And Blackberry's still not listening. Now I'm trying to figure out how to create iPhone apps (but then I have to figure out how to get my employer to stop using Blackberry).
What? All I have to do is change from Verizon to AT&T? That's great...as long as I don't have to call anyone more than 30 miles away from a major city. Don't tell me that's not true - I had AT&T service a year and a half ago. While I was in Albany, I could make calls to as many people in the Capital District (guess they don't like to be called Albanians) as I wanted...but if I needed to call to a neighboring State, forget it. My email, however, worked great. Call me weird, but I think I need a phone to talk to someone.
Let's see if Mr. Jobs is listening. If you're going to call it an iPhone, then partner with a company that actually has voice transmission capabilities. Maybe the iPhone5 could be called the iConnect, since that's what it will let you do.
Z
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday, January 27, 2008
2008 - Technology Goes the Way of Every Other Business
The purpose of this posting is for somebody to prove me wrong...PLEASE!!
Technology made its way into the common lexicon of the 20th Century, and changed not only the way we do business (nobody knew what an ebay was 20 years ago), but also changed the meaning of words ("swipe" used to be what unsavory people did to objects in a store; now it's expected that we swipe before we leave with the product).
It also brought the promise of more change. Remember when we used to say that computers would reduce the amount of paperwork we have? Apparently no one's seen our offices lately. Remember when computers were supposed to help us get our jobs done faster? The promise was that we'd have more free time - employees thought that meant getting the job done faster and the potential to leave early; employers knew that meant that fewer employees could do more work in the same amount of time, increasing productivity and profits.
But for the most part, technology has done what it promised - radically change the way we think, communicate, and socialize - to the point that if we're not connected with some kind of current technology, we'll be referred to as the new cloistered recluses.
Still, the potential technology possesses to further change our culture is immeasurable. As soon as we become accustomed to a change, another change happens. Just like hearing that Microsoft is working on Windows 7 shortly after all of us began buying new computers with their Vista operating system.
Since technology is all about change, here's a suggestion - come up with a product that people actually WANT - not one that we have to "deal with."
I thought that would happen in 2008. I was SO excited to hear about Palm's Foleo - sort of a hybrid between the PDA (their tiny screens have outlived their usefulness to 40+ year-old eyes) and a notebook computer (with anti-virus and anti-spyware galore). The user wouldn't have to wait for it to boot up, and its wireless capabilities would allow the user to access the Internet and email. Documents to Go would allow the user to work on Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. I COULDN'T WAIT!!! It was at the top of the "Need to Get This" list.
Then comes the announcement that Palm has crushed the Foleo project, and is planning to get out of the PDA business altogether by the end of this year in favor of competing with portable cellular telephone providers such Blackberry, Motorola, and the like.
Okay - is anybody listening? I don't use txtspk. I can text if I need to, just like I can speak and write in French if I need to. But if I turn in a report with no capitalization nor punctuation and words spelled with letters, I'll be fired for incompetence. I'd much rather work on a screen that's a little larger than the cover of the book of postage stamps I bought over Christmas, AND I'd like to be able to leave this technology in a briefcase when going through an airport security station - rather than pulling out the computer and putting it in its own bin because it has a laser in it that reads optical discs...or is it because they could be made into things we'd rather not think about. Forget the CDs and DVDs (I know my kids have) - give me a 100 GB SD card (you can make it...I KNOW you can....). And besides, the portable hard drive and power transformer looks more like some kind of incendiary device than does a computer - why aren't we required to take that stuff out of our briefcases too?
Here's a suggestion - Blackberry, are you listening? - keep your handheld products at the cutting edge for those that need them, but you need to do 2 things: 1) Make them available for all wireless networks; and 2) buy the technology necessary to market your own Foleo-type product. You could call it the "THORN" - Transportable Home/Office Replicator Network - or something creative like that - not only because blackberry bushes have thorns, but because it'll make you untouchable in the marketplace for developing something we REALLY need, rather than a competitive product that none of us want.
Technology made its way into the common lexicon of the 20th Century, and changed not only the way we do business (nobody knew what an ebay was 20 years ago), but also changed the meaning of words ("swipe" used to be what unsavory people did to objects in a store; now it's expected that we swipe before we leave with the product).
