Riding The Digital Learning Wave

I have come to expect that some days will be more rewarding then others since I do work with both Middle school students and technology. Yesterday and today demonstrated the wave nature of my work dramatically.

Trough:
Yesterday as I left school a group of girls were sitting outside enjoying the weather and waiting for their afternoon practice to begin. They were snacking and had books strewn about studying. One girl who I have know since 1st grade and is now in 7th grade, exclaimed; “Hello Mr. Schaefer! Wow, I never see you any more like I did last year when I was always in the lab. We never come to the lab for class”. Her friends echoed some of the same sentiments and while I know students can exaggerate some, they are telling the truth as they see it. She and her friends were in the lab “all the time” as they worked on various podcasts, movies, multimedia presentations, blogging and other writing projects. The digital learning of a 6th grade student is different then a 7th grade student. I am not saying whether it is better or less it is in the perception of the student, different. Should this be happening or should the student be utilizing the tools they learned in 6th grade more in 7th? What are the causes for this drop in “computer lab time”? For one thing, the double Language Arts block is gone so the flexibility for teachers is lessened and all of the Science classrooms have laptops available for students to use as well. Perhaps the curriculum is structured in such a way as to lessen the time to integrate technology.

Something that I also know is that the student who exclaimed her missing me and the computer lab has a MacBook that her mother purchased for her last year after we discussed the purchase. Why is she not using that at school more this year? Does she even bring it to school? Is this a good or bad thing?

Crest:
Today a student asked if she could talk with me concerning a laptop for herself. She has an iPod Touch and a Windows laptop that is old and missing keys. She travels each weekend and needs a new laptop to take with her. She wanted to buy what she heard Apple will announce next week at MacWorld or whatever I thought would be good. We talked for about 10 minutes on what the rumors might be and how a MacBook could work really well for her and that whatever she did she should hold off until we know more about what happens next week. I am amazed that an 8th grade girl knows there is a MacWorld next week much less that she has seen the rumors and photo mockups of the rumors. Why is she so tuned in? My answer is because it is a part of her life. She is a digital native and that is what natives do. She has a problem, (traveling and old laptop) so she is looking for a solution based on past ways she solved problems. We did put together a price on a MacBook but she knows to wait, like I need to tell her to wait so she could be one of the first with the latest gadget.

Trough:
Since we came back from break I have been asking students in study hall if they have a laptop. Most do although not all which means some students may not have access to the technology as much as their peers. We must be careful of creating the haves and have nots. I do know since we came back that perhaps 5 students have asked for directions to setup their laptop on the network. While this is the default laptop program at DA, we must realize that it has long term ramifications if not all community members have equal access.

Crest:
It is lunch time so I am observing in the labs what students are doing. I notice a student using a laptop just like mine, well not just like mine but close as his is newer and is running Leopard. He is demonstrating how to use iChat effects in Photobooth to a group of students. He is excited and wonders why every student does not have a laptop. He even had a financial plan for how we could save money over the course of 3 years by not having to buy the desktops and how students could have a great laptop even when it is paid for at the end of the 3 years. He obviously has plans for his future. He is an 8th grade student.

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I will keep riding the digital wave as that is what I do, but I do hope the period between crests gets smaller as the troughs are to me where we need to interject change.

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