Technology Vision

I have spent considerable time and effort lately, researching the concept of one-to-one computing and learning in schools. I talk with anyone who will listen and share about my concerns - and about my excitement. My concern is that the implementation of such a massive shift in instructional methods requires more focus and finesse than we will afford it. We seem increasingly divided between all of the expectations and obligations placed on a high school today, and one-to-one computing seems to be coming along at the wrong time. My vision for technology integration (adaption) is that we finally realize how little we expect of our students, how inflexible we have become, and how limiting so many of our reform efforts truly are.

Technology, adapted well, has the potential to raise our expectation of all students while allowing for even more success than under lower expectations. Our students are able to maneuver their way through high school avoiding classes that require thinking, problem solving, and reflective thought. Students have become outstanding information regurgitators, but that is rarely a desirable quality any longer. We need to grow outstanding communicators, thinkers, problem solvers and one-to-one computing has been shown to do just that (if adapted well). There needs to be less restriction on communication, more time to think creatively and critically, and students need to have opportunities to solve real problems. This leads to a vision of flexibility.

PA significantly changed graduation guidelines when it developed and adopted the Academic Standards. There are guidelines for days and hours, physical education and health class, and an expectation that whatever else occurs in the schools, students are demonstrating proficiencyon the Standards. Unfortunately, most schools never embraced this change and graduations requirements are almost entirely unchanged. It seems that to be successful, one-to-one needs to truly mean that; every student needs a machine that is theirs. March Prensky points out a similar notion that students need to embrace the one-to-one by personalizing the experience. We currently block email from all students, all social networking sites, and even block regular Google searches in the name of security. The concept of personalization of technology is a HUGE paradigm shift for high schools, especially those in charge of technology at the district level. This often leads to reform that promotes conformity.

Math is a perfect example of reform efforts that seek to control exactly what and when a student is exposed to information. Even at the high school level, technology in math departments is about control and management, not exploration and discovery. I would hope for technology adaption to occur that motivates students to solve real problems using skills developed "along the way". We then have the issue of assessment - which causes me to shudder when I think about integrating one-to-one computing. Even reform efforts related to assessment (ie common assessment and PLC) when implemented are more about control (of students and teachers) than of improving learning. One-to-one learning requires radically new ideas about the form of assessment, and clearly students will need to shake free of the limitations of previous reform attempts.

My vision for technology integration is simple: to always view instruction through my student's eyes. My students want to be challenged, they want to be creative, and they need to not be held down by policy and organizational structures of the status quo.