Chapter 9 Reflection Solomon and Schrum

Chapter 9 focuses on how schools need to start positioning themselves to integrate the new technology. Issues are presented and explained that pertain to the immediate future of the net, as in the next five years. I really like the term digital native student vs the digital immigrant (teacher). I'm not sure if Solomon and Schrum coined that phrase, but it really describes what we are dealing with . . . as adults, technology is our second language. We are still translating into tech applications where our students are very fluent. They seem content to jump online and play around until they understand programs. They are also very comfortable learning from each other, since that is how they communicate and get exposed to new things online. They have true enthusiasm for learning as shown in the comments that I hear regularly in class such as, "Hey check out this cool website! Look what it can do." They still need us to guide them. Many of my students lack basic word processing skills and they need to know where to go on the web as it relates to education. They can find the entertainment sites on their own, but to find sites that will help them learn, collaborate, and grow . . . they need a guide.
Tech-infused teaching is discussed and that is something many of us are working to create. I have had an unbelievable impact on students' independent reading in regards to level of enjoyment and increase in amount of time they are actually reading. I attribute this to my wikispace where they post comments and respond to each other. Using the social nature of online discussion, they have been exposed to more great titles and have a chance to really see what their friends are reading. Students using this wikispace have overwhelmingly reported that they have read MORE books this year than any year before, they have found books that are MORE interesting, and they have learned to enjoy reading again for pleasure. YAY!!!! This is tech-infused teaching. I am using a tech application to motivate, expose, and drive their learning experience and it is working.
I love the idea of wiki as text and was amazed to hear about the accuracy of Wikipedia. I believe that same thing would happen in class and really like the idea of creating reference pages for class authored by the students themselves.
I am also using a computer program for writing called My Access. This program has the responsiveness that is discussed in chapter 9. Students get immediate feedback on their writing from the program. It demands high teacher involvement for the most benefit, but offers a great service to the student as it immediately gives feedback on their initial writing and any further revisions. This has allowed my students to write more papers that any year previously. I have been able to focus on the formative side of writing, and revising is inherent and necessary. It puts such a different spin on the idea of a writing teacher. My classroom lessons are applied in the computer lab. Tech-infused teaching :-)
As teachers forge ahead and create a whole new set of skills for themselves, it is difficult to know that our ability to be successful with classroom 2.0 is the issue of computer access. We have one lab for our entire school of 1,000 students. We do not have a rolling lab and I have been accused of being a "lab hog" and I've never been in there more than 2 weeks of any quarter. Access is putting a serious bottleneck in the progress of technology infused teaching.
I've been able to work around it to a point this year, but I am worried about next year. My administration does not have a lot of answers yet for more access since it involves many factors from space to money to tech support.
Until schools are able to offer access to students, we will struggle to have our teachers embrace technology in the classroom.