Student Accessibility: An Essential Component of Leadership in Technology Adoption
One of the most important realizations that I had during this course was the reason for the failure of schools to effectively promote technology integration in the classroom: they were not, in fact, trying to integrate technology. Instead, they were attempting to adapt technology to curricula and methodologies that effectively were not altered. As Christensen and Horn (2008) put it, they tried “to cram the innovation into its existing operating model to sustain what it already does.This is the predictable course, the logical course—and the wrong course” (p. 14). In my school, most teachers have been using computers, if at all, for students to type up reports and complete research. We have a number of laptop carts that go largely unused because teachers have not been trained properly on how to use or take care of them. There is also a certain amount of frustration because the laptops do not hold a charge for very long, so they cannot be used all day among the different classes a middle school teacher meets every day.
This is where the concept of disruptive technology becomes very important. If I can be funded through a grant to have at least a class set of iPads, it is possible that the situation, at least for my classes and for other teachers in my department who care to learn and share with me, could be turned around. The battery life on an iPad is supposed to be about 10 hours, which would eliminate the problem of having to recharge computers. There are so many advantages: iPads are lightweight, fast, can be used as e-readers, can be used as cameras, for videoconferencing – the possibilities are fascinating. What is also useful to school environments are the built-in accessibility features for students with disabilities like poor vision and dyslexia. Possibly there are other tablet-type technologies that are more cost-effective and have similar capabilities. The reason they qualify as disruptive technology is that they are less expensive than either purchasing another cart of laptops or buying iPads, because they have certain limitations, such as fewer applications or a less coordinated suite of applications; all of the handhelds have reduced word processing capability, although I am sure that will improve over time.
With all this, what I am saying is that in order to proceed as a change agent for technology integration in my school, my students need to have access to reliable tools on a consistent basis; that said, the first effort I make needs to be in securing that access. This summer I am researching and writing grants to that end. Next, I need to make my students' work available to colleagues and administrators; I already have some collaborators set up for the next school year, and hopefully more will join in. The project in which we are collaborating is a grade-level wiki; this year my students developed a wiki based on a novel from the core curriculum, and next year I plan to implement my ideas for the mythology wiki for seventh grade students. One of the first ideas I had was to incorporate machinima from Second Life into the wiki, but I realize that students must be over 13 years of age to participate in Second Life, and even then their movement within the MUVE is restricted. I am trying to find some similar technology to use; Pixton and Go Animate so far look like the most likely candidates,since there are no age restrictions.
In terms of leading my colleagues and others in technology innovation and full integration, I have long reflected on the following statement by Fullan (2002): “An organization cannot flourish--at least, not for long--on the actions of the top leader alone. Schools and districts need many leaders at many levels. Learning in context helps produce such leaders” (p. 20). In fact. I am and have always been a hands-on learner, so learning in context harmonizes completely with my leadership style. I am pairing up with another language arts teacher next year to head literary competitions, and we have already begun to discuss how to use technology to make the process run more smoothly and become more exciting for the students: for example, interviewing student authors and broadcasting the videos, both to the school and on a language arts wiki, and using those techniques to disseminate recordings by the authors or by others of their own works. Having students read their own work aloud is also a great editing technique. I am also going to participate in technology workshops with administrators and interested teachers. I am going to pioneer a Ning-based classroom network this coming school year, and I will invite other teachers, as well as administrators, to view my progress. This brings me back to my first point: it is absolutely essential to find the resources for students to gain accessibility; while many students have access and reliable Internet service at home, many others, including many ELL students who are from immigrant families, simply do not.
References
Christensen, C., & Horn, M. (2008). How do we transform our schools? Education Next, 8(3), 12–19.
Fullan, M. (2002). The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8) ,16–20.
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