After facilitating three training sessions this week, in which I was able to work with many colleagues I hadn’t met before, the number of teachers I have worked with on some form of tech integration is now at 634. Yes, as I've mentioned before in this blog, I do keep track with an ever-growing email distribution list for messages about AIC podcast, blogs, training sessions and links, which go to everyone who has been in a flex session with me over the past few years. I am now starting to worry that these messages may be in danger of crashing the network when I hit send. :)
There are so many teachers in this district, and so many who are enthusiastic about integration in their classes, that it is very clear to me that our small department needs to grow. I would love to see every teacher who wants the integration support be able to have it on short notice, and the only way to make this happen is to bring on more coaches!
In order to shift the focus in our district – which is happening – there are several educational myths I believe we need to continue to work hard to break down.
Here are five commonly held beliefs about educational technology that I’ve encountered this week, followed by excerpts from and links to articles and blogs that help disprove each as a myth:
1) There is no evidence to show that technology has a positive impact on learning
There IS! The findings of Project RED have shown that schools with 1:1 ratio of technology devices to students have increased attendance and decreased drop-out rates. Project RED surveyed principals and technology coordinators at 997 schools that are representative of U.S. education in terms of enrollment, geography, poverty-level and ethnicity. Here is an excerpt from K-12 Blueprint ‘s article, “Study Shows The Benefits of 1:1 and the Factors that Enhance Success,” Tech & Learning, NewBay Media, LLC Copyright © 2010.
An Investment Not an Expense
Two financial factors were identified by the Project RED team as off-setting the costs that many associate with 1:1 computing. Most dramatically, there is the cost-savings that comes from reducing dropout rates. As the Project RED summary puts it: "The huge economic cost of dropouts is well known. The difference in lifetime tax revenues between a dropout and a college graduate is approximately $200,000. If 25% of dropouts actually graduated from college, the increase in tax revenues would be $6.25 Billion per year per graduating class. Schools with a 1:1 student/computer ratio are cutting the dropout rate and reaping this broader benefit."
On another front, there are the cost-savings associated with reduced printing, copying and paper usage. According to Project RED, "It is estimated that high schools where every student has a computer and which use an LMS could cut copy budgets in half. On a national basis that would equate to savings of $400M a year for high schools alone."
Overall, the benefits offered by 1:1 and the savings that it can generate lead the researchers to suggest that such technology programs should be viewed as an "investment" not an "expense."
Read More Here.
2) Technology Takes too much time
Actually, social media and web 2.0 tools save time when used properly. Amanda Kenuam’s blog post titled “Spend Less Time Searching and More Time Learning” gives good examples.
Read More Here.
3) Social networking in schools is dangerous
The post "5 Ways to Teach Cyber Safety and Digital Responsibility" in the blog "Social Media in Education MYTHS" speakins to the contrary:
In fact, blocking social media in schools is dangerous. It leaves kids ill equipped to learn how to protect their digital footprint and safely navigate the social web.
Read More Here.
4) Newer teachers are more likely to use technology frequently for instruction than veteran teachers
The article “Educators, Technology and 21st Century Skills: Dispelling Five Myths” from The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University (2010), questions this myth:
Anyone who believes, for example, that technology use is the exclusive purview of newer teachers might want to reconsider. Teachers’ years of experience— and, presumably, their ages—seem to make little difference in their frequency of technology use to support learning. The distribution of teachers, segmented by their years of experience and frequency of technology use, is similar.
Read More Here.
The Same myth is also debunked in the eSchool News article, “Research Dispels Common Ed-Tech Myths.” Here’s an excerpt:
New teachers aren't more likely than veteran teachers to use technology
In a finding that might surprise some people, younger teachers who are newer to the profession were no more likely to use technology than teachers with 10 or more years of experience, the study found. “Newer teachers might very well use technology more in their personal lives, but when it comes to frequency of technology use in classrooms, they don’t seem to have any edge over veteran teachers,” the report notes.
Read More Here.
5) Sudents today are comfortable with technology, so teachers’ use of technology is less important to student learning
The Walden University article (2010) also goes a long way to debunking this myth:
In reality, teachers’ use of technology matters a great deal. Teachers who are frequent technology users report greater benefi ts to student learning, engagement and skills from the use of that technology than teachers who spend less time using technology to support learning. Frequent technology users place considerably more emphasis on developing students’ 21st century skills—specifi cally, skills in accountability, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, ethics, global awareness, innovation, leadership, problem solving, productivity and self-direction. Frequent users also have more positive perceptions about technology’s effects on student learning of these skills—and on student behaviors associated with these skills.
Read More Here.
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of the sources I shared that help dispel some of these common myths about education and technology.
There are many other myths that hold back progress in schools (i.e., “I need a SMART Board,” or “This stuff is great for the honors level, but won’t work with students at the level which I teach”), but we’ll have to save some of those topics for another Tuesday … with Swindy.
No comments:
Post a Comment