I came under fire recently for my first post. Some of the fire was deserved and have since apologized for my insensitive conjectures but I still defend my central premise. I am hesitant to judge the teacher's reluctance to use technology especially those who did not grow up with it. We're in the middle of a huge paradigm shift and until the entire population of teachers who aren't digital natives are replaced we will continue to see refusal to conform no matter how much support is provided. Even when they are replaced we will have a new stratum of teachers; from ones who are doing technology well to those who aren’t. Since I started my Ed. Tech masters I feel as though I have been inundated with an ideology that Web 2.0 is the technological/educational proverbial messiah. Regular ed. Classroom teachers have so much more that they are accountable for. I really think a lot of them would love to get involved with technology but there is only so much that they can do well during a day.
The reason for this is time. Teaching has changed from an Art to a Science. Proper lesson planning consumes so much more time than it used to. Teachers have to analyze data and create individualized instruction not just for the student's with IEP's but for everyone or at least small groups. With the new ESE inclusion model teachers have to plan for students that they never had to. The world of teaching has changed and there is more than just technology to learn right now.
With this eventually comes the part where teachers have the right to say "I need to go home." Teachers could be at work all night planning and preparing lessons, keeping up on their e-mail and parent correspondence. But there comes a time where you have to say "I have put in enough time today" I have a life beyond these walls and I have a right to it. Let me follow that up by saying that I a not defending the teachers who walk out the door every day 15 minutes early with recycled lesson plans for the past 30 years. Those teachers need fired. But there does come a time where you've done as much or above what a human should be expected to do during the day for the meager salary one receives.
Aaron Huestis
I appreciate your frankness and encourage you to continue helping those of us who have little classroom experience understand what it's like "out there". It won't diminish our desire to be effective teachers but rather help us maintain a perspective of the real issues. Of course, I hope you will also passionately divulge what you do consider the pragmatic solutions, such as maintaining a healthy work/life balance.
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