Databus Issue: 2007 4 12/04/2007
CUE View
Scott Smith Board PresidentThe Other Side of the Coin
PDF
In schools and districts, information technology
(IT) has a flip side. Itfs the new field of
Instructional Technology (IT) where hardware
and software intersect teaching and learning
whether in a library, a media center or classroom.
This new column expands on the vision, promise
and pitfalls of using technology to advance student
achievement, the mission-critical job of any
school or district.
Vinay Buttan arrived from Pakistan this past
summer and enrolled in the local middle school
where he was placed in an EL (English Learner)
strand to support his language development. His
social studies course was a gregularh class of 35
students including four other EL students. For
the first few months, his teacher directed the
PowerPoint lectures at the regular students while
underselling the ability of the mainstreamed
students to learn the material. The teacher commented,
gThe curriculum is too hard for my EL
students to understand. Theyfd rather work on
math homework.h
Then, inspired by an in-service on technology
integration, the teacher ventured to put laptops into
the studentsf hands and challenged them to solve an
interesting problem. He addressed the class as the
royal announcer of a medieval kingdom.
gYour king seeks a new invention to improve
his kingdom. As his loyal scientists, you will pick
a key invention of the medieval time period, thoroughly
understand its impact on society and pitch
a multimedia presentation to persuade the king to
loosen his treasury and finance your invention.h
When the mobile cart of 16 laptops was rolled
out, the students were eager to grab one and get
started. To the teacherfs surprise, one was placed
on Vinayfs desk. A neighboring student reached
over to take it away from Vinay assuming that the
EL students wouldnft participate in the project.
Vinay quickly picked up the laptop and hugged it
close to his chest. In his best broken English, Vinay
loudly proclaimed, gI do project! I do project!h
When Vinay was shown how to translate websites
into his native tongue, he took off. For the
rest of the week, Vinay and his EL peers poured
themselves into the project and exceeded their
teacherfs expectations with a project unlike any
other in the class. The teacher adjusted his view
of EL students and the role technology can play to
support their learning.
Clear research from Kati Haycock on gclosing
the achievement gaph (http://edtrust.org) stresses
the value of placing great expectations on our students.
gTeachers who expect much from students
are more likely to receive much, itfs that simple.h
Technology, when used effectively, holds a key to
raising our expectations of students and it levels
the playing field for struggling students to meet
those expectations.
In future issues, we will continue to illustrate
the complex world of instructional technology
and the high demands it places on the best and
brightest from the other side of the IT coin. ð¯
Scott Smith, CUE board president, is the
director of instructional technology for Visalia
Unified School District. He can be reached at
scott@vusd.org.
