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"In 2010, Project RED conducted the first large-scale national study to identify and prioritize the factors that make some U.S. K-12 technology implementations perform dramatically better than others."
From our own district analysis the same year, with more than 97% if teachers responding to the question: "How often are your students using digital tools and resources during the instructional day?"
- Multiple times per day: 0%
- Once per week-once per day: 38%
- Once a month, once a year, and never: 55%
Can we finally get some discussion going on this blog? You can even post anonymously.
Unfortunately, I think this distribution would be common in most schools in the country. For a variety of reasons, what takes place in schools looks nothing like what takes place outside of them. Can you imagine a business (any business) where the employees survey results would look like this if we asked them how often they use digital tools? How can we expect our students to thrive in that world when we are training them to be prepared for the workplace of the 1960's?
ReplyDeleteAt some point teachers need to wake up and realize that what we've always done doesn't matter. What matters is giving our students the chance to be successful in life. Reading out of textbooks, completing worksheets, and filling in bubbles doesn't give our students that opportunity. I know the pressures that are on us from administrators, legislatures, etc., but the buck stops with us. We are the ones teaching kids.
We are the people who can make a difference. Or we can do what we've always done - all the while reinforcing to our students that their belief that school is irrelevant is correct.
The choice is ours.
Mike
Thanks for getting the discussion going, Mike. Where are you from? Pennsylvania? I wish I could get teachers in my own district to start talking!
ReplyDeleteYes. Northeastern PA. I wish I could get more teachers in my district to start talking as well. Have a look at Chris Lehmann's blog post from this morning: http://practicaltheory.org/blog/2013/02/15/ubiquitous/
DeleteIt speaks to the very issue you bring up here. In order for technology to be effective, it needs to be ubiquitious to the point of not being special anymore.
Mike
I think Mike is going in the right direction. It's not going to work until tech stops being the special tool for special days. It has to start being the tool we use to take care of business as usual.
ReplyDelete