Comments on: What will we do with these LD teachers?

By: Educational Discourse » Do you use?

Educational Discourse » Do you use? — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:39:39 +0000

[...] What will we do with these LD teachers? [...]

By: Wesley Fryer

Wesley Fryer — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:18:47 +0000

This is a very interesting thread, Kelly, and one I don’t think I’ve really reflected on much to date. I do acknowledge that there are big differences in the willingness and desire of teachers to learn new tools and tricks– I am not a fan of the digital immigrant/digital native dichotomy, because I see it used often as an excuse rather than a tool to understand differences– and I tend to like saying “we all can be learners” in both analog and digital contexts. The issue of time IS important. I’m now at a conference without my family, and therefore will have some more evening time (if I choose) to read blogs, comment, write, etc. TIME is one of the biggest issues. I am happier if I spend most of the evening at home interacting with my family, and NOT staying up into the wee hours of the night reading and writing (and playing)– but those late hours tend to be the times I learn the most and am the most “productive” when it comes to learning new read/write web stuff.

The idea of teachers being “LD” when it comes to technology use is tied, I suppose, to the same conceptions of Marc Prensky when he wrote about Digital Immigrants, only it ties the apparent inability to learn as fast as others to a learning style or orientation rather than generational membership. I think I prefer that sort of LD distinction, instead of grouping essentially all “adults” in the “immigrant camp.” I wrote a bit about this last October in an ITM post titled “Digital refugees and bridges.” Thanks for this post. I’m still thinking…..

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:34:56 +0000

Thanks for your insight. I might also compare Web 2.0 to learning to play an instrument. I am a former band director, and I can play wind instruments and percussion, but if it has strings, FUGGETABOUTIT! No matter how hard I try, I can’t get the sound to come out. It’s not that I’m not trying, nor that I’m not musically inclined, it’s just an instrument I can’t “get.” You can tell me to reprioritize my life so that I devote more time to practicing, but my fingers just don’t move or bend the right way. So maybe these reluctant teachers are not lazy, or unmotivated, they truly don’t get technology.

By: kwhobbes

kwhobbes — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:51:27 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. I guess, when I titled the entry, I was hoping people would see that it was ironic. These teachers are not LD but are busy trying to do the endless tasks that are required of them. Plus, they do want a life. They want to spend time with their families and go out with their friends and maybe, just maybe, not do work the whole weekend. In education, we really have to quit dumping all the problems on the teachers. Instead, we need to determine ways to assist teachers to do their work and incorporate new ideas in such a way as to not overwhelm them. Many of the early adopters are tech people. Not all but many and it is important to remember that teaching in a regular classroom is much different than teaching something like computers or technology. So, I’m with you all the way Chris. Enjoy your family!

By: chrisk

chrisk — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:38:49 +0000

Personally, when I was in industry I was an early adopter. Now that I am in academia, the meetings, grading, data aggregation, lesson prep, GATE functions, student teacher commitments, literacy coaching functions, parent meetings, tutoring sessions, and assorted things of that nature have dramatically reduced my ability to fiddle with gizmos and gadgets. If I am twinking, I don’t have time to keep up with the latest research in adolescent literacy. Since I work with kids who are not themselves twinkers (low SES/low reading levels), experimenting with web 2.5 tools and the like has to wait until the weekend. Then it becomes a choice of seeing my family, or staring (again) at a computer screen for hours on end. Perhaps…just perhaps…some of the LD teachers actually have lives.