CHANGE IN THINKING, AVAILABILITY (AND PLAN B), OPENNESS
Interview
Teacher A: Male, teaching Grade 8 (Math, Science, French) in a Middle School, has been teaching for 12 years. The interview took place after school in the Learning Commons of the Middle School.
3 summary key points:
Change in Thinking
Teacher A believes that technology enhances the classroom and his teaching experience. However, “My students have access to the Internet which is full of information, not knowledge. They need to change their thinking to take the information and make it into something or apply it in some way”. Students are not longer looking for a right or wrong answer. His students are encouraged to take this information and change it into knowledge of some form. They would be able to communicate their understanding in a new dimension, or using different platforms to represent what they have learned.
Availability (and Plan B) – The Ugly Reality
The physical availability of technology in our Middle School. With close to 1000 students, there is not enough technology to go around. Teacher A exhibits frustration with having planned an engaging lesson utilizing technology, only to find that the booking system glitched, another teacher taking the tech, or having to spend time running around our school to find the carts when they were not returned. Teacher A is also located in a portable that does not have a ramp, so students have to carry the tech in (often in the rain). Problems with Wi-Fi and teachers’ inability to problem-solve technical issues as much of it is controlled at the District level, and not the school level, also add to his frustration. If he had access to the technology, he could plan which Apps to use and ask students for their input as to which ones to use. Teacher A also expressed how tired he was of often having to organize a “Plan B” and preparing for worst-case scenarios – no tech.
Openness
Even with his current frustration with technology at school, Teacher A is still willing and open to try something new and incorporate technology in his classes. He enjoys the flexibility that technology allows, the opportunities for students to show their learning in different ways, and to learn and apply skills that “they will use more in the next 20 years”.
| Interview Except | Analysis and Reflection |
| Q. 1 How do you envision technology enhancing your classroom and your teaching? What would you like technology to do or accomplish for you? | |
| I envision 15 ipads and a cart, a projector and an Apple TV in each classroom. There is technology available for all students. It is changing the way students represent things and present things. I want technology to be flexible, access the internet, support applications, design things, pictures. They are going to use this more in the next 20 years than a lot of other things. | This teacher is looking at now and towards the future. Technology can enhance the way our students learn and represent their knowledge. |
| Q. 2 What is your process for integrating new technology into your practice? (i.e. Do you have a philosophical framework? How much vetting do you do vs. allowing the students to help you choose? | |
| This is a tough one. It is a fine balance. I am always open to trying something new that I haven’t used before. If I knew I had the tech available, I would plan which apps to use and ask student which ones they would like to use. | This teacher has really thought about why they would like to use technology in their classrooms. They know that it is more than just a digital worksheet. |
| Q.3 What types of technology have you found to be most useful in math/science class and why? | |
| So far, I have found document cameras and demo protractors helpful for demos, so students can see what is going on. Digital cameras or iPad camera would be great to use for time-lapse and iPads for presentations and research. | This teacher is very limited in the types and applications of technology in the math/science classroom. They would like to do more, but perhaps are not aware of the multitude of apps/TELEs/etc. that are available. Increased professional development opportunities may help. |
| Q.4 Do you think technology may reach some of our struggling math students? | |
| No. I find many of my struggling math students (C- to C+ students) their misconceptions are little things that don’t seem insignificant that are brushed through and not addressed – I worry that they need the students to work aside with someone. I don’t want students using technology as a short cut. Though I suppose it has lots of potential. | This answer surprised me as I have found the opposite with my struggling math students. I have used a variety of apps and simulations in math to engage students and have found the results positive. Student enjoyment of math class has been one particular benefit. Perhaps professional development that includes technology and struggling students would be a beneficial opportunity for our school staff. I am interested seeking out the research literature and see what it says. |
| Q.5 How do you think technology in the math/science classroom changes thinking? | |
| I think it allows us to be more open-ended, they are more engaged and motivated. We are not always looking for a right/wrong answer, students have the benefit, or negative of technology – they can find anything they need to know. The internet is full of information, not knowledge, they need to take information and make it into knowledge. It has the potential to change thinking or the potential to do the opposite. | The engagement and motivation of students is a positive. Perhaps knowing that some of the challenges they are being asked to solve are open-ended has been beneficial. I am interested in exploring more of how, from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, thinking changes (or doesn’t) through the use of technology in classrooms and what ways teachers (and parents) can use this knowledge to support children. |
| Q.6 What is standing in your way from incorporating technology into your science/math classes? | |
| (Laughs). I don’t have a set of iPads. I have to run around for the carts that I pre-booked. My students have to carry technology into the portables, in the rain, as I don’t have a ramp. It is hard to plan ahead as the tech is sometimes unreliable and it is centralized at the district so we cannot problem-solve when things happen here. I always have a Plan B for when there is no tech. | Educators do get stressed when they want to incorporate technology into their classrooms and can’t – for a number of reasons. They are trying to do the best they can with what they have – and sometimes what they have is not enough. The technology that is available has not been allocated appropriately and the booking system is not effective. This is something that I will be addressing for the coming school year. |
Interview Reflection
Supporting Teachers in Technology Integration.
From my interview and reading colleagues interviews, the issue of lack of technology and professional development is something that many teachers and schools are struggling with. The inclusion of technology throughout the B.C. curriculum requires that schools have the technology – and the reality is that they all don’t. There are schools struggling, even in well-to-areas, to afford technology. While my interview was similar to others in that lack of technology is a concern, it differed in that we actually HAVE a lot of technology, but because we are the largest middle school in the province, we don’t have ENOUGH technology to support all our students. I have spent a lot of personal time writing grants and applying for scholarships to bring in more technology for our school – and have gratefully received some. How do we find the finances to support technology integration into our classrooms? Whose responsibility is this? The district? The school? The province? The PAC?
Further to this, once the technology is in the school, the unfamiliarity or lack of comfort (aka anxiety) integrating technology into STEM subjects poses its own set of challenges. As I saw from my interview, some teachers do not have a large repertoire of technology experiences for their students. Continued professional development to help facilitate a teacher toolkit of platforms such as TELEs would be beneficial for all involved. The challenge is how to deliver this professional development in a timely and meaningful way.