WMTW Runs Story Highlighting The HMS Laptop Program
Categoried in the shameless self promotion category…
WMTW stopped by HMS last week to interview students and staff about our laptop program. The story entitled, Laptop Program Bucks National Trend, was a spinoff of the NY Times article about schools dropping laptop programs in New York.
It was nice to see them take a positive stance on the work that has been done here in Yarmouth with our laptop program. We really are seeing differences in the classroom due to the access to technology. Teachers are adapting their pedagogy to optimize the use of this powerful tool. The common misconception of the implementation of 1:1 programs like ours is that it will instantly increase test scores. Unfortunately, laptops are not the silver bullet that will help schools move forward under NCLB to lift scores. It takes teachers who can see what the technology brings to the table and how it can help them reach more of their learners. The teachers who use the technology to challenge their students will get the best results. When students are not engaged in their learning, they will get off-task. This is not any different than how things were before technology. When I was a student, that usually meant hiding a Sports Illustrated magazine in the spine of my social studies textbook. For our students it means hiding a favorite web page in their dock while they should be doing something else.
This shift in teaching pedagogy doesn’t happen automatically. The recipe for success isn’t too difficult to come up with. I list a few ideas below. They are not in any particular order.
- Teachers must be provided on-going professional development in using technology in their lessons.
- Teachers must be provided support for their work in and outside of the classroom.
- The infrastructure must be provided that will support the number of devices on your network.
- The devices must work. Make sure you have enough personnel to take care of repairs.Teachers who do not feel they can depend on the technology will not use it.
- Technology departments must do all they can to eliminate barriers between the technology and its use in the classroom. While we need a secure network, we do not need a network if no one uses it because of an over zealous network administrator. Keep things as open as possible.
- Administrators must be clear about expectations of use. Some teachers will run with the technology right away while others need a gentle push.
- Teachers must learn how to say, “I don’t know”. This is something that many teachers are tremendously afraid to say. It’s ok not to have all the answers. The key is making those moments when you’re not sure teachable moments for yourself and your students!
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