Often communities do not realize the power they have in achieving what they want for their schools. Getting people to work together to bring the advantages of technology into our classrooms is both possible and necessary. It is important, however, that people who are interested in effective use of technology in schools realize the importance of positive publicity, hard work, and community (and outside of the community, too) connections. Those who want to move forward must not stand aside and wait. This is a story, a model perhaps that others might use, of a group of people from businesses, universities, user groups, and schools in one community who weren't willing to wait for someone else to bring effective technology use into all schools of their region. It's a story of big businesses, small businesses, a business organization, leaders from nine counties and two universities, teachers, parents, students, and those interested in technology from public and private education helping each other. In many ways, it's a dream beginning to materialize.
Introducing - "The Community That Did!"
I was part of this community effort and had the opportunity to talk with and listen to the people mentioned in this essay. Ideas from these people are woven into the story behind an exciting community involvement movement. Many of the business, user group, PS-12, and university people involved in this effort were parents; these people agreed that something needed to be done, and they did it. They have given their schools one big step forward in achieving more effective use of technology in classrooms and computer labs. In fact, meetings over a period of two years focused upon the question asked in this competition. The group answer is, "Communities can help schools with technology needs; they can provide teachers and administrators with instruction, assistance, and support; they can help schools make use of existing resources; they can provide introductions to new technologies; they can promote positive publicity; and they can encourage everyone - business people, school administrators, teachers, parents, user groups, university administrators, university education professors, students - to work together. Most of all, they can make things happen."
Introducing - The Community Players
Community Player #1 - Herb Fincher, owner of a roofing company and a member of the Maryland State Board of Education, could be called the father of this movement. Fincher is a grandfather who is not only concerned about school use of technology for his grandchildren, but for all children of the area. His connections with education and business leaders throughout Maryland were essential in this effort. Fincher believes that many schools are not making effective use of the computers and other technologies they purchased in the past. Often, according to Fincher, school leaders rule out use of existing machines and worry about not being able to afford the latest. Fincher, like others discussed here, had a dream of providing a Center in which both old and new technologies would be available for teacher and administrator training. Through this training, schools would be able to make more effective use of all equipment, not just state-of-the-art technologies, to improve education. Fincher stressed that the need for teachers to have access to telecommunications was necessary, that teachers doing exciting projects using technology should be recognized, and that it was most important for educational and local community leaders to be aware of the strong push of the business community behind use of technology in the schools. He felt that the business community could be instrumental in bringing about change.
Community Player #2 - The Greater Salisbury Committee (GSC), directed by Luis Luna, not only supported the efforts to improve education through technology, but was the cauldron that brought together all the players. This is an organization of business people/CEOs from the region. Businesses numbered among members of GSC are U.S. Air Express/Henson Corporation, Dresser Industries, Delmarva Power & Light, Grumman Aircraft, Perdue Farms, C & P Telephone, Pepsi, and about 75 other companies. According to Luna, "The GSC acts as a catalyst. It will not serve as the leadership for projects, but it will stand behind groups and assist with support and connections until the groups get going on their own." Luna and the GSC members felt that technology use and understanding of technology in the schools were needs in the region. Fincher is also a member of GSC; he says that the Committee is there to identify problems, seek ideas about solutions, and help community groups to solve these problems. To show support for bringing about community actions, GSC, under the guidance of Fincher, held a special meeting inviting representatives from school and political units on the 1993 Comp Eastern Shore of Maryland. At this meeting, several representatives spoke about the needs concerning technology in the schools and why a technology training center for educators was needed. GSC had begun to take actions as a catalyst and a promoter for the schools and technology use.
Community Player #3 - Doran Christensen, Dean of the School of Education & Professional Studies, Salisbury State University, decided right from the beginning that his University would play an active role in this community effort. He talked with leaders at the University and offered use of the school's technology facilities - DOS, Apple II, Windows, and Macintosh - for a Center. In addition, the Dean announced that the University would pay the salary of a director for a regional educational technology center. It was evident that Christensen saw the need for the University to play a vital role in getting better technology information to the schools and offering better training in technology for both preservice and inservice teachers. He and Rossi, mentioned below, foresee the development of a graduate program in education technology use connected with the "hands-on" workshop atmosphere of the Center. Such a program, according to Christensen and Rossi, would be valuable for the community in helping educators keep up with using both existing and new technologies effectively.
Community Player #4 - Gerry Rossi, Chairman, Department of Education, Salisbury State University, realized that schools needed help with technology training years ago. Because of this, she worked not only through the School of Education, but through a local education technology user group to help schools move forward. With area teachers who were interested in technology, Rossi supported efforts in the schools and hired K-12 teachers who used technology effectively in their schools to teach courses in her university department. Rossi, like other educators in the area, wanted to create a facility that would bring "hands-on" instruction in technology use. She, with the assistance of several others, set up a summer meeting and then a spring conference which brought leaders in business and education from nine counties in Maryland together. These events, which included information about the University's technology facilities for educators, ideas for the future, a call to work together, and why a technology education center was needed, introduced people of the region to possible solutions for at least some school problems in technology.
