Journal 8

Fitting the Pieces Together, Successful Technology Integration with Laptops by Patricia A. Yost
Learning & Leading with Technology November 2007

In this very interesting article, Patricia Yost details exactly what makes the State College Area School District student laptop initiative so successful. The pilot program began two and a half years ago with eight sixth grade teachers, and, looking back, Yost is able to identify the specifics that have made it so successful. Of course, the program began with equipment, but Yost goes on to say that equipment, often the be all and end all of many a program, is actually just the beginning.

In addition to equipment, teacher readiness, ongoing professional development and a shared database are the keys to the program's success. Many teachers are slow to adopt new technology and the pilot program addressed this by allowing the teachers to have access to a laptop, a video projector and professional development instruction for a full year before extending the access to students. Professional development continues throughout year two and year three and culminates with "sharing sessions," where teachers share a lesson or strategy they've learned, and finally, the creation of a resources and lessons database.

How does Yost know that the pilot program has been successful? In the article she gives examples of the types of technology integration that is happening in the sixth grade classrooms on a daily basis. Examples include changing the focus of research from topical to purposeful; research that helps students make decisions or choose between alternatives. Teachers are also creating self-paced presentation documents to replace lectures and incorporating video segments within lectures to illustrate specific points. Teachers are also using email and electronic chat rooms to communicate with students, parents and fellow teachers.

Questions:
1. Is the ongoing professional development enough to overcome a teacher's reluctance to adopt a new technology? I think that ongoing professional development can be enough to overcome teacher reluctance. This is especially true when the professional development is paid and occurs during the regular school hours. In addition, Yost points out that one reason why the database works so well in this district is because the teachers are given time during a professional development session to upload their first lesson to the database and the opportunity to browse others' lessons.
2. How come so many technology programs focus on the equipment and go no farther? I think the lack of equipment often seems like the biggest obstacle to integrating technology in the classroom when in reality it is the reluctance of the teacher to try something new. Even though teachers may see the value in the new technology, they are often overwhelmed with their day-to-day tasks and do not see a simple path to technology integration.