It also brought the promise of more change. Remember when we used to say that computers would reduce the amount of paperwork we have? Apparently no one's seen our offices lately. Remember when computers were supposed to help us get our jobs done faster? The promise was that we'd have more free time - employees thought that meant getting the job done faster and the potential to leave early; employers knew that meant that fewer employees could do more work in the same amount of time, increasing productivity and profits.
But for the most part, technology has done what it promised - radically change the way we think, communicate, and socialize - to the point that if we're not connected with some kind of current technology, we'll be referred to as the new cloistered recluses.
Still, the potential technology possesses to further change our culture is immeasurable. As soon as we become accustomed to a change, another change happens. Just like hearing that Microsoft is working on Windows 7 shortly after all of us began buying new computers with their Vista operating system.
Since technology is all about change, here's a suggestion - come up with a product that people actually WANT - not one that we have to "deal with."
I thought that would happen in 2008. I was SO excited to hear about Palm's Foleo - sort of a hybrid between the PDA (their tiny screens have outlived their usefulness to 40+ year-old eyes) and a notebook computer (with anti-virus and anti-spyware galore). The user wouldn't have to wait for it to boot up, and its wireless capabilities would allow the user to access the Internet and email. Documents to Go would allow the user to work on Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. I COULDN'T WAIT!!! It was at the top of the "Need to Get This" list.
Then comes the announcement that Palm has crushed the Foleo project, and is planning to get out of the PDA business altogether by the end of this year in favor of competing with portable cellular telephone providers such Blackberry, Motorola, and the like.
Okay - is anybody listening? I don't use txtspk. I can text if I need to, just like I can speak and write in French if I need to. But if I turn in a report with no capitalization nor punctuation and words spelled with letters, I'll be fired for incompetence. I'd much rather work on a screen that's a little larger than the cover of the book of postage stamps I bought over Christmas, AND I'd like to be able to leave this technology in a briefcase when going through an airport security station - rather than pulling out the computer and putting it in its own bin because it has a laser in it that reads optical discs...or is it because they could be made into things we'd rather not think about. Forget the CDs and DVDs (I know my kids have) - give me a 100 GB SD card (you can make it...I KNOW you can....). And besides, the portable hard drive and power transformer looks more like some kind of incendiary device than does a computer - why aren't we required to take that stuff out of our briefcases too?
Here's a suggestion - Blackberry, are you listening? - keep your handheld products at the cutting edge for those that need them, but you need to do 2 things: 1) Make them available for all wireless networks; and 2) buy the technology necessary to market your own Foleo-type product. You could call it the "THORN" - Transportable Home/Office Replicator Network - or something creative like that - not only because blackberry bushes have thorns, but because it'll make you untouchable in the marketplace for developing something we REALLY need, rather than a competitive product that none of us want.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Technology Creates Change
We're now finally seeing television commericals stating when broadcast transmission of our beloved "TV channels" will cease. But think about it...there was a time when many people can remember that there was no such thing as "TV channels" - and soon "TV channels" will become a part of our history. Digitial technology has changed the way we look at television - literally and figuratively.
And as Mr. TV Announcer has been known to say, "But wait...there's more!" - http://slashdot.org/articles/07/11/30/1520203.shtml
And as Mr. TV Announcer has been known to say, "But wait...there's more!" - http://slashdot.org/articles/07/11/30/1520203.shtml
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Need for Media Literacy (or, "Can I Use This and Not Violate Copyright?")
I just received the November/December 2007 edition of eSchool News. The headline article, "Fair Use Rules Baffle Schools" by Meris Stansbury, provides some excellent insight to a possible, no, probable, reason why some teachers, schools, and districts are reluctant to use technology in the classroom. Not only do they not want to expose children to the dangers that are now part and parcel of using the Internet, but because they're afraid they'll get in trouble for using copyrighted information.
As the article states, it all comes down to education.