Community Player #5 - The Technology Committee is a special interest group started by the Greater Salisbury Committee to bring about solutions. It includes representatives from business, PS-12 public and private schools, school boards, and two universities. Mac Brittingham, CEO of C & P Telephone, for example, serves on the committee. Because of his leadership in the telephone industry, he sees the need for community support of distance learning through fiber optic cables to every school. To Brittingham, the Center is an important ingredient in bringing effective technology use to all students. His enthusiasm for what technology can do for the schools is contagious as he explains to groups in the community the benefits of distance learning. There are other examples of how the individuals on this committee worked together, each sharing expertise to help the schools and students in the region. They worked together to decide what the Center should be (at least at the start), to decide who should govern the Center (a coalition of people from the community), and to develop an agreement that involved membership for educational groups in the nine counties.
The committee realized that publicity was essential and jointly planned a dynamic opening for the Center. Committee member and Center Director Wanda Wagner made sure there were television and newspaper reporters at the opening. Two TV news stations carried information on the Center, including interviews with local students, who, of course, will be the ones who will benefit from this united community effort.
One of Wagner's suggestions for involvement is to sponsor a user group through the Center that will focus upon how to use technology in education and how to deal with different types of technologies and emerging technologies. Through connections with national user group organizations, the Center can extend its connections and get help from a variety of sources and knowledgeable people. Connections may also be enhanced and extended by telecommunications and distance learning. These areas will be targeted through the Center, according to Wagner and Christensen.
Community Player #6 - Individual educators from PS-12 educational organizations have been instrumental in promoting technology in the schools and the need for additional help in technology for teachers and administrators.
Patty Weeg, a public middle school teacher and user group member, for example, is an expert at getting publicity for her telecommunications projects. Through her efforts, she is recognized by the business and school communities as a leader in the field. Members of the Technology Committee often refer to Weeg, for this teacher has demonstrated how technology can be used in the classroom. Weeg, at the Center opening, showed what her students were doing with telecommunications. She will be the first to tell you, and perhaps more so show you through her actions, how important she believes technology is not only in providing education, but in motivating students. Weeg's own enthusiasm for effective technology use is very special and is communicated to the community. She knows that enthusiasm alone within a classroom is not the answer. Educators need support from the community and to get this support, they must let others know what they are doing with technology.
Kathy Hagar, an independent school teacher, is also a master at publicity. Her students treated those at the opening to examples of effective use of technology in the regular classroom through lessons using HyperCard, CD-ROM, and video on computers. The students from Hagar's school often are invited to give presentations at conventions and meetings. Hagar knows the needs of the community and thinks educators involved in technology must spread the work and help others. She and another faculty member from her school, for example, are currently working with two other schools, one public and one private, to offer guidance in technology. Hagar comments, "School people should help in the community effort also. At Worcester Country School we often assist Macintosh users of the area. These are usually families and individuals in the community, a number of whom are not connected with our school, who call us for assistance and guidance. As educators, we give out lists of good software, recommendations for home use of technology, and in general, help community members realize the benefits of technology in classrooms and homes."
Community Player #7 - The Breakfast Club included Fincher (representing business and GSC), Christensen (representing the University), Rossi (representing the Education Department), the author of this essay (representing PS-12 and a user group), and later Wagner (representing the Center). Because of hectic schedules, the "Club" met at a restaurant at 7 am and had as its focus, to bring more effective technology use into the schools through a teacher technology center. The "Club members" believed that giving of their time (they came from a two state region) for the community was important. Through "Club" work, decisions that needed to be made and actions that needed to be taken between Technology Committee meetings were completed. "Club members" were in agreement that the way to help the schools with technology was to work toward development of a regional Center that would provide workshops for different platforms, technologies, and software; begin work with telecommunications and distance learning; develop a library of information and software that could be used by schools and educators (and, perhaps, parents); keep Center ideas and Center interest high in the community through publicity and involvement; and maintain the support of the business community.
(While working on the development of the community interaction for this Center, I learned about the feelings and recommendations of many in the region about effective use of technology in the schools. What follows is a list of recommendations, some summarized from those mentioned comments above and some of my own.)
What Not To Do: The Don'ts of Involvement
Although people involved in this true story stressed positive aspects of community involvement in schools, here are a few "Don'ts:"
For Business/Higher Education/Parents -
¥ Demanding immediate changes/expecting problems to be easily solved.
¥ Demanding that schools use your favorite technologies.
¥ Not taking time to understand the problems faced by schools.
¥ Not working with others or other groups in the community to give positive help to schools.
¥ Working in an adversarial relationship with a school or school district.
¥ Saying there isn't enough time and/or you don't have the resources to help.
¥ Criticizing schools, but not offering positive suggestions and/or assistance to help schools.
For PS-12 Educators -
¥ Not keeping the community informed about classroom and lab use of technologies.
