Greetings Nell and everyone,

This is intended as a general message only and does not answer the questions that Nell has raised.  I appreciate that she has included Paul's and Allan's messages after her post below.

My first reaction is that there is a tendency to take posts personally.  I don't sense that Paul is blaming anyone personally for not knowing about and/or implementing technology.  We have to maintain a mindset whereby the focus is on the substance of the messages.  Blame gets us nowhere in the end, and I am confident that the issues that are being raised do not carry the intent of blaming an individual or group of individuals.  

As I have noted in many of my posts, affect (emotions, feelings) is crucial both in learning and teaching. A perception of blame is certainly an affective issue. I am convinced that a perception of blame (a very real perception because it is felt) inhibits education tremendously, simply because it is such a strong feeling.

I'd like to confirm that many teachers do not know about technology, or know enough to see a meaningful way to include it in instruction.  Many classrooms have computers galore, and they remain unused.  I have personally witnessed schools and libraries with brand new computers that have not even been unpacked, let alone set up.

The first step is to become informed about the possible uses of technology.  There's little point in getting funding for it if it's not put to use at least experimentally to get a sense of how it might impact learning and teaching.

Any value in using technology will be  determined by the skills, belief systems, and approaches that guide teachers (and training they may or may not receive).  To put it differently, I don't believe that technology has inherent benefits.  Depending on the situation, it can even become a major impediment, such that its use may not even be advisable. 

If any teacher is considering the use of technology in the classroom or for distance learning purposes, he or she can get a used computer and internet access at low cost. 
How about a bit of teacher-driven action research with one or two students to begin with, and get a sense of the response to technology as the teacher and student(s) learn to use it together on a low-scale basis to start?

We don't have to know more than our students...

Michael

 
Michael A. Gyori 
Maui International Language School 
www.mauilanguage.com




________________________________
From: Nell Eckersley <NellE at lacnyc.org>
To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List <technology at nifl.gov>
Sent: Tue, October 13, 2009 6:29:15 AM
Subject: [Technology 2380]  importance of technology

 
Hi all,
I’m reposting
two posts for the NIFL English Language Discussion List regarding computer
based instruction. I’d be interested in hearing your responses to the
issues of lack of access to high tech tools and lack of professional
development.  Are these challenges being met where you are?  Have you found
ways to overcome them independently?  Are their other challenges or barriers? 
What can we/others do to help teachers step through their fear and trepidation of
using computers with their students? How did you step through yours?
 
Best,
Nell
 
Nell Eckersley
ALIES/ASISTS Program Operations Coordinator,
Literacy Assistance Center, 32 Broadway, 10th Flr.,  NY,  NY 10004
http://www.lacnyc.org/ 
facebook:  Literacy Assistance Center
tel: 212.803.3316
fax: 212.785.3685
 
Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Technology 
 
email:  nelle at lacnyc.org 
twitter:  http://twitter.com/LACNYCnell 
facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/nell.eckersleylac 
 
Pplease don't print this e-mail unless you really need to
 
 
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Paul and Everyone:
 
There is another
very important reason why many instructors don’t use computers as an
instructional tool, and that is lack of technology in the classrooms and a
deficit of labs and software on the campuses.  >From what I am seeing
now, this problem is not going to be remedied quickly because of budgetary
constraints.  Administrators and policymakers need to find some way to
provide more resources because technological advances are not going to slow
down just because our classes can’t keep up.  Linked to capacity is
resources for proper professional development.  
 
 
Let’s not put
all of the blame on the individual instructors.  We need to shout to those
who control the resources that improved education requires, in part, more resources
for high-tech tools.
 
Allan
 
 
 
Allan D.
French
 
ESL
Instructor and Assessment Coordinator
Basic
& Transitional Studies Division
South Seattle
Community College
206-768-6836
afrench at sccd.ctc.edu
 
 
 
From:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Paul Rogers
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009
7:39 AM
To: The Adult English Language
Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 5058]
importance of technology
 
Computer based instruction helps students learn English faster and should increase interest in class and probably also should increase retention bu decreasing the drop out rate.
But at a CATESOL conference that I attended over the week-end, I foud out that a lot of teachers are still not using computer based learning in their classes. There are a few reasons for this: 
1. fear and trepidation
2. lack of information and knowledge
3. miscellaneus
The only thing I can say about point #1 is, to paraphrase someone I met, it is a good thing to put the shoe on the other foot.
Point #2 could be remedied by setting up a clearing house.
Miscellaneus is a little tricky.
As part of using technology, I also recommend that everyone consider methods of providing students and families with low cost or free computers. Some cities are even providing free internet access to low income households (San Francisco, I think).
As they used to say in the old days: "The future is now."
Paul Rogers
805-258-3310
pumarosa21 at yahoo.com
PUMAROSA.COM 


      
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