Virtual classrooms

I’ve re-started reading Teaching and Researching Computer-assisted Language Learning (Ken Beatty; Pearson Ed. Ltd.2003; click on the picture for details). In Chapter 7, as they discuss virtual classrooms, I’ve highlighted:

“Wesley and Franks (1994) suggest the virtual classroom is ‘an electronic classroom which can be expandable in time, space and content. Its informational territory can grow indefinitely as new knowledge and resources are acquired and as the capabilities of new members are added.’ … previous learners need not leave, but can remain to continue their learning and to support the learning of the new students … ‘information and problem-solving capabilities can be mutually shared and reinforced, through collaborative interconnection’.” (bolds are mine)

Reading this precisely yesterday, just after I had met Doug Johnson, Graham Wegner, Preetam Rai, who all kindly devoted some time to support me in one way or another, though they clearly know much more than me… I’ve been so lucky! There’s Sharon Holdner, Daf González, Teresa Almeida, Barbara Chap, Alejandra Wesser…  all people I’ve never met f2f and yet have regularly given me so much I can only dream of “paying them forward” one day… and if I was to mention those who’ve helped me just once or twice… the list would be so long!

I’m grateful for being welcome to this global community of online learning, and humbly commit to helping it grow and strengthen more and more.

My “teacher’s technology manifesto”

I’ve just read Doug Johnson’s “The Teacher’s Technology Manifesto“. He writes passionately, and I’ve got really carried away reading it. Here goes my reply:

Dear Doug:

Please allow me to start by saying that I deeply agree with you when you say “as a teacher, I consider myself first a child-advocate, second an educator, and only third a technology-user.” Perhaps I’d place “educator” first, probably because I work mostly with teens and adults… Keen as I am on integrating technology into my lessons, I can only see a point in it if it’ll contribute to enhancing my students’ learning…

Now about your views:

You say: “ I will enthusiastically embrace technology only when the following conditions have been met“:

• Teaching students technology skills is a priority. In today’s world, Doug, equipping our students with technology skills is a priority. We need to help them narrow the digital gap, or they’ll be left out of most learning opportunities as soon as they walk out of our classrooms.

• Technology in my school is reliable, adequate, and secure. Well, man, you’re really lucky! In my classrooms, there’s no telephone, no overhead projector, and the VCR might be working or might be gone! And I “create lesson plans for when the technology works and when it doesn’t”, in the same way I create lesson plans to stir my students up if they’re quiet and settle them down if they’re high! Just one more thing: if you have 30 children in your class, 10 computers actually working in the lab will do (or you could even make use of the students’ home PCs!). As regards “effective means to reduce my worries about online stranger-danger and inappropriate websites”, you must know technicians can enthusiastically restrict access to most sites , and there are many educationally safe environments available to us all.

You add: “You want me to use technology, give the users a say in how it is used, deployed and controlled.” Possibly in my teaching context the “demand” should be give us some tools and support, not so much freedom that we’re totally on our own… Funny, isn’t it?

In short, I’m all for blended learning. No use of technolofy for the sake of “being cool”, but no putting it off because of the many hurdles we have to face!

Thanks, Doug, for having helped me think so much about this issue!

Why teachers refuse to integrate technology into their teaching

On December 5th, 2005, I happened to come across a most interesting article by Jim L. Holland: “When Teachers Don’t Get it: Myths, Conceptions and other Taradiddle“, and I felt somebody else saw the world the way I did… Isn’t this feeling just great? Basically, he discusses 4 arguments usually held by teachers who aren’t keen on technology integration into their lessons:

• “I don’t have time“
• “We don’t have any good software to use”
• “I’m not a computer person”
• “My student’s can’t behave – they don’t deserve going to the computer lab”.

We’ve all heard these before, haven’t we? Just allow me to quote his final paragraph here, I’d like to remember this for sure:

 ”So, let’s not beat around the bush and put a pretty face on what we call our schools’ technology instruction. If it’s free time in a computer lab, call it high-tech recess. If it’s prescriptive drill and kill software, call it a substitute teacher. If it’s a lack of knowledge, call it refusing to learn. If a class can’t behave well enough to earn computer lab privileges, call it classroom mismanagement. But if it’s a teacher who does whatever it takes to use whatever tool is available to give students every opportunity to learn — call that success — a teacher who gets it.” (Jim Holland, Dec 01, 2005 – last retrieved: Dec 05, 2005) 

Now, this morning I found something else on the same issue. In IT Challenges in Higher Education , Cynthia Gautreau writes:

“A significant barrier to integration is not just the teachers’ technology competencies but the fact that many remain unaware of technology’s potential. (…)The faculty surveyed overwhelmingly desired to learn technology in order to meet the needs of their students.“

She’s discussing findings among faculty members of an American college. Yet, as she goes over the benefits of technology integration and the barriers to its effective achievement, I felt as if she was describing my own teaching context.. Seems we face the same challenges all over the world!

Would love to hear other voices on this!       (all ears, you know! !)

Hello world!

Welcome to Edublogs.org. Here I share what I learn about integrating computers into teaching (try the Categories on the right for a more “organized” tour).

Your comments are most welcome!