"According to the report ("The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy"), educators don't have a clear definition of fair use because they have no professional training regarding the issue, they've read varying definitions of fair use, or they've heard rumors of stories from other teachers. Some teachers oversimplify fair use, whle most limit its scope more narrowly than do the courts that have interpreted it."
"The real problem lies in the consequences of this confusion. With restricted teaching materials, students' education is at stake."
The report continues to say that "it is time for media literacy education to move beyond outworn 'guidelines' and dubious and even unhelpful 'rules of thumb.'"
I think that's one of the things we can talk about on the Instrumediatech eCommunity!! Click it to be connected, or simply provide a comment on this blog.
If you'd like to read the entire article, visit http://www.eschoolnews.com/. If you'd like to see the report, "The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy, click here.
As the article states, it all comes down to education.
"According to the report ("The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy"), educators don't have a clear definition of fair use because they have no professional training regarding the issue, they've read varying definitions of fair use, or they've heard rumors of stories from other teachers. Some teachers oversimplify fair use, whle most limit its scope more narrowly than do the courts that have interpreted it."
"The real problem lies in the consequences of this confusion. With restricted teaching materials, students' education is at stake."
The report continues to say that "it is time for media literacy education to move beyond outworn 'guidelines' and dubious and even unhelpful 'rules of thumb.'"
I think that's one of the things we can talk about on the Instrumediatech eCommunity!! Click it to be connected, or simply provide a comment on this blog.
If you'd like to read the entire article, visit http://www.eschoolnews.com/. If you'd like to see the report, "The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy, click here.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Subsidiarity - or, Remember Your Place in the Food Chain
When I was young, there was an expression that parents told their kids - "There's a place for everything, and everything has its place." While it was meant for us kids to clean up our rooms (or was an attempt to help us with developing organizational skills), I've learned that not only everyTHING, but every person has their place too.
Working in the Catholic Church environment has certainly helped with that realization. Our governments (State and National) provide clear examples as well. For instance, the Federal Government is careful not to make legal decisions that clearly infringe upon express responsibilities of the State - which is why public education is such a tinderbox in this country. There is no Federal standard when States can and are expected to set their own standards of what is below basic, basic, proficient and advanced achievement levels. Nevermind that some people of incredible intelligence and insight can't deal with taking objective assessments, and nevermind that some people who have discarded the rules of grammar, opting for "txtspeak," devoid of punctuation and capitalization, demonstrate excellence when all they have to do is pick one letter out of four. Everyone has a job to do - teachers teach, administrators administer, superintendents...well, superintend.
The problem with technology is that it destroys subsidiarity. The 23-year old with excellent connections (mastering the theory of six degrees of separation) becomes respected as an expert in his field. The teen-aged country singer with drop-dead looks and the angelic voice to match gets her millionth download and turns the record industry on its ear. And, of course, the college drop-out with an idea that students should be able to connect with one another gets together with a couple of his buddies and creates a product that they market to their college friends - and several years later, he's able to turn down ONE BILLION DOLLARS to buy out his company. For us baby boomers, we were trained to believe that success happens with hard work, diligence, "paying your dues" and hopefully, being in the right place at the right time, someone will recognize your abilities and invite you to "step up."
It's very Scriptural, too. Just look to the parable of the talents, where the ambitious servant who invests his money and makes a profit is given what the fearful poor servant buried so that he wouldn't lose what he had. Look to the parable of the banquet, where Jesus reminds us to be humble so that we're invited to "come and sit at a higher place of honor," rather than be embarrassed if we're asked to move to a lower place at a festive gathering. Personally, I think we've learned that lesson well - evidenced by people sitting near the rear of the church during worship services.
However, if the parents of the Millennial Generation (those born from 1985 to 2005) didn't necessarily make it a habit of taking these children to Temple, Mass, or other worship service, they might not have heard that message. The message that they have heard, however, is "instant gratification," and have translated it to their usage of technology. The quest for faster downloads, quicker connections and wi-fi accessibilities is a natural succession to the "Buy it now" philosophy espoused by Generation X and fueled by credit card consumerism. Technology makes "now" arrive that much faster.
