New Tech Standards & Requirement

The first standard I’d like to address is actually the 6^th – Technology Operation and Concepts.  I work with schools now for my job with the American Heart Association.  I’m constantly told by teachers in schools in all communities, even some affluent ones, that many kids don’t have access to technology.  

First, I find that hard to believe in this day and age, and second – this has to change!  I think all kids should have access to technology in the classroom and be able to use it.  Here are some strategies I would implement in a middle or high school science classroom to cover this standard:

·      make use of spreadsheets in my lab classes so students get the basics of how to use, create basic formulas, etc

·      have plenty of use of desktop or laptop computers to get the basics of the operating system (Mac or Windows depending on the district I’m in) and how to “get around” in that environment

·      Cover the use of basic USB devices that interface with the computer as we may be using devices to interface with the computer to take readings for labs.

Another standard of interest to me is Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making.  Any student that has a good grasp on making technology work for them in these areas has a leg up in the working world.  Some things I might do here in class are:

·      Again, using spreadsheets to collect and analyze data – I think spreadsheets are underused by most people and are very powerful analysis tools.  I would do many activities in class where we use different strategies to look at data.

·      I would go over how to pull abstracts from library websites and talk about what are appropriate websites for collecting research on scientific topics, but also general topics as well.

·      From the point above, I would also go over how to find alternative resources and maybe do an exercise where each student explores a different website for the same topic we are learning about.

Lastly, I’d like to look at Communication and Collaboration.  This is one of the most important reasons to employ technology and that what most of use use the internet for – to communicate with one another.  In class, I could:

·      Have students do a collaborative research assignment with a school in another country or state closely connected with the topic.

·      Showcase a variety of tools such as Screenr, Teamviewer, Skype and other common tools for communication and collaboration so that kids get familiar with them

As I mentioned in the beginning, a hurdle we face is the accessibility of technology in the home.  Students that can go home and get on the family computer (or personal laptop in many cases) will have much more practice at using these tools learned in the classroom.  How do we overcome this “digital divide”?  I think there are a few options:

·      Allow more time at school for technology

·      After school computer clubs and workshops

·      Buddy system – partner kids with computers with kids without computers to work together after school

·      Get information to families about accessing their local library for computer access