More thoughts on Kim Cofino's Presentation

I just watched Kim Cofino's presentation, and there were some points that stood out to me.

1. She notes that schools need to change more quickly and be more adaptable. I am wondering how this will happen. I don't disagree with what she is saying on that topic, but being more adaptable costs MONEY. I think about our situation here in Sharon. I know so many creative teachers who are up to date on all of the new technologies that are out there for communication, social networking, presenting, and more. We want to implement these technologies in our classrooms because they are so beneficial for student learning. For example, I really wanted to do a podcast activity as an assessment for one of my classes. I thought, "hey, this really gives power to the students to create a platform to present and discuss their ideas about what we have been studying." Unfortunately, earlier in they school year, when we were using the laptop carts to work on a PowerPoint project, the problems that the students encountered really hindered the success of the project. They were able to get it done, but rather than the technology making our lives easier, it was frustrating because of all of the issues that arose with the functionality of the computers. It made me nervous about trying to do something with podcasting, a technology that less of them are familiar with than they are with PowerPoint. I really hope to implement this in the future, but I don't want to lose the educational benefit/time for students to learn when we are trying to do this... technology should make life easier, not harder in my opinion.

2. On the topic of change and adaptability, again, with money being the issue, another thought came to my mind. I, and the majority of other teachers that I work with at the high school, use our own personal laptops at school because we want to implement these 21st century skills the best that we can. I would not be able to do that nearly as easily without my personal laptop, especially because I travel from classroom to classroom during the day. I know that many districts provide their teachers with laptops. I have friends who work in towns where this is the case. Unfortunately this does cost money, and schools have so many issues to address, so this may not be the first priority. But when Kim discusses adaptability and change, I think that providing teachers with the tools that they need is really important and it directly impacts student learning if the teacher is supplied with the best tools.

3. One other thing that stood out to me was how Kim mentioned that there is a "fear of new technology" that exists amongst some teachers. I definitely see this. I was reading an earlier post on this blog about iPhones in the classroom, and I was thinking of how fearful some teachers can be when discussing this topic (although not in this class :). I myself was thinking of how useful my iPhone is-- I can enter my attendance on it when I'm not near the computer, I can post on my wiki... lots of conveniences. I'm not sure whether they should be given to students necessarily, but it is something to think about. Regardless, students have embraced smartphone technology. The pace at which they have done so has surpassed many adults, although many adults are catching up. As teachers, we need to meet students at a certain level and instead of shunning or making certain technological tools taboo, we need to continue to define when, where, and how they should be used. They have both benefits and risks, but we cannot ignore the benefits because we fear the risks.

Overall, I think certain aspects of Kim's presentation definitely resonate. I do agree with dkinney about the criticisms of what Kim says. I worry about the time that we spend on the internet (doing all of the things that dkinney mentions and more) and not having face to face time with other people. I find myself constantly online (not necessarily by choice) and wishing I could just shut my computer and sit on the couch and hang out with my boyfriend when I get home and relax. Everything is online and I like that... but we are human beings who need interpersonal connections. You can't hug someone or shake their hand through a computer. Blogging is great (although I can't see myself doing it outside of this class), but you miss the intonation in people's voices when you simply look at text. I love learning about new technology, but I never want to lose sight of the importance of real, live people and community... the idea that Americans are "bowling alone" (according to Robert Putnam) has disappeared due to online communities, but I also think that it has been emphasized in cases where people don't embrace REAL communities as well.