District Administration - April 2009 - (Page 37)

Technology Integration Hurdles EvEn if thE intEntion Exists to strEngthEn tEAching AnD lEArning through technology, accomplishing it is not easy. for school leaders and teachers pursuing technology professional development, a number of factors can easily thwart their success: • Scheduling Effective professional development programs take time to implement successfully, and providing the commensurate compensation to educators for giving up their time can be a hefty cost for districts to swallow. Districts have tried to offer professional development during the school day by sending kids home early, but nEA senior policy analyst Andrea Prejean says this often provokes a negative response from the local community, as questions arise about where students are supposed to go. Afterschool and summer programs sometimes do not work, she says, because “teachers already have full-time jobs, so they want compensation for that.” • StandardS some cite ideological differences over the merits of technology professional development. “teachers aren’t encouraged or rewarded to engage kids,” says istE cEo Don Knezek. “the focus is on standardized test scores.” furthermore, Knezek says that administrators don’t value technology integration programs because they “do not lead to gains in basic skills,” which are a highly rated commodity due to no child left Behind. “it’s obvious that some things, like nclB’s narrow focus, is holding some teachers back,” says Knezek, “and forcing them to devote all energy just to that.” • Funding federal funding targeted for education technology grants has also sharply declined in recent years. “the last eight to ten years have been very difficult times,” says eMints director Monica Beglau. “federal and state funding levels have been decimated. We’re just limping along.” • grantS All told, appropriations for the federal Enhancing Education through technology (EEtt) state grant program have dropped from more than $700 million in 2002 to $267 million in 2008, but the economic stimulus package includes $650 million for the program, which many see as a tremendous success for the education community. in addition, the stimulus also includes flexible provisions that would allow schools to pursue technology initiatives, as $8.8 billion of its state stabilization fund may be used for meeting teaching and learning goals, curriculum, and teacher quality enhancement, says funding expert Jennifer house. • the economy Experts agree that the recession has impacted the popularity of professional development programs, or at least their mode of delivery. More training has been moving from face-to-face to online, says Becky firth of the teacher leadership Project. “Districts, after all, have to cut dollars somewhere to pay an outside organization” for professional development services, she adds. • attitude few would disagree that the root problem is that too many students just aren’t engaged in school by their teachers. “there’s plenty of evidence that we need to better motivate our educators,” says Knezek. called the Teacher Leadership Seminar, was added to Intel’s Teach to the Future Master Teacher Training in 2000. The Mississippi Department of Education also implemented the program between 2000 and 2003 and received training for more than 100 of its teachers. TLP teachers have gone on to become district administrators, curriculum specialists, technology directors and integration specialists. The model is designed to cultivate student skills such as collaboration, problem solving, and creative thinking. Firth feels that technology presence may be growing in schools, but many educators fail to conceptualize it as a constructivist tool— as a means to inject more project-based teaching methods into the classroom. One classroom module part of TLP’s training is the “widget lesson,” which puts students in groups to select a country where a “widget company” should relocate or expand, based on factors such as the country’s economics, literacy rates, education and climate. The students aren’t told what the company produces—the “widget” is an unnamed good or service—and they must focus solely on the country’s characteristics to develop a business model. Alternatively, they can select a product on their own and devise a business model for an appropriate country. Firth says an example of www.DistrictAdministration.com April 2009 37 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2009

District Administration - April 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Assessment
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Education’s Shot in the Arm
Lessons Learned from Columbine’s 10th Anniversary
An Interview with Columbine’s Superintendent, Cynthia Stevenson
Keeping Track of Technology
Classroom Technology Integration
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Professional Opinion
Research Center
New Products
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2009