The acquisition of computers is not enough. To ensure their proper use, teacher training is critical.
S. Hughes Pack
The latest onslaught of high-speed multimedia computers into schools might lead us to believe that the use of computers in the classroom will soon be limited only by the imagination of the user. That sounds good--to parents, school administrators, and eager teachers--but it simply is not accurate. Spiffy new hardware is only one small part of an equation that includes computer-literate teachers and user-friendly software. Then, and only then, will computer use in schools move beyond the mundane tasks of word processing, E-mail, and typing drills.
Teacher training is critical. If teachers can't use the technology, they won't. Too many school systems are following the corporate
model of the 1980s, buying technology without the training, resulting in a great deal of frustration and an arsenal of underused equipment. A small town recently appropriated $28,000 to bring a ``state-of-the-art'' computer lab into its elementary school. Twelve Mac LC 575 computers with CD-ROM drives, ``friendly software,'' and two laser printers cost $27,084. That left $916 for training. Every dollar spent on technology should be matched dollar-for-dollar on training, yet few schools have made such a commitment.
There are exceptions, of course. The school where I teach participates in the Hands-On Universe project through the University of California at Berkeley, working with a network of professional scientists, teachers, and curriculum developers to bring real science into the classroom. This project integrates astronomical images, contemporary astrophysics research, and newly emerged technologies to teach the subjects of astronomy, physics, and math, and to develop relevant curriculum materials.
Students can request and retrieve astronomical images from telescopes at the Leuschner Observatory in California using little more than their classroom computers, a modem, and a user-friendly version of a professional image-processing and communications software program developed by the Hands-On Universe project. Once these images are downloaded, students can search for exploding stars in distant galaxies, examine the eclipsed sun, and manipulate images of planets.
As this example illustrates, the PC can be a very powerful learning tool. But for the uninitiated and perhaps technophobic teacher, mastering this complex tool requires lots of encouragement and ongoing training.
There are many ways to promote computer literacy in the classroom. Many schools have computer experts on the faculty who could be partially released from teaching duties to run workshops for their colleagues. At my school, one faculty member runs regular evening and Saturday classes for Mac users as part of his contrac
t. Another teacher works with colleagues on Internet access. A physics teacher has assumed as part of his contractual responsibility the management of computers and software in the physics labs and the training of teachers.
Schools should set up computer help centers staffed with experts, similar to the computer center at Kinko's. The centers should be available to students and faculty for problem solving and additional training. Corporate training centers should share their expertise and facilities with schools during summers and weekends to offer in-service training. A small investment by a local corporation can help ensure a more highly qualified work force in the future. Magazines designed for the computer user should begin to devote more space to computers in education.
Today, teachers from kindergarten through high school and college are likely to find themselves face-to-face with students who know more than they do about computers. This can be disconcerting, even threatening, for those te
achers who believe they must be the highest authority in the classroom. But a significant portion of my computer knowledge has come from students.
As younger people enter the teaching profession, the lack of computer-skilled teachers will gradually become less of an issue. To this end, all high schools and colleges should have a computer-literacy graduation requirement. Conversely, schools should now require computer literacy of all serious job applicants.
If our very significant investments in technology are to pay off, they must be coupled with equally significant investments in training teachers. Those administrators who control the purse strings must establish a broader long-range vision. The machine can't work alone.
S. Hughes Pack is the Theodore R. Carpenter fellow at the Northfield Mt. Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts. He teaches physics and astronomy. He can be reached on the Internet at
hpack@k12.ucs.umass.edu
or o
n BIX c/o ``editors.''
Teacher Training Is Key
