BFTP: If you give a teacher a computer

A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post September 22, 2007. I thought about this post as I was proof-reading yesterday's post about the explosion of technology use and demand in our district. Oh, I added a few observations given that iPads are happening...

 With apologies to author Laura Numeroff and illustrator Felicia Bond.

Give a teacher a computer

Give a teacher a computer,
    And he will want Internet access.

Give a teacher Internet access,
     And she'll most likely want an e-mail account.

Give a teacher e-mail,
    And he'll just want learning games and more computers in her classroom. And tech support.

Give a teacher learning games,
    And she'll want streaming video.

Give a teacher videos,
    And he'll insist on an LCD projector permanently mounted in his classroom (with speakers).

Give a teacher a projector,
    And she'll ask for an interactive white board (and training and time for collaboration and resources to use with it).

Give a teacher an IWB,
    Then he wants a student response system, a wireless slate, and a document camera (and more support). 

Give a teacher tech,
    And then she wants all her kids to have it too. And the skills to use it well.

And lately

Give a teacher an iPad
     And the she wants wireless access

Give a teacher wireless access
     And the he wants all his kids to have a device

Give a teacher a teacher a class where all kids have personal devices
     And then she wants e-texts, course managment systems, and the skills to differentiate 

We'll that's the theory anyway and it holds for lots of my teachers. I always find it amazing (and even a little frustrating) that some teachers can't get enough technology in their classrooms and give their kids enough experiences using it, while other teachers still grumble at even having to use anything more complicated than an overhead projector. And I don't think it breaks down neatly along generational lines. Perhaps those who are reluctant to use technology were frightened by a vacuum cleaner as small children.

Demand is a wonderful problem to have. It's just a little saddening when the demands can't be met as rapidly as we would like.

Comments

[Karen Dance]

Your post was an entertaining and thought provoking one. As I read, I put myself further and further along the continuum of if....then. I know I'm not as far ahead as others, but I definitely want to continue to push forward. Unlike the books however, I don't think I will ever cycle back to just wanting the cookie anymore.
Thanks.
Karen Dance
@CBClistener

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the comment.

Maybe you'll circle around and want a second or better computer? ;-)

All the best,

Doug

[Steve]

Doug,
True comment this week in school
" I can't use the iPads because there are only 15 of them in the box!". :-|

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Steve,

My favorite this week is "I can't use an iPad because I don't have a good enough wireless signal in my room."

Think those teachers are related?

Doug