I love technology! And I realize that technology is very important to education but I feel as though this book is trying to "ram" technology down our throats. I know that is terrible to say but does anyone feel as though we are being told what to do with technology? I found Chapter 7 unnerving as I read Perry and Areglado (2001) brow beat principals about technology. I love the idea of technology coming into my school but it is not only the Principal's responsibility to enforce using the technology. I do know that this is not the authors' intentions, however I could not get past it. There are many aspects of incorporating technology in a school. For one, you have to have the teachers', parents', and school board's nod of approval to begin. I did like the comment of Perry and Areglado (2001) when they state that a "Principal's leadership for technology transformation begins, rather than ends, when technology arrives at school." This comment I can agree. It is a transformation. A wonderful transformation that will help lead our children into the 21st century. I like to think of people who get mad that their child is no longer learning "long division" in school. They say "what if my child is in a place where there is no calculator or means for my child to do this math?" I think that logic would have flown 5 years ago but not now, there is NO place in the civilized world that you can not find a calculator, computer, phone, etc. that can divide for you... This is why I think technology is so important and teaching our children how to use it is important. However, I do have a problem with these authors writing and putting a bunch of pressure on the principal of the school. The principal has many day to day activities. He/She is there to conduct business. That is their job. Do I think that the principal should not be held responsible? No! I think that the whole school and school district should be held responsible for offering the best technology the school can buy and teaching it to them-that includes the principal too, but not only the principal.
Enough about that, sorry about that outburst...
Now onto Chapter 8...
There is ample support for technology. I believe that the public has already embraced technology. I do like Zimmerman's excerpt about doing away with old computers (2001). Someone should come in periodically and take the outdated computers out of the school. In the school I work, there are computers so outdated that I do not think my daughter's could use them. Technology moves very fast. We have to move with it. Our taxpayer dollars need to be put to good use and go toward teaching our children-implementing what the school has planned for them.
Perry, G. S., & Areglado, R. J. (2001). Technology in it's place. Successful technology infusion in
schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Zimmerman, I. K. (2001). Technology in it's place. Successful technology infusion in schools. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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3 comments:
Laura I see your point about updating the technology as fast as we can in our schools but I don't think that is quite possible in all schools. I do believe that principals are trying the hardest to get the technology to their schools but there is not enough funding. I know that my principal would love to have a smart board in every classroom but she does not have enough funding for it. I even tried donating my desk top computer but Fairfax county schools does not accept donations anymore and I cannot put in my classroom.
You are 100 percent correct, it is not only the principals responsibility to bring technology into our schools – it is the entire community – inside and outside of the school. I would say that the principal must take the lead and provide enough support for buy-in from the rest of the community. Many principals do not and this provides a way out for technology integration. What I like about the authors of this weeks reading is that they outline steps for principals to lead school change for technology integration. Someone must take the lead.
Terrific!
I agree with you about the responsibiligy of bring technology into the school should not totally be on the principal. It should be shared amoung the school district. I think the principal's job is to assess that the technology is being put to its best used within the school. If not then they should find ways to ensure proper use of technology in the classroom.
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