In an effort to reconcile subsidiarity and technology, however, it may help to remember that, to continue the Scriptural allusions, "We are many parts." Technologists are Web designers, Web developers, search optimizers, inter-connectivity and compatibility experts, hardware and software specialists and trainers, and networking professionals. But you have to be careful with that last category, since there are technology specialists that can take servers and make them communicate with one another, and there are those that use the technology in order to make people connect with one another. As technology advances, the specializations become more specialized, and the technologist's place in the food chain will change....sometimes faster than we are aware of it happening.
Working in the Catholic Church environment has certainly helped with that realization. Our governments (State and National) provide clear examples as well. For instance, the Federal Government is careful not to make legal decisions that clearly infringe upon express responsibilities of the State - which is why public education is such a tinderbox in this country. There is no Federal standard when States can and are expected to set their own standards of what is below basic, basic, proficient and advanced achievement levels. Nevermind that some people of incredible intelligence and insight can't deal with taking objective assessments, and nevermind that some people who have discarded the rules of grammar, opting for "txtspeak," devoid of punctuation and capitalization, demonstrate excellence when all they have to do is pick one letter out of four. Everyone has a job to do - teachers teach, administrators administer, superintendents...well, superintend.
The problem with technology is that it destroys subsidiarity. The 23-year old with excellent connections (mastering the theory of six degrees of separation) becomes respected as an expert in his field. The teen-aged country singer with drop-dead looks and the angelic voice to match gets her millionth download and turns the record industry on its ear. And, of course, the college drop-out with an idea that students should be able to connect with one another gets together with a couple of his buddies and creates a product that they market to their college friends - and several years later, he's able to turn down ONE BILLION DOLLARS to buy out his company. For us baby boomers, we were trained to believe that success happens with hard work, diligence, "paying your dues" and hopefully, being in the right place at the right time, someone will recognize your abilities and invite you to "step up."
It's very Scriptural, too. Just look to the parable of the talents, where the ambitious servant who invests his money and makes a profit is given what the fearful poor servant buried so that he wouldn't lose what he had. Look to the parable of the banquet, where Jesus reminds us to be humble so that we're invited to "come and sit at a higher place of honor," rather than be embarrassed if we're asked to move to a lower place at a festive gathering. Personally, I think we've learned that lesson well - evidenced by people sitting near the rear of the church during worship services.
However, if the parents of the Millennial Generation (those born from 1985 to 2005) didn't necessarily make it a habit of taking these children to Temple, Mass, or other worship service, they might not have heard that message. The message that they have heard, however, is "instant gratification," and have translated it to their usage of technology. The quest for faster downloads, quicker connections and wi-fi accessibilities is a natural succession to the "Buy it now" philosophy espoused by Generation X and fueled by credit card consumerism. Technology makes "now" arrive that much faster.
In an effort to reconcile subsidiarity and technology, however, it may help to remember that, to continue the Scriptural allusions, "We are many parts." Technologists are Web designers, Web developers, search optimizers, inter-connectivity and compatibility experts, hardware and software specialists and trainers, and networking professionals. But you have to be careful with that last category, since there are technology specialists that can take servers and make them communicate with one another, and there are those that use the technology in order to make people connect with one another. As technology advances, the specializations become more specialized, and the technologist's place in the food chain will change....sometimes faster than we are aware of it happening.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Filtration
It's now to the point where you almost have to completely undress in order to board an airplane in this country. The same thing is happening with Internet security. I can't log on unless I enter a password, scan my fingerprint, and/or insert the correct USB key device, and then, background scans occur so that if a picture happens to be part of a Web site I'm trying to get to, a scan lengthens the time the page requires to load, and then, the picture may not be displayed for some unknown reason. Don't even try to access anything with video.
If this is the frustration I experience in the professional world, then the educational world is at least a hundred times more frustrating. Filters screen out anything that is remotely potentially offensive so that educational Web sites may be "Forbidden," as proclaimed by the screen that appears when trying to access a questionable site. Yet information technology departments that install these filters as best practices also advocate using "away messages" as a best practice.
I guess no one has put two and two together - away messages increase spam potential, since they create an automatic return message to a spammer, resulting in the spammer knowing that their spam has reached a legitimate email address. Such actions tend to generate more spam. I never realized the connection until I found that I would receive a large amount of spam whenever I returned from being out of the office for any period of time.
