“Teachers, the server is down.  Ms. Merritt has called the Techs to get it fixed.”

“Teachers, please bring the laptop carts to the Media Center for re-imaging.”

“Teachers, TimeKeeper is now working.  Please clock in.”

“Teachers, NCWise is shutdown for maintenance.  Please turn in a list of absentees to Mrs. Stallings.”

You know your day is getting off to a bad start when you school’s technology becomes a hindrance for the teachers just as they are getting their morning underway.  Fear sets in, and only one question remains:  Will my students be able to get online today?  The answer to that question may change throughout the school day. But what’s new? For the past twenty years, teachers across the country have been encouraged to incorporate the use of more and more technology in the classroom.  From Computer Competency Tests to PowerPoint presentations to Classscape assessments, students have had ample opportunity to  operate PC’s, touch SMART Boards, and peruse the internet, never knowing when the technology will assume the  persona of Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey and think for itself – or not think at all!  As a result, teachers learn the meaning of the world “flexibility.”

Thus, we have the conflict between using technology and USING technology.  One of the biggest problems with using technology in schools is money – money to purchase equipment and programs, money to replace broken or outdated technology, money to subscribe to online services, and money to create an infrastructure that can accommodate operating said equipment and services (cough, cough NCCAT, cough).  Another issue, at least in my county, is maneuvering the gauntlet of internet site-blocking software (Imagine researching World War II when you cannot Google “Nazi” without being told that topic is off limits).   Finally, we have to accept that not all students have access to computers and the internet at home.  Yes, Smartphones are great alternatives, but let’s face it;  a larger device is preferable, especially if we want to students to focus on meaningful work, not the text that pops up, and save it for later.

My biggest concern, however, is that we aren’t USING (leveraging) technology effectively in class.  Regardless of the reason (money, internet blocks, etc.), most teachers view computers as high-tech typewriters and electronic libraries.  In other words, they become the end to publishing and presentation, not the means to create. I know I have been guilty of such practices.  I have also been hesitant to incorporate USING technology in plans because of frequent glitches.  I am reminded my students’ attempt to complete of the SAS Curriculum Pathways Lesson on the Salem Witch Trials ( (QL) #550) last year. They were excited about using the laptop cart and even open to the idea of researching 17th Century Salem and writing letters to the grandchildren of those who were executed. Some students had no problem, while others couldn’t connect to the school’s WiFI, others couldn’t Google the word “witch,”  and others could do nothing until a computer became available (tough in a class of 29 when you only have 23 out of 25 computers that work.).

All complaining aside, when everything works, students can do amazing things.  They can research, create, revise, solicit and receive feedback, publish, cross reference…they can USE the computer.  So perhaps the problem, at least at my school, isn’t leveraging technology; instead, our problem may be driving out the economic wedge:  lack of equipment and a power and communication grid to support such USEFUL endeavors.