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| Oversold & Underused: An Educational Dilemma A Reaction Paper |
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| Click on this link to read my reaction paper: Oversold & Underused | |||||||||||||||
| This paper is a basic reaction/response to Larry Cuban's book, Oversold & Underused. Cuban makes some very valid points in his book concerning educators and their lack of use of the technology available for use in the classrooms. It is easy, I suppose, to go into a school site and observe what is or is not taking place, interview people and then draw conclusions. All things considered, that is, Cuban did his research in Silicon Valley, California, the most technological place on the planet, probably, he has been relatively fair in his comments about educators. However, in this paper, I have chose to take a position that does not entirely embrace his conclusions but does agree up to a point. As an educator, I have seen reforms come and go, new programs brought in because they were the answer to the problems, but none of them are enduring. Technology provides fantastic opportunities for classroom instruction provided everything matches or lines up the right way. Time constraints and money to purchase grade level appropriate software, etc., are the two biggest hindrances that educators face when considering the use of technology in the classroom. It is obvious that Cuban understands this and incorporates that into his text. | |||||||||||||||
| Evidences | |||||||||||||||
| Investigation: There are several websites online that offer help, information, and technical support to those educators who desire to incorporate technology into their daily lesson plans. Some of these sites are easy to browse through and offer some good tips, etc. Some are more difficult and only the individual who has a lot of technical/computer expertise might benefit from them. My research started at http://www.google.com. I typed in "technology in a high school classroom" and found well over 100 sites that offered everything from helpful tips to equipment for sale. I selected the following 5 sites because they offered an "in-depth" view of technology and how it can help the classroom teacher. The sites I used for information for this paper are as follows: http://www.nfie.org/publications/takecharge_exec.htm http://www.techlearning.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=23903816 http://www.certmag.com/issues/dec01/dept_guested.cfm http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss1/currentissues/english/article1.htm http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-2/ten.htm Studying each of these articles and incorporating quotes into my paper gave me a better understanding of my own personal feelings concerning using technology in the classroom. |
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| Engagement: As I read through Larry Cuban's book, Oversold & Underused, I had different reactions. At times I wanted to agree with him and at other times, I wanted to say, "Hey, what about those of us who want to use technology but the obstacles are too high and the cost is too great?" However, I have learned from experience that hasty reactions are futile, pointless, and more often than not, wrong. Cuban made some very valid points in his book concerning the lack of use of technology in the classroom. However, the fact that he did his research in the "tech-capital" of the world, where money for education is much more available makes it a little harder to accept his conclusions. Cuban's statement, "When teachers do engage in such deliberations and when they design programs for themselves, when their opinions are seriously considered, changes in classroom practice occur that even the teachers themselves had not contemplated" (Cuban, 2002, p. 184). This statement says "volumes" in terms of what I have just experienced in my own district. My principal decided we would become a "digital" high school because one teacher wrote a grant proposal and got the grant from the state. We had technology dumped on us and most of us had no idea what to do with what we had. There was not enough money to buy enough equipment for the school, nor for the software, wiring, etc., so corners were cut and the benefits for the entire student population are not what were promised. Who knows, maybe the "slow revolution," as touted by Cuban, is what is happening in education concerning technology. Nevertheless, Cuban's book spoke to me and I will, no doubt, reconsider how I use technology in my classroom. | |||||||||||||||
| Reflections: As I look back now I realize that using technology in the classroom is really important. However, I also realize that there are the ever-present obstacles that must be overcome in order to incorporate technology into my lesson plans. If nothing else, I realize now that I will take it "one-step-at-a-time" which means that I will continue to get training in the use of technology so that I am comfortable enough to use it in my classroom. I have learned a lot from ETEC 500, especially how to use power point to make interactive lessons that students can complete while also learning how to use technology. I have already incorporated the last power point presentation (Tech Skill 3) into my curriculum and students are accessing it now and completing the activity sheet that accompanies it. The response by students was good (although not overwhelmingly so) and they are anticipating making their own presentations for their final project for this semester. We are learning together and that is a reward in and of itself. The next avenue I want to explore in technology is "video" presentations where students plan, create, and present their projects to each other. This will take time as I need to learn how to do it first, but I see it as a valid project for the summer after I finish my thesis. In my final analysis concerning what I learned from Cuban's book, I will not just sit back and wait until technology evolves to a stage I can't use but I will now use it as often as there is a match with the curriculum. Power point seems to be the best for now, but I am also looking at "hyper studio" since I have worked with it a little and think students could benefit from learning how to use it. | |||||||||||||||
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