In my last post, I discussed the more prominent issues preventing the use of technology in the classroom. Now I will be addressing the foundations for effectively integrating technology into the classroom. There are 9 essential conditions that must be met:
(1) A shared vision for technology integration
(2) Empowered leaders
(3) Standards and curriculum support
(4) Required policies
(5) Access to hardware, software, and other resources for sustainable integration
(6) Skilled personnel and opportunities for professional development
(7) Technical assistance
(8) Appropriate teaching and assessment approaches
(9) Engaged communities
Chapter Two presents ways to eliminate the problematic issues preventing the use of educational technology that were illustrated in Chapter One. In my previous post, I went into detail about 2 issues: funding and privacy/safety. This chapter explores ways to remove these problems proposed in Chapter One.
Adequate funding is needed for the use of educational technology to be successful. This section lists some ways for schools to utilize all funding resources, including: using donated equipment, using broken computers for spare parts, applying for grants, and making competitive bids. There are hundreds of resources that are often overlooked. It’s important for schools to look at all levels of funding: federal, state, corporate, private, and community.
Ensuring students’ safety and privacy can be met by requiring specific policies. Internet use policies were created after the U.S Congressman passed the Children’s Internet Protection Act to influence schools to keep children way from harmful materials that can be found in the Internet. Also, legal/ethical use policies were created to prevent access to certain websites. Firewall software is the most common way to safeguard computers.
No comments:
Post a Comment