Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Technology and Urban Schools

Recently for my Urban Education course I (with my class) went to Perth Amboy High School to observe teachers and the different teaching styles of educators in urban schools.  One of the biggest points my professor made was that you cannot make judgments off of one observation.  I agree with this because everyone has their bad days, but my experience in this classroom was enough to show me that education in urban schools is very different from that of suburban schools.  One difference that made me think of this course was the amount of technology available in this school.  In the math classroom that I observed there was no technology other than the computer that the teacher had on his desk and a very old projector.  This man who taught the class that I observed seemed to teach directly out of the book and to be honest was very hard to follow.  I couldn't imagine being a student in this classroom other than from watching students in this class it seemed that if I was a student in this classroom I'd be bored and thinking of other things.

From observing the rest of the school it looked like there really wasn't much technology throughout the rest of the school either.  I doubt many of the students here had the opportunity to use a computer lab or other types of technology even as little as once a month.  In a school that has 900 more students than it was build to hold, there are very rarely any classrooms that are empty, in fact we had a very hard time finding a place to come back together as a class after we had all done our observations, administrators wanted to hold a class in the room with us.

The whole situation really makes me think about how some of the technologies we talk about in this classroom are harder to use and implement than others in urban areas.  While teachers can apply for grants to obtain technology in schools, what else can we do to help schools in urban areas get resources that so many other schools and districts take for granted?  How do we justify getting these students technology when there are so many other things they may be in need of?  Also, in urban areas many students do not have easy access to computers at home so how can we make things like classroom wikis and blogs more accessible to all students?  I also find myself wondering if there are any resources available to teachers in urban schools to help them learn how to implement forms of technology into their classrooms (other than personal development workshops) when there are very few resources available to them.

These are just a few of the questions I had about technology and urban schools that I plan on investigating more thoroughly.  While I do see it being difficult to get technology into these classrooms I think that they can benefit so much from the enhancing capabilities of all different forms of technology.

8 comments:

  1. You bring up an excellent point and at the workshop I went to on 21st Century Skills we talked about what if you're in a school with no technology. Basically the 21st century skills of collaboration, communication, critical thinking/problem solving, and creativity are just that...skills that prepare students for the future, for jobs that might not exist, and so on. Yes, they can be built upon and strengthened through the integration of technology, however if we are aware of the skills we can still create lessons that use all these skills without technology. For example, instead of using a wiki or blog...you can use large posters and give students post-its to blog their responses and then stick them on the posters around the room. Students can then go around the room and reflect and collaborate/communicate with their peers.

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  3. Nice post about Perth Amboy! There is definitely a lot of variation in technology adoption in schools. There is still a blindingly fast pace to technological progress, so the types of technology being used in schools will only increase as time goes on.

    It's worth pointing out that New Jersey has one of the most equitable funding models of any state due to the Abbot decision. In other states, schools in poorer districts might have even fewer resources to work with.

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  4. Jenny, I think your questions raise many valid points that extend beyond incorporating technology in the classroom. There are many other student needs that must be taken into consideration when teaching in an urban school district. However, maybe the integration of technology will be a key component in engaging students and helping students to place a value on their education. As far as technology goes, unfortunately, there are also many suburban school districts that also lack the technological resources that are available to them. I am just thinking back to my own student teaching experience in a suburban district where there were only 2 SMARTBoards in the entire school. Granted, they were very fortunate to have those two SMARTBoards, but my point is that the majority of the teachers in the building were teaching without technology. I think one way we can look at integrating technology in these environments where technology is not available is by taking the lessons we would have taught with the support of technology and mold them as best as we can and as closely as we can to the "technology lesson". Like Samantha pointed out 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking can be built upon in ways that do not directly involve technology. Although, I feel that technology definitely helps to strengthen these skills in unique ways. If students only have access to the computer lab once a month, then I think the teacher should make a point to specifically pre-plan a lesson that will make the most out of their time spent in the computer lab. Students can be working together on a project for the weeks prior to using the computer lab and then translate their work into a Glogster poster or a multimedia presentation (like Animoto). Teachers who work in an urban school district should also consider making use of sites like Thinkfinity or read teacher blogs and connect with other teachers who may be facing similar situations.

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  5. You bring up some great points about technology in underfunded schools. It is easy for us to think about all the great ways technology can be used in the classroom while working with the assumption that our school can afford it. Unfortunately not all schools can. As tom said NJ has one of the more equitable funding models, but there is still a huge gap. Until urban schools get more funding and support than teachers will need to make due without and hopefully they will be able to find ways to teach these skills without the actual technology, like the ways Samantha suggested.

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  6. Throughout this semester, I have contemplated these very questions. When you’re reading about technology and how it can truly transform the classroom experience, it is very easy to say what tools you would use in your own class. However, the reality of the situation is quite different. Many schools (especially urban schools) do not have the funding to implement these great technology tools. I am not even talking about Smartboards; there are some classrooms who do not have updated computers. In fact, some schools do not even have a computer lab where students can go to use Web 2.0 tools like blogs and wikis. I would love to use wikis, blogs, podcast, and other Web 2.0 tools in my own classroom one day, but unfortunately, this may not always be possible.

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  7. You all bring up excellent (and frustrating) points--and Jackasha's blog this week is similar too. It seems fitting that our final module is about leadership and school change. Change is always difficult, but I think it is impossible unless there is knowledge and leadership. When you walk through these schools and enter these classrooms, you are able to see it with a new "lens," and with new insights. You can contrast that reality with other experiences that you know are more positive and enriching for students. You may not have thought about it otherwise. Unfortunately, there are real challenges to change such as money restraints. However, if technology integration were seen as a valuable resource, and something that would enhance student learning, it would become more of a priority. But without leadership,research which shows its benefits, and teachers who are willing to take the lead, the ability to make change becomes more difficult.

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  8. This was a very interesting blog. Everything that you are talking is something that I not only endured during my student teaching (which took place in Perth Amboy) but also doing my own educational experience. I experienced the variation in technology adoption in schools that Tom Cullen is referring to. There is still a blindingly fast pace to technological progress, so the types of technology being used in schools will only increase as time goes on.

    The divides that exists in these schools goes farther than technology. Even with these outdated computers and overhead projections, spectacular things can happen along the way (you read that book by Brian Schwartz in Beth's class right). Even though it has been taking a very long time for the urban schools to receive adequate resources. Until that time comes, the teachers and administration have to use their current resources available to achieve success.

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