Amanda Calame Hood
“How to Thrive—Not Just Survive—in a One-Computer Classroom”
By Gloria Chaika
Position Statement: One computer classrooms are more difficult environments in which to integrate technology for the enrichment of the academic lesson and to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Throughout the classrooms of America, one will find countless numbers of classrooms where teachers are asked to integrate technology, teach digital citizenship, technologically enrich their lessons, and teach critical 21st century skills that our students will live and thrive by in the future. Many of these innovative teachers face a glaring obstacle in meeting all of these goals. Many of these fantastic teachers are forced to become “scroungers” (Chaika, Education Week) that must beg, borrow, and steal for technology pieces that make their classroom fit into a technological world. Even after scrounging, some of our best teachers are positioned to be inventive about management styles and equal opportunities.
From the personal experience of teaching math in a one computer classroom, there are two major obstacles to overcome. For many teachers, the time that is required to implement a technology based lesson is a deterrent, considering many classrooms have 26-30 students. The time that it would take for every student to be engaged on a single computer for equal opportunities can be too much to sacrifice. The article suggests several strategies for organization and management that will help minimize time, but ultimately, the teacher must be willing to sacrifice and work smart to integrate technology into classroom lessons.
The second major obstacle that teachers face is the fear of using technology. Many times, schools purchase equipment but do not allow adequate time or opportunities for teachers to be sufficiently trained in how to seamlessly integrate the technology. If schools are going to place technological demands on teachers, they must provide a structure for training. Through the integration of the classroom technology package in Hoover City Schools, we were able to experience the importance and significance of individualized training and how the successful implementation of some pieces has compared to the strained implementation of others.
Overall, for those teachers that are facing their technologically literate students with one computer, they must make the ultimate decision to integrate the technology into their lessons regardless of the lack of accessibility, lack training, and strain on teaching time. Teachers must use strategies such as the ones mentioned in this article to work smarter and more efficiently in integrating technology, so that the technology does not become a barrier instead of a bridge.
Works Cited
Chaika, Gloria. “How to Thrive—not just Survive—in a One Computer Classroom”, Education Week,
2003.http://online.montevallo.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapp s%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_4499_1%26url%3d. 02/01/10.
