Let me first say that this has been a tough start to this course. It is my first time having two classes at the same time and now I know why I did not not it before, because I get too confused. I have a very busy schedule and it is important that I stay organized and up to date with my deadlines and I have not been able to manage that well yet. The prayer is that I will get on top of it.
With that being said I would also like to say that I am THRILLED to be in the last classes toward completing my Master's degree requirements from Liberty. It has been very informative and challenging but I've done it and am extremely proud of myself and hope that you all feel the same way about your accomplishments.
Now for this week's blog
Identify and briefly explain the most important issue, trend, or finding in educational technology or distance education that you discovered during your interview.
The educational technology director that I chose to interview works for a small independent quaker school here in Princeton. I have had the pleasure of working with Michael D'Amore since June 10 after we attended several of the same tech workshops over the years. Mike would always be there with some great contributions and I would learn a great deal from him and I always wanted to find ways that we could collaborate. This happened this summer when his school advertised for help with breaking down the school computers to prepare the classrooms for summer camp and then setting the machines up again as the summer comes to an end.
I applied for and was offered the job. It's been a lot of fun getting my hands dirty again working with hardware and most importantly working with Mike on a regular basis. Mike knows quite a bit about many things and most importantly about technology. He has worked in industry and now in the independent school system.
When talking to Mike about the trends and findings in educational technology we talk a lot about access and mobility. The key to integration of technology into education is to meet the needs of those who we want to use it. We have to make sure at the teachers have access to the Internet and to the hardware, whether it is iPad or desktops or laptops, the platform is not as important as access to the technology is. Once the teachers have access it is equally important that they are trained. We have to make time to help the teacher who is an expert in their field of teaching gets comfortable with integrating technology into that same field. They have to be motivated, encouraged and supported.
Did it change your views or ideas about educational technology or distance education? Through our interview I can not say that my views or ideas necessarily changed, well yes maybe they did change because I went to Mike's school expecting it to be set up very similar to mine since we are within 10 miles of each other in the same affluent town of Princeton NJ. However what I discovered is that at a Friends school technology is not seen as a major factor in the education of young people. Just like grades are not really that important, they have a different approach to education and because of that different approach Mike has to introduce technology in a different way. They also do not put the funding behind technology as we do at the school where I teach for obvious reasons.
How is this point relevant to you and what you plan to do after graduation?
The differences between the way my school and Mike's school view technology and the administrative support that is offered to the program definitely changes the way that I will conduct my job search or interact with my school's administration after graduation. I have already had several meetings with my school's IT director about the things that I have learned in this graduate program and now have added my experience at the quaker school to the mix as well. We are clearly in the forefront in terms of the ways that we deal with technology at our school. We are rolling out an iPad program through the whole 6-8 grade middle school and then to the 9-10 graders in the upper school and the teachers will all have iPads in the Fall along with their MacBook Pro laptops that the school issues and support. At Mike's school although the teachers are required to write their assessments for their students electronically, the school does not issue the teachers laptops. They all have desktop computers that they have in their classrooms and that they can log in to remotely from home but this is not as convenient as how we do it in our school. The quaker school also doesn't have the budget to support the types of initiatives that my school does and after graduation if I decide to look for another school to work at I now know that I will have to prioritize.
I agree that training is a huge part of technology integration. As you said, we must make sure that the technology is available to each individual that is expected to use it. Also ass you mentioned, adequate training is paramount. Many individuals will simply refuse to use technology if they are unfamiliar or have not been appropriately trained. Personally, I prefer “figuring it out” on my own most of the time. However, the training must be made available for those who are more reluctant. By providing appropriate training, the confidence of individual users increases, therefore increasing the likelihood that the technology will be used.
ReplyDeleteMike and Mary D'Amore are a husband and wife team who work together at the school that I mentioned. I've never seen a couple collaborate so perfectly as these two. I can ask Mike a question and if Mary is not in the room, he will call her.
ReplyDeleteMary is the Director of Technology at the school that I mentioned above. She is amaziing, when I asked for the interview with Mike, she also wanted to answer the questions.
The trend that Mary mentioned that stuck out with me is the need to have a network. When you work in technology it can be a lonely place. Mary is very lucky that she has Mike there in the office with her and at home at night to bounce ideas off of. At my school I have had to reach outside the walls of our campus to even have someone who understands the trials of attempting to integrate technology into a very solid, traditional curriculum.
Relationships are key. I love the fact that Mary is Mike's supervisor and that while he has been at the school about 12 years, it clearly is a place where she reigns. She is a peaceful woman and working in a quaker school works very well for her temperament, I came to work for Mary and Mike because we were all building those relationship at a conference. Educational Technology is a course of study that you have to stay up to date with. You have to read as much as you can and speak to others both online and in person about what they are doing because no one person can do it all.
After graduation I will do just as I am doing now and keep up with my ed tech colleagues and stay up to date with my ListSERVs to make sure that I am aware of what others discover as they share them.