Message to Administrators

Having just read Viki Davis’ blog I am reminded of the challenge I face this week as I present to administrators about supporting learning with technology. I spent the entire weekend developing the 50 minute presentation – that tends to be how I work. I feel like a cat chasing may tail as I re-read favourite blogs and articles, return to portions of my thesis, and reflect on the roadblocks we face in helping teachers as they learn to make effective use of the technologies. Write, stream line, run in circles and aim for a concise presentation that engages the audience in discussion, reflection and planning.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that the answer to ‘how can technology support students learning’ is “It all depends”. It depends on teacher pedagogy, attitudes, a willingness to take risks and try something different. So I am not going to razzle dazzle these folks with the technologies per se. I am going to begin exploring the discourse of technology in schools. By sharing some of the comments I hear every week as I work with teachers throughout the system perhaps I can help these administrators ask the kinds of questions that need to be asked. So when you hear comments like, “I don’t have time to add anything more to my plate” or “We have more important things to worry about with OUR students”, the message from these teachers is that they see technology as an add-on. What questions/discussions around the ‘water cooler’ can be held so that teachers begin to reflect on the practices they can’t give up or approach from another angle? What should learner engagement look like (and I do not mean student compliance with on-task behaviour)?

As we move along the continuum of teacher discourse around technology we’ll explore comments like, “ We‘ve got the laptops booked out for our research unit. The kids are finding their information on the Internet and then putting it into a PowerPoint presentation.” Getting administrators to see that nothing has changed here as a result of the technology and there is a good chance that less learning is taking place than ever. The message is that redesigning learning tasks so that students have to think and transform the information to achieve authentic learning. With this fall on deaf ears with administrators that are removed from the classroom?

They will then have a chance to read/view stories from the field. I am hoping that the teacher voices are a powerful conduit. Especially when several stories come from schools where there are high numbers of at risk kids. The stories suggest learner engagement, decreased behavioural problems, and increased attendance as a result of tapping into meaningful and relevant learning opportunities supported by technology.

Having read Viki’s blog however, I am reminded to keep my cool, treat my audience professionally no matter what lemons come my way. The stories from the field reflect the tremendous possibilities for learning supported by technology. But no matter what kind or how much technology there is, if we do not have effective teachers in classrooms, technology is not the magic answer.

~ by search4understanding on February 11, 2008.