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Online Teaching : The e-Teaching Community

Created on: 02 July, 2009 Members: 33099 | Community Link: http://e-teaching.wiziq.com

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Why Technology in Teaching Will Never Work for Some Schools

by Jagdeep Singh Pannu
Posted on 27 January, 2010

Edutech is a joke @ some schools the way it is being handled. Here's an eye opener - How to Waste Money on Technology in Schools

> Principal hears the need for technology in school and does not want to be left behind
> Expensive, high end hardware is bought "Mac Book Pros for everyone!"
> Most of the features (that make that hardware expensive) are locked for teachers and cannot be used - Not even basics like brightness and contrast settings! "a MacBook Pro (which is extremely easy and intuitive) and makes it frustrating and unintuitive"
> Principal's instructions: “Do not let students use these laptops”
> No laptop bags provided leaving them unprotected in transportation or "left in their box because it’s too much trouble to take it out and put it back in"

Someone responded that kids were excited but the system could not live up to their expectations because the network was created 10 years ago -- so updating their hardware was an exercise in futility.

Another person wrote that Technology and hardware had been bought in their school but not accessible as it is probably "not a priority"

And how about this one? "District buys oodles of DOS"

Tags: Edutech, Education Technology, Roadblocks, Ignorance

by Jagdeep Singh Pannu posted on 27 January, 2010

Sheesh it's hard to imagine that coming from a teacher. I particularly like Ken's reply

And Ken Starks is involved in a very noble initiative of extending computers to needy children in Texas through the Helios project. Thanks for the link Marian; it leads to this very meaningful initiative and it's a privilege to include it here so that the project is visible to more.

by Jagdeep Singh Pannu posted on 29 January, 2010

Marcus, so they kept getting it wrong every time? That's gross mismanagement of resources.

Guys, don't you think it's time for a policy by the powers that be to check every installation? Serious education technologists will be much sought after, I am sure, if governing bodies make people responsible and the ones who cannot deliver will be out fast - right where they belong.

by Marian Heddesheimer posted on 27 January, 2010

Interesting story. Have you heard of the other story where a student got punished for giving out free linux CDs to their classmates?

Here is a blog post to that story

I think, some schools are just too old and unflexible (well, not the schools but maybe the teachers and principals) to understand all this new technology.

by Marcus posted on 27 January, 2010

At my previous school, which is out in the country (rural area), they were funded with a lot of money to build an English village. We had three rooms to teach in, one having a huge interactive screen with white boards on the sides. All that money and only one student could use the screen at a time, as opposed to a white board where you can have groups come up. To add to this, they built the framework so the boards were further back (about 1.5 feet) than the screen. So, students on either side of the classroom couldn't see the board on the other side.

We ended up having to use the walls on the sides and mount a velcro board where students could spell out words. At my current school they have done the exact same thing, but they are too high for kids.

Not only should we question technology, but let's think like children if we are to teach children.