Out of office messages also create a negative for legitimate correspondence. Since professionals expect that emails will be checked, or have the potential for being checked, even if you're out of the office, to say that "Your message will be responded to when you return" can be interpreted as offensive, and has even been known to cost a salesperson a sale.
The stock market isn't the only place where "Bad news is good news and good news is bad news." What we think is helpful is actually something that hinders our productivity.
If this is the frustration I experience in the professional world, then the educational world is at least a hundred times more frustrating. Filters screen out anything that is remotely potentially offensive so that educational Web sites may be "Forbidden," as proclaimed by the screen that appears when trying to access a questionable site. Yet information technology departments that install these filters as best practices also advocate using "away messages" as a best practice.
I guess no one has put two and two together - away messages increase spam potential, since they create an automatic return message to a spammer, resulting in the spammer knowing that their spam has reached a legitimate email address. Such actions tend to generate more spam. I never realized the connection until I found that I would receive a large amount of spam whenever I returned from being out of the office for any period of time.
Out of office messages also create a negative for legitimate correspondence. Since professionals expect that emails will be checked, or have the potential for being checked, even if you're out of the office, to say that "Your message will be responded to when you return" can be interpreted as offensive, and has even been known to cost a salesperson a sale.
The stock market isn't the only place where "Bad news is good news and good news is bad news." What we think is helpful is actually something that hinders our productivity.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Start it up - NOW
When people make a resolution to do something, they usually wait until the start of the new month, or the start of the new year. Then the new month starts and they forget, and New Year's Resolutions go by the wayside before the month this half-way through.
I'm starting now for three reasons:
1) If I don't start now, there will be something else to come along that will take up the time;
2) I was encouraged to do so for a purpose - to find out what topics should be included on the Instrumediatech eCommunity forum discussion board; and
3) After earning an M.Ed. in Technologies Enhanced Learning/Instructional Design, I realized that our educational system is about to hit the wall. Blogging allows me to speak my mind, and today, Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that I have Freedom of Speech to do just that - as long as the truth is spoken, and I can provide justification, I have nothing to fear.
So here we go.
Dr. Scott McLeod has a great article in this month's Learning and Leading with Technology, the publication of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Titled "An Absence of Leadership," I can't agree more with his assessment of the state of technology within our schools, but, more importantly, the state of education within our nation, our states, and our local communities.
Our Nation
The Constitution of the United States of America makes no provision for education, and leaves educational standards, requirements, policies, and assessment up to the States. This may have been an excellent policy when the USA was primarily an agrarian nation, and even through its conversion to an industrial culture. After all, most of our schools were set up to mimic the environment of the factory so trainable future workers would be used to starting and stopping work at the sound of a whistle (or a bell). Thank you Dr. Pavlov. However, to have 50 different measures of proficiency in a climate where the USA has to compete on the global stage, it only makes sense to have some type of minimal educational standards that students MUST be able to achieve in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace. While No Child Left Behind becomes the scapegoat for all that is wrong with education today, I would like to posit that it is such because the States have failed to produce a nationally cohesive push toward rigor and relevance in their curricula. The work of Dr. Willard Daggett and the International Center for Leadership in Education has taken up the task to raise awareness and encourage schools to produce students who are prepared to enter a world prepared to solve problems that haven't even been created yet. Dr. Scott McLeod and the Center for Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) at Iowa State University also challenges the status quo by campaigning for the necessity for leadership. In times of the status quo, management is what is needed. When the United States was the world leader in all things technology and innovation, traditional educational stratagems and paradigms allowed us to maintain. In times of uncertainty and change, leadership is what is necessary. No Child Left Behind is at least a move towards bringing out the leadership that is required for our children as they move through the educational systems (indeed, systems) of our nation. The real problem lies with the States and local leadership.
