Setting the Stage Reflection

Do our students really learn more about technology outside of school rather than in school? The answer probably has a lot to do with the socio-economic status of their family and friends. Bell and Bull (2008) reported in Technology’s Greatest Value, that “there is a ‘digital disconnect’ between limited use of technology in schools and extensive use of technology by students to complete academic work outside of school.” I couldn’t agree more (at least this seems to be the case at the rural school where I teach).

The use of technology in the science classroom, or any classroom, has great potential. However, teachers, including myself, need professional development that is thoughtful and consistent (2 hours at the beginning of the school year isn’t going to cut it!) and able to demonstrate how a technology can be used. Bell and Bull (2008) provided a description of an ideal technology, stating that it has a “low threshold and high ceiling. In other words, it will be intuitive for the novice to learn and yet support increasingly sophisticated activities.” Of course, this is the kind of technologies that many teachers are more than willing to try. It’s the other kind, intuitive only for the advanced to learn and supports only certain activities, which are quick to turn a teacher off.

Our students LOVE TECHNOLOGY. They’ve grown up with the constant bombardment of information and have learned quickly what gets “let in” and what gets filtered out. I think the educators that are at least willing to allow presently-taught content to be enhance or potentially delivered using a technology are much more likely reach the “2.0” audience that fill our classrooms. I’m going to be open-minded and give it a try.