I was just reading here about the cost of technology. I can tell you I am a technology advocate in education. I believe our students, especially the young ones, are functioning in a world where touch screens and the internet are not just tools, but a way of life. These points are not what caught my eye in the post from Dave Bircher. What caught my eye was the emphasis on the proper use of these tools in the classroom. His questions about following best practice and planning time really sparked my interest.
I work in a rural Texas school district, very poor, with a 1:1 laptop program in grades 6-12. The district is also wireless everywhere, hosts around 10 servers and has several COWS at our elementary school. We are doing well in technology, but the question remains about using best practices and planning for technology in the classroom. I would love to go back and plan for infrastructure, hardware, and software with the knowledge gained in the past four years of the 1:1 program. The present perspective on how quickly the world of technology changes, would be highly valuable in the planning process. Four years ago it was very difficult to see the ever increasing world of technology along with the costs that go with these changes. Every time we look into a new device, I cannot help but think, "We could wait a month or two and there will be something better to replace this thing we are considering for our classrooms now." Another thought that roles through my head repeatedly, is the availability of free resources that can do most of what is being sold to us. Obviously not hardware, but resources used on the hardware we already own.
How do we plan in the ever changing world of technology? How do we ensure that what we do have in our school districts is being used in a guaranteed viable best practice? Huge challenges? If addressed, these issues could be the key to sustaining any technology initiative.
We are heading into a 1:1 iPad initiative in a brand new middle school building this fall and we are very excited. With $500 sunk into brand new iPad II's, I hear you. Is there going to be an iPad III that makes this one obsolete next April? What is the lifecycle of a new piece of technology? Do our teachers have the skills to utilize the technology we are purchasing at the same pace we are moving ahead in purchasing it? OR will it take the adults a year to catch on and then a year to begin utilizing the technology with students just about the time the "new" technology is becoming ancient? I think the solution is in having a long range technology plan that is comprehensive and supports your district goals and integrates the support system that allows our teachers to immediately utilize the tools we provide to impact instruction right away. It's overwhelming.
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