We are devoting a lot of time and money to upgrading the technology in our school. All of us agree that this is necessary. In order for our students to be educated for their world, they need technology and guidance about what to do with it. Computers themselves are at best a necessary condition for building a 21st century learning environment; they are not in themselves sufficient. The educational landscape is littered with failed implementations. No one sets out to fail; the job of reinventing education using technology as a lever is a lot more difficult than people think.
This is a critical point for us to consider. We are in the process of acquiring a critical mass of technology. Our wireless network is up and running. On Wednesday evening the school council approved the funding necessary for our mobile laptop lab. This lab has the potential to provide each of our students from grade 4 to 8 inclusive with a laptop computer for two hours a day. We purchased a new 24 port gigabit switch to replace our last hub. We are currently seeking funds to continue technology renewal for our jk to grade 3 students.
The computers and smart boards will provide pretty pictures. It will look like good things are happening in our classrooms. Unless we address further issues, however, it will amount to a new coat of paint on the outhouse. It is well to remember that the computer is a tool, though not just a tool. As a tool it is designed to do a job. So it is well to ask what is the problem for which this tool is necessary. If we use computer technology to do yesterday's work, then we will have wasted our money. So we need to do other things, things we could not do without it. And we need our teachers and school community to understand that we should not be educating for compliance, but for respectful creative engagement. The skills our students need for their lives are different from the ones we needed for ours.
So with the technology comes the obligation to think about objectives. You can move a lot more earth with a backhoe than with a shovel. As a result of the efforts of a lot of people, we will soon be able to put our shovels away. :)
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