can send Email to the webmasters of such sites along the lines of: "You have created a wonderful web site. Perhaps you could ask your students next semester to write some activities to accompany the content so that the site is classroom-friendly."
What to avoid: teacher/cops
Administration and network technicians should help keep teachers from being cops of the computer rooms. Every teacher is responsible for the behavior of each class that she brings into the computer lab, of course, just as in any other room in the school. But some of the problems and forms of mischief inherent to the computer room tend to cast the teacher into the role of baby-sitter and harsh disciplinarian. Time spent on warning students not to steal mouse balls, load wallpaper, and download troublesome software is time taken away from helping students find good online resources, conduct authentic research, and produce exciting presentations. If the teacher is doing nothing but keeping students away from Snood, BonziBuddy, CometCursor, and Gator, then she is not guiding, she is not teaching. The district's AUP should be a central part of the official student handbook; violations of it should be treated seriously. The sites that carry that garbage software should be blocked. New teachers have traditionally been advised to make the custodians and secretaries their "best friends;" we should now add the network-tech people to that list.
What to nurture
Finally, a rule that I find applies to pretty much all phases of using the Internet in education: KISS: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. Teachers, as well as other people, are often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Internet, the abundance of resources on it, and the daunting task of somehow culling through those resources and organizing manageable learning units from them. So let the coaches create short lists of the best sites; have them work with their colleagues one to one; give them the time and basic tools to collaborate productively.
We keep coming back to time, don't we? Time is every teacher's most precious resource. Among others are supplies, equipment that is well maintained, and administrative support. Most teachers are accustomed to doing without all or some combination of these resources in some measure. Teaching is difficult, teachers work hard, and they are averse to being told how to do their job - or that they are not doing their job well - by those who have never spent a minute managing a classroom. But if their efforts are nurtured, if they are provided with the necessary materials, and if they are occasionally given some extra time out of the classroom to plan with colleagues having good online skills and experience, then I believe that teachers will become enthusiastic leaders, instead of reluctant followers, in the Internet/technology parade.
Arnold Pulda
Resources:
Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology: Module 2
From the University of Maryland University College, an excellent introduction to teaching with technology. Follow the links to additional resources from the home site.
Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public Schools
From the U.S. Departent of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, a statistical study of teachers' use of technology.
Making Sure Brand-New Teachers Know Technology
This online article from The New York Times Technology Cybertimes site features members of the CEO Forum discussing teachers' use of technology.
The CEO Forum School Technology and Readiness Report
A downloadable 36-page PDF-format report from CEOs on how to improve the use of technology in education.
Usage and Effectiveness of Educational Technology
A survey of articles for and against using technology in education. From B.E.S.T., Business & Education for Schools & Technology.
Education System Crash
From Professor Larry Cuban, a reasonable article on some of the challenges that teachers face in integrating technology into the curriculum.
From "Wired" magazine, two articles that report on a recent study by the Pew Foundation. Many of the students surveyed said that their teachers just don't "get it" when it comes to using online resources in the classroom. Bridging the Tech-Education Gap and
Schools, Tech: Still Struggling.
PC Magazine: Technology in America
From a non-teacher, some generalizations about inadequate use of technology in public schools.
What is Technology Integration and Where Does it Happen?
From this tech-Learning Website, a consultant's point of view.
Edutopia online: The George Lucas Educational Foundation
From the George Lucas Educational Foundation, an excellent site on technology and education that does not preach to teachers.
Critical Issue: Finding Time for Professional Development
From NCREL (North Central Regional Education Laboratory), an excellent introduction to staff development. Be sure to follow the links.
Finding Time for PD
Also from NCREL, how to find time for professional development.
Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement
Critical Issue: Ensuring Equitable Use of Educational Technology
On issues of access and the Digital Divide.
Professional Development: Staff Learning for student Results
NCREL's root page for professional development.
Educational Technology: Media for Inquiry, Communication, Construction, and Expression
An article that establishes a taxonomy for educational technology. Thick reading.
Distance Learning Resource Network: Resource List for Principals
For school principals and other administrators, an index with annotations to articles on how to inspire and lead integration of technology into the curriculum
National School Reform Faculty: Professional Development for Principals - Seven Core Beliefs
Of special interest is an article on how to achieve professional development for principals.
Applying Technology to Restructuring and Learning
From SEDL, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, an overview featuring both practice and theory. The full text of "Active Learning with Technology" is available in PDF format.
Parents Say High Tech Progress is Too Slow
From the Boston Globe in March, 2002, "Parents say high-tech progress too slow."
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