Blog entry for Aug. 29

Reading in chapter one of the textbook, especially the discussion on where we've been in the past with educational technology, got me thinking about how much has changed during my relatively short lifetime. I think that it will be an excellent exercise to reflect on that past history and the changes in educational technology that I have experienced myself.

In the beginning years of my schooling, the only technology used regularly in the classroom were television, film strips, and record players. It was not until I reached high school in the late 1980s that use of a computer became a part of my coursework. I took a computer programming course where we wrote programming code in BASIC. We learned how to create graphics, sorting mechanisms, and simple games like "Guess the number". We did not have a computer in the home at all, although my parents did purchase a typewriter for me that stored a line of text at a time. On the audio-visual side of things, the schools were still using film strips but had added tape players (both audio and video) to the technology used.

I started college in the fall of 1987. For my coursework in education, I was required to take a computer course - again a course in programming in
BASIC. As a part of some of my later education classes, I used and evaluated some educational software that was mostly designed for student drill and practice - mostly MECC software. In fall 1990, as a part of my methods block, two of the professors planned on setting up email at each of the schools where we were doing month-long practicums. We were to turn in assignments - journal reflections, lesson plans, etc. using this method of delivery. The plan was to give each school a computer for the university students to use. For reasons of which I am not aware, this never came to be. But I remember thinking what an amazing tool this could be.

I began my teaching career in the fall of 1991. The technology available in my classroom included a film strip projector and an audio tape player with 5 sets of headphones. I had access to an overhead projector, television, VCR, and a reel to reel projector (16mm?). The school office had one copy machine, and class copies of papers were made with a purple mimmeograph machine (my fingertips were constantly purple).

During the next few years, each classroom was equipped with an Apple II e computer and a printer. This was mostly used for basic word processing (mostly by me) and some drill and practice software for the students. Within a few years, the school began to use standard copy machines for all copies.

Sometime around 1997, our school made the transition from the old apple computers to the I Book (I'm not sure if that's the correct name). These computers were used still mostly by the teacher. I took many training courses on the computer and began to create and use Hyperstudio in my teaching. I also learned to connect my computer to a large television monitor and created many teaching presentations. Around that time, our school began to keep attendance records on the computer network. We posted our attendance each morning. At this point, that was the only record-keeping done via computer. I loved using the computer to create and file materials for use in the classroom and for communication with parents. I almost forgot - it was at this time that the students began to use computers to take AR (accelerated reader) tests. My students and I had to share one computer for all of these functions. Sometime during this time frame, the school also purchased a class set of Alpha Smarts that could be checked out and used by teachers.

A couple of years later, the school system went to keeping grades on the computer. We had a crash course in using the STI system during one of the inservice days prior to the start of school. A second "student" computer station was added to each classroom. That year we also got internet access in each classroom. Our principal began to using the computer network for staff announcements and reminders. Checklists for courses of study, room inventory, textbook inventory, and other teacher-centered forms and materials were available on the school network.

I have been out of the regular classroom for five years now, but technology has continued to change and develop. Now the school and the teachers have web pages that parents and students can access to check on announcements and assignemnts. The school has added a computer lab as well.


To relate all of this reflection back to the text, I can see some important take-aways:
1) That technology isn't a cure-all or quick-fix for all the challenges faced by today's teachers.
2) That we as teachers must expect constant change in technology use and continue to invest time in exploring the best ways to implement that technology in our teaching.
3) That good teachers are more essential than ever - to evaluate technology for use in teaching, to decide which "pieces" work and which need to be adjusted or changed, to invest time in learning new technologies, and to match technology resources and methods to the needs of our students.

first class

Ok, well, here I am blogging about my first class at UAB. It is a technology class and we're getting a trial by fire by creating both a blog and a homepage to use during the class. So far it's not too bad.

It will be interesting to see if this blog links to my personal blog.