Faculty+Opinions

I interviewed several faculty members, including the Media Specialist. I attempted to interview the Instructional facilitator for my school but he was "too busy" to oblige. I will include my two attempts to obtain instructional technology support from him in this segment.

The atmosphere at my school, which I come to after accepting a new Physics position from my previous school of 14 years, presented me with many challenges.
 * 1) I am teaching a subject that is totally new to me (Chemistry).
 * 2) I am in a probabtionary status due to leaving my previous district of 15 years.
 * 3) I am teaching two classes of a subject that even my principal admitted in my unannouced observation that she considers "filled with discipline challenged studnets."
 * 4) My principal confided to one of my closest professional and personal friends that she feesl abdly having "dumped" these students on me that she did in scheduling.
 * 5) I was told by one of my department co-chairs that when we are observed, we "better be using technology, even if it is an overhead".
 * 6) Iattempted to have my IT correct the problem with the old laptop and LCD projector in my classroom. His response? "Why are you even trying to use that old IBM? It isn't even supposed to b e in the inventory!"
 * 7) My friend gave me a new netbook the IR gave her at the end of the year. It won't let me log into the network but if I give it to her to have the IT "fix", she is afraid he'll take it back because she "just teaches Health and PE."
 * 8) The plan with the netbook now is to pretend I found it locked up in my classroom. I still cannot believe the IT has no accounting of having "lost" the netbook from last years inventory!
 * 9) My interview with the Media Specialist was full of contempt and truth as far as allowing technolgy into our school.
 * "The folks downtown keep talking 21st Century classrooms but they won't give teachers the support they need to be 21st Century educators."
 * "It is all 'smoke and mirrors' as the district folks won't even allow me to purchase DVDs for media support. I HAVE to purchase VCR tapes."
 * "The three computer labs are placed at the front of the school facing the main road so that everyone can look in to see the computers in place there. Is anyone maintaining the computer labs? No. On any given day, the labs may be functional but even the kids know the IT does not maintain the labs."
 * 1) My IT did bring a new LCD projector to my classroom, however, gave it to me with the following words of caution, "Good luck finding a cable long enough to be able to use it." The LCD projector is still locked up in my cabinet, along with the aforementioned netbook.
 * 2) I interviewed an experienced EC teacher who has been at my school all 10 years of its operation.
 * "Our EC kids need one on one assistance to be successful in school. The district thinks that being on a computer will be enough. It isn't because they need the support of a humn being. Thses kids are put on NCVPHS 3 or 4 classes a day. The classes are just the basic, rote knowledge level. Kids don't think. They just fill in blanks."
 * 1) I interviewed a student in one of these NCVPHS the EC teacher told me about.
 * "I have of my 4 classes online. I like it becasue I can always get help by the message board or email. I am in these classes to recover credits I need in order to graduate. The classes are OK but it is all basic, lower level information. The courses have nothing to do with relating the information contained in the lessons to my life."
 * 1) I interviewed the crafts/pottery teacher who is in the last years of his career.
 * "When the district came out to install the two new desktops in my studio, the network drops were right beside of the pottery wheels. I asked to move the drops because the location beside the pottery wheels would create so much dust from the clay that the computers wold be rendered useless sonoer than later. I was told the drops absolutely could not be moved. I then asked if the desktops could be placed in the office adjoining my studio. I was told 'No' because the desktops had to be used by students."
 * 1) I interviewed one of my closest personal and professional friends, who is in her 5th year at my new school.
 * "I use technology to introduce my 9th grade Health and PE students to using the computer to create a product of their learning. I have 49 in one 4th block clas and 48 in the other 4th block class. (She teaches her 4th block classes on an A/B schedule.) I cannot fit 48 or 49 students into the 30 station computer labs. I therefore take them to the AMedia Center and I have to use Stations with directed reading, computer driven lessons to accomodate all 48 to 49 students. It is a challenge keeping that many studenst, especiallly 9th graders in the last class of the day, on task. We usually go for the entire period because it takes about 5 to 6 minutes for the kids to actually get logged into their accounts. I want them to become 21st Century students but with the high numbers of students, I can only do so much."
 * 1) I relate the negatives here mainly because it is not an atmosphere conducive to teaching, much less teaching 21st Century skills to stidents used to the teaching methods of the 19th Century Industrial Revolution era pedagogies. I do not blame the students nor the teachers. I really cannot blame the adminstration for many issues. I can hold the administration accountable for not hiring an IT who does his best to assist teachers who want to use technology to do more than put up Power Point lectures. I can hold the district leaders accountable for wanting CMS schools to **//appear to be 21st Century schools//** with our two new desktops in our classrooms. I did finally get two of my classes to the Media Center to use available technology. It is the only location large enough to accomodate my over 30 student classes as well. I used Stations with directed reading as well as simple research activities for technology with my kids. I wante to have students create their own Wikis but Wikispaces as well as other Wiki sites are blocked by CMS because they are considered social sites. as the Media Specilist told me, "If thedistrict wants us to produce 21st Century learners, they better be prepared to give us 21st Century tools in order to get them there. This smoke and mirrors approach is nit producing one 21st Century learner."
 * 2) I learned durin this semester and my Internship that I an truly a teacher who loves technolog used in order to "make kearning fun" and "relevant" to my students. I thought a 10 year old school would be a 21st Century school. Sadly, my previous40 year old school is more 21st century in its hardware than my new school.
 * 3) I have decided to figh the good fight, advocate for technology that is relevant go the distance to get my new classes into the 21st century. I take my classes back to the Media Center this week to have another look into the future without any 'smoke and mirrors' to obscure the view of my students.
 * 4) Lastly, I volunteered to present at mandated professional development in January. If the websites are not bolcked, I plan to show my peers the 21st Century learning strategies as well.