Our States
Since I am in Pennsylvania, I can only comment on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Education. Let me first ask a question of all the teachers out there. Would you consider giving your students a summative exam on materials they've never been exposed to, and then record their performance as the final grade for their record? Any professor of assessment that I have put this question to has said that would be ridiculous - a poor model of effective assessment. Yet, that's exactly what our DOE does. School districts statewide are required to provide students with only two years of math courses in high school. Most students take Algebra and Geometry. Yet, the PSSA (the exam which is administered to all 11th grade students to be in compliance with No Child Left Behind) has questions which require at least an exposure to Algebra II and trigonometry to answer. Many students are never exposed to this material throughout their high school experience, yet are expected to pass the test with a score to demonstrate "proficiency" in mathematics. It seems that our teachers have forgotten the importance of pedagogy once they are appointed to this State agency.
As for leadership in technology, I would pose a personal question to the DOE in Pennsylvania. Upon completion of my Master of Education degree and the completion of a practicum in technologies enhanced learning, as well as the successful completion of PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II examinations, I was awarded an Instructional Technology Specialist Certificate by the Commonwealth's DOE. I passed the PRAXIS I (with scores of 185/190 in reading, 186/190 in writing and 190/190 in mathematics), and PRAXIS II (secondary communications). However, since I'm not a certified teacher, I have been led to believe that once my certificate expires in 2010, I will not be able to renew it since I am not employed in a technology-oriented capacity by a school in the Commonwealth as an instructor...even though I teach technology courses at a local university on both the graduate and undergraduate level. Talk about disconnects - this one is just laughable.
Our Local Communities
But then again, what other result can be expected when local communities are rife with unqualified representation on their local school boards? While there are many school boards that are comprise of good people who are concerned about the children and their well-being and safety, there is the danger of sheltering them from the world which they will have to enter in order to not only be successful, but just be able to function. Individuals that are skilled in matters of law, of business, of technology and of education are excellent candidates for school boards. However, they should be required to learn about issues facing education today in order to be effective leaders of education in their community. When a community member is elected to their school board because they have a "great love for the school and the community" but their personal agenda is to see that a pet project of their friend gets approved, there needs to be an outcry from the local community for change. Teachers and administrators are required by the State to maintain certifications by additional educational experiences and training. This makes them more able to observe and evaluate the teachers which they supervise. However, when the school board (with potentially no background in education at all) are put in a position of authority over superintendents, then it's easy to understand why there are fewer and fewer administrators interested in becoming superintendents of school districts.
You want leadership? You must be willing to let leaders lead, and hold them accountable. But in order to hold them accountable, they need to be able to implement the changes necessary to bring about a compelling vision. I'm sure you'll run into communities, however, that want to maintain their status quo since they fear change, and run into disagreements with those organizations known as unions. They were needed as the nation transitioned to an industrial age...but look what happened to the Steelworkers in the 80's (as steel manufacturing went overseas), and the Automobile workers in the 90's (as automobile manufacturing went overseas). With technology and the rise of cyberschools, the NEA has much to be fearful of. Effective leadership requires courage, which necessitates the ability to overcome fear.
I'm starting now for three reasons:
1) If I don't start now, there will be something else to come along that will take up the time;
2) I was encouraged to do so for a purpose - to find out what topics should be included on the Instrumediatech eCommunity forum discussion board; and
3) After earning an M.Ed. in Technologies Enhanced Learning/Instructional Design, I realized that our educational system is about to hit the wall. Blogging allows me to speak my mind, and today, Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that I have Freedom of Speech to do just that - as long as the truth is spoken, and I can provide justification, I have nothing to fear.
So here we go.
Dr. Scott McLeod has a great article in this month's Learning and Leading with Technology, the publication of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Titled "An Absence of Leadership," I can't agree more with his assessment of the state of technology within our schools, but, more importantly, the state of education within our nation, our states, and our local communities.
