1a: One factor in which this program would be effected negatively would be if students and teachers do not know how to use the tools of technology to its full potential the students will not learn. When thinking about the new tools I get each year in my classroom I sometimes feel frustrated. I might not always get the full training or not fully understand how to incorporate these tools in my classroom. Therefore, I do not use them in the classroom the way that I should. If these students and teachers are not familiar with using the programs on the laptops they too will get frustrated and maybe not use the programs in the correct way.
Another factor in which this program would be effected negatively would be if there was a lack of funds for the upkeep of the materials. It takes a lot of money to keep updating the programs and tools on the laptops. Plus, you also have to keep in consideration of missing, stolen, or broken laptops. How are students and teachers going to partake in the program if they do not have a working laptop?
The third factor in which this program would be effected negatively would be the different teaching styles of teachers and the different learning styles of students. Not everyone learns in the same way. It is our job as teachers to figure out how our students learn and apply that to our classroom. We can do that with technology but we have to put in some extra thought. Are the teachers going to be able to do that if they are jump starting a brand new program with the laptops?
1b: The first thing that may help mitigate the factors that contributed to the minimal effect of this project would be to implement bottom-up changes instead of top-down practices. Instead of providing teachers and students with technology and telling them how to use it, the changes in the curriculum’s technology could be suggested by the teachers. That way, the administration could obtain software that the teachers are already familiar with, and don’t have to re-learn how to perform all of the functions of the software. Granted, there would be differing opinions of what people want, but at least there will always be a group of people who understand how to use it, instead of an entire school full of people that is clueless as to how the new software works.
Another way to increase the effectiveness is to give students incentives to learn how to use the computers for educational reasons. It is not enough to simply just say “here is a computer, go use it to learn,” because students know what other kind of other content exists on computers, and will try to use it for entertainment. Locking out the non-educational features isn’t an option, because the students will find a way around content filters and restrictions, so you have to incentivize use of the computers as a learning tool. It’s not enough to just grade them well, but the teachers need to find fun and interesting ways for students to engage with the information.
Another factor in which this program would be effected negatively would be if there was a lack of funds for the upkeep of the materials. It takes a lot of money to keep updating the programs and tools on the laptops. Plus, you also have to keep in consideration of missing, stolen, or broken laptops. How are students and teachers going to partake in the program if they do not have a working laptop?
The third factor in which this program would be effected negatively would be the different teaching styles of teachers and the different learning styles of students. Not everyone learns in the same way. It is our job as teachers to figure out how our students learn and apply that to our classroom. We can do that with technology but we have to put in some extra thought. Are the teachers going to be able to do that if they are jump starting a brand new program with the laptops?
1b: The first thing that may help mitigate the factors that contributed to the minimal effect of this project would be to implement bottom-up changes instead of top-down practices. Instead of providing teachers and students with technology and telling them how to use it, the changes in the curriculum’s technology could be suggested by the teachers. That way, the administration could obtain software that the teachers are already familiar with, and don’t have to re-learn how to perform all of the functions of the software. Granted, there would be differing opinions of what people want, but at least there will always be a group of people who understand how to use it, instead of an entire school full of people that is clueless as to how the new software works.
Another way to increase the effectiveness is to give students incentives to learn how to use the computers for educational reasons. It is not enough to simply just say “here is a computer, go use it to learn,” because students know what other kind of other content exists on computers, and will try to use it for entertainment. Locking out the non-educational features isn’t an option, because the students will find a way around content filters and restrictions, so you have to incentivize use of the computers as a learning tool. It’s not enough to just grade them well, but the teachers need to find fun and interesting ways for students to engage with the information.
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