One of the systems I support in my school district is a relatively new technology, a Learning Management System (LMS). Of course being a model of public K12, my system has some entrenched prior systems with unique idiosyncrasies. For the past few years any attempts to integrate with the established Student Information System (SIS) have been met with reisistance from the group which manages that data. I consider these folks good people, but wonder at the nature of resisting a student-based solution in a public K12 institution.
New Tech – LMS with curriculum/assessments on the Internet.
Old Problem – Data reporting equals funding, so is often attended to as a matter of doing business.
New Problem – Administration must make public their priorities between data reporting to the state and delivering content to students/teachers.
So, what other issues has technology raised, and are they really new problems or are they just revealing problems that were hidden?
New Tech – LMS with curriculum/assessments on the Internet.
Old Problem – Teachers taught what they wanted in their classroom and reported what they deemed appropriate in assessments.
New Problem – Teaching content, techniques, and results are now transparent for any administrator to view.
New Tech – LMS with curriculum/assessments on the Internet.
Old Problem – Textbooks have been substituted for curriculum.
New Problem – Buying quality online content OR paying teachers to create quality online content is expensive and front-side intensive.
When I was in the classroom, circa 2007, I had a computer assignment through TrackStar – a program designed to keep students on the web pages the teacher deems appropriate. Even then, one student clicked off the TrackStar and was somewhat proud to show my co-teacher a animated gif of a very old man in his underwear.
New Tech – online content, students might browse outside the teachers intentions
Old Problem – students off task, not following guidelines.
New Problem – off task behavior by students is not only evident, but possibly archived.
I tried my best to find an educational use for FourSquare. It was fun for me and I thought with the mobile device wave and this fun tool surely I could find an educational application. I have not really found one that I feel very comfortable suggesting any other teachers try with students. If it is fun for me I assume it is oxygen to socially hyper-sensitive middle and high schoolers. So here is an opportunity to incorporate the idea of geolocation services into our digital citizenship training for our student.
New Tech – Geolocation tagging
New Problem – advertise where a student is
New Opportunity – to teach digital footprint/citizenship
What “new” problems has technology raised in your district/school? Or what has it just revealed?
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