Our Nation
The Constitution of the United States of America makes no provision for education, and leaves educational standards, requirements, policies, and assessment up to the States. This may have been an excellent policy when the USA was primarily an agrarian nation, and even through its conversion to an industrial culture. After all, most of our schools were set up to mimic the environment of the factory so trainable future workers would be used to starting and stopping work at the sound of a whistle (or a bell). Thank you Dr. Pavlov. However, to have 50 different measures of proficiency in a climate where the USA has to compete on the global stage, it only makes sense to have some type of minimal educational standards that students MUST be able to achieve in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace. While No Child Left Behind becomes the scapegoat for all that is wrong with education today, I would like to posit that it is such because the States have failed to produce a nationally cohesive push toward rigor and relevance in their curricula. The work of Dr. Willard Daggett and the International Center for Leadership in Education has taken up the task to raise awareness and encourage schools to produce students who are prepared to enter a world prepared to solve problems that haven't even been created yet. Dr. Scott McLeod and the Center for Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) at Iowa State University also challenges the status quo by campaigning for the necessity for leadership. In times of the status quo, management is what is needed. When the United States was the world leader in all things technology and innovation, traditional educational stratagems and paradigms allowed us to maintain. In times of uncertainty and change, leadership is what is necessary. No Child Left Behind is at least a move towards bringing out the leadership that is required for our children as they move through the educational systems (indeed, systems) of our nation. The real problem lies with the States and local leadership.
Our States
Since I am in Pennsylvania, I can only comment on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Education. Let me first ask a question of all the teachers out there. Would you consider giving your students a summative exam on materials they've never been exposed to, and then record their performance as the final grade for their record? Any professor of assessment that I have put this question to has said that would be ridiculous - a poor model of effective assessment. Yet, that's exactly what our DOE does. School districts statewide are required to provide students with only two years of math courses in high school. Most students take Algebra and Geometry. Yet, the PSSA (the exam which is administered to all 11th grade students to be in compliance with No Child Left Behind) has questions which require at least an exposure to Algebra II and trigonometry to answer. Many students are never exposed to this material throughout their high school experience, yet are expected to pass the test with a score to demonstrate "proficiency" in mathematics. It seems that our teachers have forgotten the importance of pedagogy once they are appointed to this State agency.
As for leadership in technology, I would pose a personal question to the DOE in Pennsylvania. Upon completion of my Master of Education degree and the completion of a practicum in technologies enhanced learning, as well as the successful completion of PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II examinations, I was awarded an Instructional Technology Specialist Certificate by the Commonwealth's DOE. I passed the PRAXIS I (with scores of 185/190 in reading, 186/190 in writing and 190/190 in mathematics), and PRAXIS II (secondary communications). However, since I'm not a certified teacher, I have been led to believe that once my certificate expires in 2010, I will not be able to renew it since I am not employed in a technology-oriented capacity by a school in the Commonwealth as an instructor...even though I teach technology courses at a local university on both the graduate and undergraduate level. Talk about disconnects - this one is just laughable.
Our Local Communities
But then again, what other result can be expected when local communities are rife with unqualified representation on their local school boards? While there are many school boards that are comprise of good people who are concerned about the children and their well-being and safety, there is the danger of sheltering them from the world which they will have to enter in order to not only be successful, but just be able to function. Individuals that are skilled in matters of law, of business, of technology and of education are excellent candidates for school boards. However, they should be required to learn about issues facing education today in order to be effective leaders of education in their community. When a community member is elected to their school board because they have a "great love for the school and the community" but their personal agenda is to see that a pet project of their friend gets approved, there needs to be an outcry from the local community for change. Teachers and administrators are required by the State to maintain certifications by additional educational experiences and training. This makes them more able to observe and evaluate the teachers which they supervise. However, when the school board (with potentially no background in education at all) are put in a position of authority over superintendents, then it's easy to understand why there are fewer and fewer administrators interested in becoming superintendents of school districts.
You want leadership? You must be willing to let leaders lead, and hold them accountable. But in order to hold them accountable, they need to be able to implement the changes necessary to bring about a compelling vision. I'm sure you'll run into communities, however, that want to maintain their status quo since they fear change, and run into disagreements with those organizations known as unions. They were needed as the nation transitioned to an industrial age...but look what happened to the Steelworkers in the 80's (as steel manufacturing went overseas), and the Automobile workers in the 90's (as automobile manufacturing went overseas). With technology and the rise of cyberschools, the NEA has much to be fearful of. Effective leadership requires courage, which necessitates the ability to overcome fear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
