Analysis+Summary

Jacob McMahan, Erica Parr, Tierra Epps
 * Technology Analysis Summary **

Technology, it is a buzzword tossed around frequently in education. In the classrooms of the twenty-first century, it is not just a trend, but a vital necessity required to meet the needs of today’s youth. As our group analyzed the results of the technology survey completed within our three school districts, it became clear that technology plays an important and eminent role in the way we all teach in our respective schools. While collaborating, we discovered that there are several similarities in the way that we incorporate technology in our instruction. We also discovered that we had similar views and opinions (both positive and negative) about how well we feel our respective school districts provide technology resources to their teachers, and the training needed to use such technology. Of course, while we shared many similarities, there were also various differences in the types of technology our schools provide, amount of technology, and amount of training provided of the technology. One form of technology common throughout our districts is the use of a projector and DVD/VCR to display media on the whiteboard. Our opinions were similar in that it is extremely beneficial to be able to use a projector not only for displaying DVDs or VHSs, but more so for the ability to display any file or website directly from a laptop or desktop on to the whiteboard for the whole class to view and interact with. Being able to show interactive websites, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, etc. largely in front of the whole class really allows for further creativity in the instructional design of every lesson. Another similarity of technology found in the schools of Jacob and Erica are the use of document cameras that feed into the projector but Tierra however does not have this technology at her school. Opinions of this technology are also alike, in that we agree that the use of a document camera in the classroom can be extremely beneficial. Assignments and activities can be modeled under the camera largely for all to see. The ability to do this allows for better student understanding of the tasks required because details become more in focus and visible. Another similarity amoung the group was the ratio of computers to students and computers to teachers in the classroom. Tierra and Jacob both have two computers in their classrooms, one which is mainly used for the teacher and the other is used for the students.Erica however, stated that in her school not every one has their own personal computer but there is more computer access for the students with the ratio being 1:3 throughout the school.This is due to the fact that at her small district, there are 5 computer labs that can be signed out at anytime. Jacob and Tierra both feel that having one computer in the classroom for all the students is not good because only one student could be on the computer at a time.However the good thing about Jacob and Erica's classroom is that they both have white boards so they can display information to the entire class at one time.Tierra mentioned to us about a time she had to show a video on Brainpop and the computer lab in the school was occupied so she was forced to have all her students look at the small student computer in her classrooms which was a daunting task for 5 year olds. Further similarities among the group include the use of interactive mobile whiteboards in the classrooms of Jacob and Erica,but Tierra does not have one in her classroom. Also all of the group members stated that the computer platformed used was Windows XP or higher. While make and model of this resource differ among us, the constant is our opinion and use of this technology in the classroom. Adding the capability of making what you show on the whiteboard from your computer completely interactive, incorporates a whole new dynamic into teaching a lesson. The teacher is able to be more mobile in the classroom and the students are able to become more involved in the lesson. Being able to interact with what is being shown on the screen only increases motivation and participation among the students.

We had a lot of similarites in our group but there was differences as well.Erica and Jacob's classrooms and schools seem to be a little more technology savvi than Tierra's school.Tierra's school is a Title 1 school which means that majority of the student are low income which is probably a reason why the technology at her school is not as advance as her group members. Tierra's school is also about 50 years old so the building is not equipped for these technological upgrades. Also each one of us teaches as different grade levels so the way that we use the technology in our classrooms difference because of our students skill set.Jacob and Tierra are in the elemetary school settingso their students may not be advanced as Erica's students who are in middle school.

Jacob and Erica both had access to labs to 'sign out', while Tierra did not. This can be both a curse and a blessing. While the access is vital, sharing labs can be cumbersome. Jacob and Erica both agree that this does not allow for a spur of the moment idea that may come up-it must be preplanned. At Erica's small district, it isn't normally a problem getting into the lab, but it can be more of an issue for Jacob. Also, Erica's district has a lab of MacIntosh computers. Though they are tempermental, we agree that it is vital for students to understand both the Windows platform as well as MacIntosh. All of us agree that the ability for students to access and use their 'own' computer is an extremely important task, no matter how difficult it may be for us to do on a daily basis. Thus far, all similarities shared towards the technology among our schools have been a positive reflection of each school. However, we also share opinions that reflect the negative aspects of the technology our school districts provide. More specifically, it is not necessarily the types or amounts of technology our schools provide that we feel negatively about, but the amount of training provided for such technology. For a majority of software and devices provided, teachers must become self taught in order to take advantage of the resources. Erica and Tierra gave examples of having to teach themselves, with the help of a colleague, how to use their grade book software to give student grades; while Jacob gives the example of having to learn how to use educational software such as Kidspiration, Success Maker, and Type to Learn on his own in order to provide students with visual learning strategies and experience. Though it may be naïve to think that a district should provide training for every bit of technology used in the classroom, it would be appreciated if more training were provided to teachers. As educators, our plates are already full with responsibilities and time in the day is scarce to be spending on trying to learn how to use a certain software or device solely on trial and error and self discovery.

The underlying tone of all of our surveys was the immense importantance of immersing our students in as much technology as we can. Though all of our districts are at different places in the amount of resources provided, it seems as though we all do everything we can to ensure that they get the most out of the technology available. As the demand for students' technology literacy increases, it is our job to make sure that we do all that we can to ensure that they are ready for the real world.