Library& Information Science, Course 233: School Library MediaCenters.
Dr. David Loertscher
(t7final.html)
The Ideal High School in Oceanview, California became a digitalhigh school three years ago. They wrote a visouary technology planthat promised the world. Now the money has ended. The school has beenwired. The library serves as network central. Each classroom has 6-8networked computers, all with Internet access and with networkedaccess to an array of information sources from the library(periodicals, databases, - the works). Each student has a personalemail account and has space on the server to store personal files andprojects. The nice thing is, it all works. Ideal High School has afull time library media teacher and a full time paraprofessional. Ithas a full time professional technology teacher and a full timetechnician. The potential to create an entirely new information andtechnology environment is there.
The problem is that the teachers in the high school are prettytraditional. They have all attended professional development daysconcerning technology, have had numerous opportunities to learn howto use technology, have been exposed to many ideas for incorporatingtechnology into their teaching, but thus far, have resistedtechnology as an integral tool for their teaching.
Now the grant is at an end. The costs to keep the technology andthe library/technology staff going are very high. A group of teachers(The Committee on Good Teaching) is about to present a major paper tothe school board. It will call for the reistating of traditionalvalues and the de-emphasis of technology in the future - and, mostimportantly, will ask that funds that have been used to supporttechnology now be assigned to programs that have taken a back seat inthe last three years.
Hearing that The Committee on Good Teaching will be making theirpresentation, the library and technology staff and a small group ofteachers approach the superintendent. She recommends that a seminarbe held so that the Board can hear both sides. She suggests that theopposing committee be named the Technology ImplementationCommittee.
The Issue: Resolved: The Ideal High School Should Reinvent It'sCurrent Emphasis on Technology Systems and Concentrate, Instead, onDelivering Quality Education.
Step One: Build Background for the Case - one hour - in thecomputer lab
In groups of two, explore Internet Sites and documents you broughtconcerning both sides of the issue. Explore as many documents as youcan, doing mind maps of positive contributions and negative factorsof technology in education.
Sites for The Committee on Good Teaching:
• http://www.theatlantic.com/search/
Then search for computer delusion - this will send you to a list of articles and you want the one entitled: The Computer Delusion by Todd Oppenheimer. Also look at articles on the first page under the bullet "Learning in the Real World." This bibliography will send you to other articles critical of technology.
Sites for The Technology Implementation Committee:
• Use technology plans you brought for ideas• Use Information Power
• Use any other documents you brought with you.
• http://www.gsn.org/web/index.htm
click on Library of References, Readings and Resources
click on Recent EdTech Studies
The first three items are fairly positive
Step Two: Build the Case on Each Side - 30 minutes - in theclassroom (find a space for each committee)
One partner will become a member of the Committee on GoodTeaching. The second partner will become a member of the TechnologyImplementation Committee. Divide into two committees in the North andtwo committees in the south.
First order of business: Select a spokesperson for each committeein the north and in the south.
Second: Using the mind maps produced by the partners, create asummary chart of your position.
Third: Help the spokesperson be prepared to give a 5-min.presentation to the seminar.
Step Three: Present the Case - 30 minutes - ontelevision
Hear the 5-minute presentations from the Committees on GoodTeaching (north and south)
Hear the 5-minue presentations from the Technology ImplementationCommittees (north and south)
Step Four: Reinvent the Case - 30 minutes - find a space(outside on the lawn?)
At the conclusion of the presentations, the superintendentaddresses the group and says that while both sides have good pointsthe future of the District Technology Plan must combine the bestelements of both points of view into a vision for the future. Thattechnology must be present in that plan, but it also must be heldaccountable to improve the quality of education.
Divide up into groups of eight - four members who where on theCommittee for Good Teaching and four who were on the TechnologyImplementation Committee. Brainstorm the rudiments of a reinventedDistrict Technology Plan. Post these elements on the 233 Assignmentpage under group 10. Be sure to list the members of the group thatworked on the new vision. One person from the group should volunteerto do the posting at home rather than go back to the lab.
Step Five: Do an AAR as a Committee of the Whole with yourInstructor via telelecture. - class back on television.