As a school administrator for many years, I know how important the use of technology within our schools has become. Those of you who have been in education for awhile probably remember fondly “ditto machines.” I was always adept at getting that purple ink all over my face. It was annoying to me, but pretty funny to my students. Or how about overhead projectors, filmstrip reels or slide carousels? Progressing greatly from those days, technology for school administrators is a topic that can no longer be ignored.
Today the obvious area currently facing school administrators is instructional technology. The virtual classroom has become necessary and many administrators may feel inadequate in this area. Whether it is resistance to change or teacher reluctance to learn a new way, technology in the classroom continues to be feared. We can no longer let this be the case. Education in America has needed to change for so long.
It’s 2020 and what has changed?
At this site you will find a reprint of the 1994 Report if the National Education Commission on Time and Learning. I found this in my documents from my Masters’ studies which I completed in 1994. I am flabbergasted at how pertinent this document is today! We continue to use the structure of “learn what you can in the time we give you.” Whether we want to admit or not, the parameters of student progress are determined by schedules for bells, buses, and vacations. The time has come to place more value on what is best for student learning. this instead of standards for students’ learning. The value of technology to instruction is obvious. Captives of the clock, it is well past time for change!!!!
The Answer: Not much has changed!
I am listing here for you a direct excerpt from a reprint of the 1994 Report if the National Education Commission on Time and Learning. Here is the state of our schools back in 1994:
- With few exceptions, schools open and close their doors at fixed times in the morning and early afternoon—a school in one district might open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 2:15 p.m.; in another, the school day may run from 8:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon.
- With few exceptions, the school year lasts nine months, beginning in late summer and ending in late spring.
- According to the National Center for Education Statistics, schools typically offer a six‐period day, with about 5.6 hours of classroom time a day.
- No matter how complex or simple the school subject—literature, shop, physics, gym, or algebra—the schedule assigns each an impartial national average of 51 minutes per class period, no matter how well or poorly students comprehend the material.
- The norm for required school attendance, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers, is 180 days. Eleven states permit school terms of 175 days or less; only one state requires more than 180.
School Leaders must emphasize the importance of technology for school administrators and teachers.
Perhaps we are one to one laptop schools or we have terrific technological capabilities. These areas are continually shifting. But have we allowed it to change the way and when we teach? But are we willing to use technology to look differently at our school systems? The answer is simple- we need to do so. Why? Our students benefit from our willingness to be better. After this time of pandemic, we can never look at schools the same way again. And that is a REALLY good thing!
Response Magic