Last week I listened to a 12 year old boy named Ryan Battle advocate for other children his age. He was a panelist on the NASSP’s panel discussion Technology in Schools: Student, Teacher, and Principle Perspectives at the Rayburn House Office building on Capitol Hill.
If you are feeling beleaguered due to the primary season, or disgusted because kids these days and their “smartphones/tablets/screens”, this blog is for you, because Ryan and the topic of technology in the classroom gave me so much hope for the future.
Ryan goes to Howard University Middle School. Here I’ll let him tell you about it:
Good morning everyone. I am Ryan Battle I am a 6th grader from Howard University Middle School of Mathematics. It is a 2 to 1 school which means every student gets 2 computers, one computer for home and one for school. I am very excited and happy to be here.
He is rightfully excited, this school has a rigorous acceptance process and Ryan is receiving a top notch education. But the main thing he wanted to talk about as the youngest panelist was children that don’t go to his school.
My goal today is to let you know how technology affects kids like me and to stand up for the students who do not have equal access to education, and the world through technology. When it comes to education, like Thurgood Marshall said, “Equal means getting the same thing, at the same time, and in the same place.”
Every single time Ryan spoke he brought it back to the students that don’t have it as good as he does. Yes he helped shed light on just how technology is revolutionizing the learning process, but his passion was in being an advocate.
The learning experience without technology will be limited to just books, paper, pencil, and a talking teacher. You do not have access to the world. Also, every student was given a laptop to take home. I don’t have to fight with my brother over the computer anymore, and I can complete all of my assignments without using any ink from a printer! Also, this makes sure all students have access to the same information. Meaning, no matter what you look like or act like you have a fair chance at education because you all have the same tools. My school is a 2:1 school. I interviewed a teacher that taught at a public school in South East DC. I was told that the student to computer ratio is 30:8. Meaning for every 30 students, there are 8 computers. How is this equal access for the students? This is not fair to the students.
And as the panel went on I began to agree with Ryan even more because the discussion was quite enlightening. Even though I work via a laptop from home, I have to admit I am a bit of a luddite. I am constantly worrying that kids aren’t outside enough, don’t know where their food comes from, aren’t learning biology, don’t have time for music lessons, don’t know what a card catalogue is etc, which of course means this country is going straight to hell in a hand basket. Turns out while those all might be problems, they aren’t quite as important as access to technology. Which you think I would have grasped before given the nature of my work. From student government to parent education, technology in the classroom is creating a more vibrant learning experience for some students, and in turn leaving other students even further behind than before.
Kimberly Knuth is a 11th grader from Sioux City, Iowa. Her school is a 1:1 school meaning each student is given a laptop that they can use in and outside of the classroom. She participates in student government at her school and through the use of several different online platforms she is able to connect with student governments across her state which increases the effectiveness of the students collective efforts by allowing them to get more done with less resources. So although they are seeing each other less face to face, they are interacting exponentially more. That is not the outcome I was picturing.
I also picture teachers jobs when I hear of technology in the classroom. I instantly cringe, thinking this is going to continue the trend of more students and less teachers. But given that more students and less teachers isn’t something that is going to happen in the future but is actually something that has already happened, perhaps we should start thinking of way to work within that framework instead of fighting it. Felix Yerace, a teacher from PA said it best,
I don’t have to get them the information, I now can help them consume the information.
What? It’s not a disaster? Go on…
Google drive lets faculty and students collaborate easily. During a snowstorm, I did a podcast of the scheduled lesson and the students were able to get the information they needed to be ready for the AP social studies test coming up, which happen on preset scheduled dates that don’t take snow days into account.
Ryan’s principle, Kathryn Procope, was the 4th panelist. Her and Ryan’s school is a Google Education school as well as a Microsoft parent school. The latter program focuses on getting parents up to speed with the technology that their kids are bringing home. And there are tons of innovative platforms available. Power school is an online system that lets students and teachers check in at any time to track grades, absences and receive messages. When any record is entered, the student, the teacher and the parent/s get a notification. Edmodo classroom is another management software program where users can post notes and materials and parents can log in as well.
Imagine how much easier it would be for a single parent with 2 jobs to be involved in their childrens education if they were able to check in on their homework progress on their phone. Yeah it may not be the nostalgic after dinner, wide ruled paper and pencil, homework collaboration between parent and child, but that isn’t working for everyone. And as Ryan kept pointing out we need to have an education system that works for everyone. He convinced me technology is up to that challenge. I’ll let him conclude:
I read an article by Cecila Kang in the New York Times called “Bridging a Digital Divide That Leaves Schoolchildren Behind.” In this article, underprivileged students had to stand outside of a local school for hours to do homework on their family’s smartphone. Other students had to rely on a bus with Wi-Fi, a library, or fast food restaurants to get a connection just to do homework. How is this equal and fair? Having technology gives everyone an equal chance at getting the education they need no matter the color of their skin, or how much money they have. I have the same opportunity as everyone else. So should you. Technology doesn’t judge.
To learn more about the legislative steps towards making Ryans hope for the future a reality check out www.nassp.org/...