¥ Not seeking partnerships outside the school.
¥ Not wanting parent involvement in or suggestions for school programs.
¥ Expecting the community to understand the problems of the schools.
¥ Expecting help without giving the community help.
Recommendations for community involvement to help schools use technology more effectively
1. Business and Higher Education people in the community should work together to give help with technology to PS-12 schools. This support may be in the capacity of a catalyst for change or by taking direct actions. Business and Higher Education may support schools by:
¥ Taking time to visit schools, talk to educators, and understand school problems in the technology area.
¥ Showing that they feel technology is a must for precollege education.
¥ Giving of their time to help schools with technology either through direct help (teaching, supervising, demonstrating systems, etc.) or through committee or individual action to get support for technology.
¥ Talking up quality uses of technology in schools.
¥ Helping schools make connections in the community and beyond through traditional and online efforts.
¥ Providing schools with used equipment and/or with grants for technology use.
¥ Inviting schools to use equipment and resources.
¥ Providing schools with resource persons.
¥ Standing behind/joining in on school technology efforts.
¥ Helping schools investigate paths to acquiring necessary technological resources.
¥ Helping schools find and afford personnel needed to bring about effective technology use.
¥ Serving as online experts to give help to schools. (NASA's Dave Lavery, for example, is an online science expert on the AppleLink telecommunications network. Educators and students send Lavery questions about technology and/or space science, and Lavery answers within a week.)
¥ Helping schools with directions for the future. (Lavery was asked what programming language should be taught to students who are interested in in-depth technology studies. Lavery gave direction by suggesting what he thought the best path would be in programming.)
¥ Working together to assist the community in establishment of a technology center for educators which provides hands-on training in all technologies - current, past, and emerging - and focuses upon informational and demonstration resources by means of telecommunications, distance applications, software libraries, etc.
2. Parents, grandparents, and others in the community should show interest in technology programs/resources or lack of them in the schools. They should get involved in the learning needs of the students of the community by:
¥ Attending school programs.
¥ Understanding school needs and directions in the area of technology.
¥ Finding out how they can help schools.
¥ Encouraging schools to move forward in technology.
¥ Donating used equipment and software to schools.
¥ Donating funds for equipment and/or software.
¥ Donating time to work with students and/or teachers/administrators on technologies and software.
¥ Donating time to supervise computer labs, work with a computer club, create a fundraising activity to purchase equipment for technology use in the school, etc.
¥ Assisting the schools by working on technology committees.
¥ Helping to locate sources for grants and prizes for education and technology.
¥ Talking up the school program and what the school wants to do with technology.
3. Educators are part of the community and must look beyond their own classrooms and school walls to get support. They need to take action by informing the community of their needs, what they are doing and can do with technology, how students profit from use of technology, and what they and their students can do for the community. Schools as leaders in the thrust to bring effective use of technology to classrooms might move forward by:
¥ Holding programs that target technology and inviting parents, business people, senior citizens to attend.
¥ Inviting parents to individual classrooms to see student excitement for technology use and how technology benefits education.
¥ Sponsoring parent instruction sessions with technology. Students, even primary level ones, can be the teachers for many phases of these sessions. (In one school, for example, preschoolers teach their grandparents how to use computers.)
¥ Sending out news releases on a regular basis telling about uses of technology in the classrooms.
¥ Inviting media representatives to special technology events and to observe regular classroom use of technology.
¥ Establishing educational user groups and inviting educators, parents, and others in the community to attend.
¥ Establishing their own online bulletin board systems and inviting their community of parents and others interested in the school to participate. Through the school's own BBS, information not only on school programs, but about technology, may be distributed. (In one community, a Media Specialist from the MBNA America Company (VISA, MasterCard) has helped a school establish an online bulletin board.)
¥ Using school technology resources to benefit the community. (In one school, first graders make cards for people in the nursing home and students do ecology information campaigns using technology tools. Student technology projects have also focused upon helping the Humane Society place animals, tracking beach erosion, etc.) Such positive uses of technology for the community enhance the image of the school, the students, the educators, and technology use.
¥ Encouraging non-educators in the community to get involved in helping schools with technology use and technology acquisition. School leaders should not hesitate to ask for help or to accept help when offered. The partnerships will be worth the extra effort it takes to get things going.
4. Students are part of the community and can help by:
¥ Making effective use of the technologies available in their schools and homes.
¥ Talking informally with parents and others in the community about what they have learned and how they use technologies.
¥ Giving technology demonstrations at parent meetings.
¥ Helping others in the community with their home computer problems.
¥ Taking part in school technology projects that benefit the community.
5. Everyone is part of the community. It does not matter if a person is young or old, rich or poor, well-educated or lacking in formal education, technology-wise or technology - well . . . behind - all can help the schools. The best advice is to join forces and work together to create the best technological learning atmosphere possible in all schools. The importance of establishing partnerships to bring effective technology use into schools cannot be underestimated!
It is the way to the future.
|
|
|