Living the Dream: Technology in Urban Schools

Lately, I have been thinking about what most students, teachers and administrators can expect in terms of technology in big box urban schools. I am sure there are other items, but here is what I have come up with so far...

You can expect that most classrooms in urban schools will have one computer that is usually dedicated for teacher use. You can expect that the teacher will only use the one workstation for work related activities such as attendance, communication, and grade keeping. These low level activities also include email and using Microsoft Office products scarcely. The highest activity occurring on teacher workstations, is internet browsing for personal interest.

You could expect that urban schools only have a handful of LCD projectors and the teachers who use them the most often use them for video playing and only pull them out once in a while. Often times you find the overhead projector getting more use then an LCD projector.

You could also expect to find a few to zero laptops dedicated for student use. You could expect to find very few if at all any color printers. SmartBoards or Interactive Boards are rare and few in between. Most are located in classrooms that has teachers who are very comfortable with technology. You also find them in rooms that the teacher may have no familiarity with the technology, but has indicated an interest in learning how to use it. The follow through and training is rarely present to help that teacher.

Printers, are also far in and few in schools. Often printers are located scarcely throughout a building with not enough of them being centrally located. Copiers are also very scarce often urban schools with 70 plus teaching staff members have no more then two available to them, and many times only have one. Copiers are often not found setup for network printing so teachers, students and administrators could rarely use them remotely throughout the school building.

Digital cameras, camcorders are scarce and very often non-existent for teacher and student use.

Computer labs are strictly dedicated for a content area and very few buildings have space for open use labs. Mobile laptop carts would alleviate this scarcity.

So what's my point, well if we are to improve urban education we need to provide access to current resources and tools. We need to provide teachers and administrators with exposure and training on using such tools to improve the overall educational experience for students in urban schools. There is a huge disparity of exposure from schools from state to state as well as within the same city. If we are to allow students of color an opportunity to succeed in the 21st Century then we must incorporate the use of technology in everything we do. The longer we wait the bigger the gap, and the further minorities will be at being able to access the digital jobs that now exist.

The time is now to integrate cutting edge technology. Let us not do it for a grant, or as a partnership with another organization but let us do it because it is the right thing to invest in.

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¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com

NYSCATE Leadership Conference

Leading on Purpose?... This was the title of a NYSCATE sponsored conference I attended in Syracuse, New York which I thought would have had more of a focus on technology. Instead what the attendees and myself received was a revisit back on our educational value system. A look back to why we decided to become educators and leaders in education. We spoke openly about what our purpose and vision is in education.

The conference had its benefits but was no where near the expectations that were set forth from the emailed agenda.

I left the conference a little frustrated that I have yet to attend an Educational Technology Conference that I have learned from. This may be an opportunity for myself to set the tone. Hmm... I will have to think about that for future endeavors.

¡Viviendo el Sueño! (Living the Dream!)
Mr. Anibal Soler, Jr.
http://www.anibalsoler.com
http://anibalsoler.blogspot.com

To Blog or not to Blog? That is the question.

It has been a while since I have last written something in my blog. As an educational advocate and self proclaimed technological expert I can honestly say that blogs are an excellent tool, but are often not worth anything if no one is reading and collaborating with you. Hence probably why it has been so long since I have posted anything.

This "interactive audience" is an essential piece to a successful blog. Having an interactive audience is key. Without an audience one feels as if they are simply restating mental thoughts to themselves. The "interactive audience" is important because it in-turn helps create an engaged and highly motivated blogger.

Many times in instructional technology arenas there is always the conversation of the importance of creating blogs as part of an instructional approach to embedding technology into the curriculum. The reason most think blogs will be successful is because it would allow others to post comments or create discussions on or about class. Again, the emphasis on the role of an interactive audience.

In theory I think it is a great idea, but I begin to ask myself many questions that often are not discussed or investigated in the educational world, maybe it is because it is assumed that these other items will be in place. I think about the teacher and the role that that teacher has to play after class to make the blog worthwhile. Are teachers today ready to go beyond the traditional work day to connect with students? Are students ready to go home after being in school to log on to their computers and check out their class blog? How do you manage a blog and assign academic credit? and if you don't will students even bother? Are school administrators ready to go digital? Are they ready to continue the role of leadership in an online world? Are they ready to monitor how and what is being discussed?

I have many more questions and many more points of discussion. I hope that someday this blog will contain and have an interactive audience but until then I will continue to write as often as I can. I will also continue to try to comment on items in the world of education and in instructional technology as often as possible.

For those of you who continue to read this blog and comment when possible I thank you!!

Living the Dream!
Mr. Soler
www.anibalsoler.com