Facing the risks of Computers in Facing the risks of Computers in School - School -

The Professional Development The Professional Development DebateDebate

Jim Vanides

Yasu KatoED2243/15/2001

Overview – Framing the debateOverview – Framing the debate

Issues we agree on… The Risks The Disagreements

Teachers need more opportunities to Teachers need more opportunities to learn about teaching with technology…learn about teaching with technology…

The Risk The cost to do it well is too

high. Teachers don’t have

enough time. Other professional

development is needed Spending on technology is

wasted. Teachers will be spending

their precious time focused on non-essentials

Disagreement Mis-use will lead to a

decrease in student learning

Some training is better than nothing

Some teachers are spending their own Some teachers are spending their own time & $ to learn technologies…time & $ to learn technologies…

The Risk At a time when the

demand for talented teachers is sharply increasing, teachers will quit in frustration

Not enough teachers are this motivated, so building capacity to teach with tech will not happen fast enough

Disagreement If teachers have paid

training time, the teaching staff attrition will increase.

It is expected that professionals need to spend some of their own time learning.

Teachers must avoid the misuse of Teachers must avoid the misuse of technologies…technologies…

The Risk Mis-use will lead to a

decrease in student achievement.

Disagreement What “misuse” looks like How to assess teaching How to measure student

achievement

There is insufficient technical support in There is insufficient technical support in most schools…most schools…

The Risk Teachers waste time in

fixing technical problems. Teachers waste time in

preparing for class, since they can’t count on the technology working

The broken technology sits unused (Low ROI)

Disagreement Don’t bother training the

teachers because the kids know better than teachers, so they are going to help.

Technical support costs too much.

Technology enables collaboration, Technology enables collaboration, helping to reduce teacher isolation...helping to reduce teacher isolation...The Risk Best-practices don’t spread,

limiting the capacity to grow “master teachers”

Teachers will retire and their knowledge will be lost, forcing new teachers to forever be learning from scratch

Teachers don’t have time for communication technologies.

Teachers lack a culture of collaboration

Consistency is a key. A teacher is primarily responsible for his/her class.

Disagreement

Teachers are under pressure from outside Teachers are under pressure from outside to “prepare students for their future”…to “prepare students for their future”…

The Risk Superintendents and

policy makers are overly influenced by the computer industry.

Parents are controlled by mass media.

Computer skills don’t need to be taught in school

Disagreement Students can’t compete for

information-age jobs Students can’t compete for

“high opportunity” colleges

Students are info-illiterate, a risk to an informed and functional society

Most faculty in teacher education Most faculty in teacher education program are B.C.program are B.C.

The Risk New teachers will graduate

without having experienced what the integration of technology looks like, leaving them with nothing to emulate

Teachers might lose some of core teaching knowledge.

Teaching should be the focus, not technology

Disagreement Some programs provide

technology course.

ConclusionConclusion

The Risks are significant

The Debate is critically important

Every year millions of children leave or graduate from school. If we’re serious about “leaving no child behind”, we must accelerate the discourse.