Real World Technology Use: Learning Through Technology Interview

In a small, private school in Haverhill, MA, on the third floor of one of the oldest schools in the district, there is a small, yet fundamental revolution happening behind the doors of the computer room.  Starting in fourth-grade, students at St. Joseph School are learning what it means to program, code, create applications, use presentation tools and build their own website.  First and second graders are learning how to tell stories digitally.  Kindergartners are able to type a message to their parents about their school year and what they love best. All this happening, and only one teacher behind it all.  Her name is Mrs. B and she has transformed, encouraged and gave meaning to many of her students’ lives through the use of technology.  

Introducing Mrs. B!

Mrs. B has been teaching for 28 years.  She came to Massachusetts from St. Louis when her husband got a job in Boston.  Since the time she began at St. Joseph School she was assigned the role as computer teacher.  Today, her focus and career are spent teaching students about computer applications and programming.  Of course being the computer teacher she uses technology everyday.  Some of the basics, or essential components of her lessons, center around her computer and SmartBoard.  Other types of technology that she uses on a regular basis include laptops, tablets, response systems, cellphones and scanners. The Smart Response Clickers are a favorite among the younger children. Watching Mrs. B and her interaction with the students, it is clear that she wants them to reach out and learn for themselves.  Of course she offers guidance but she is strong on having the kids figure it out for themselves before coming to her as a last resort.  

School Background:

Before I get into detail about Mrs. B and my observations obtained during this assignment, let me give a brief background of the school.  As stated before, St. Joseph’s School is small.  Roughly three-hundred students roam the hallways of this once all boys, French speaking school.  In the “big” school you will find classrooms ranging from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Up the hill, at the “little” school is where you will find the Early Childhood Center.  Mrs. B is responsible only for the students in K-8.  This means she must teach children as young as four all the way to thirteen year old teenagers.  She see students from grades 1-8 twice a week and Kindergarten only once per week.  Two years ago, her lab also got a makeover.  She received twenty-seven new, touchscreen computers.  Imagine the students and their face’s when they saw this! Going to computer class had now become almost as fun as gym class!

Observations:

While I was observing Mrs. B, I watched as students created and built their own websites through Weebly.  At the start of the school year, Mrs. B assigned each child a Gmail account, allowing them to access these types of tools.  The students had a very basic, yet precise hand-out on how to make a website using Weebly.  She encourages them to work on it outside of school, and for the most part students do.  They come to class the next period eager to show her what they have found out while exploring tools on the site builder or simply because they wanted her to see the updates and changes they made to their site.


I was also lucky enough to be observing one Thursday morning, when all of a sudden, the internet went out. Try having a computer room full of middle school students and no internet connection! Pure and utter chaos. The students acted as if they had no idea what they should do.  No internet? How will they ever have computer class? 

Some.

Most.

This was the thought running through most of their minds.  It brought me back to when I was in computer class as a young student and the internet did not even exist.  Now, I know that sounds cliche, but it is true.  We never had access to the internet, yet still had computer class.  Even when Mrs. B allowed the students to have free-time and play games on the computers, due to the lack of an internet connection, they still complained and yearned for their 4G network on their phones.  

Technological Errors:

When talking with Mrs. B I uncovered that her biggest problem she faces has to do with the internet and connection issues.  At one time, maybe even two years ago, this was not the case.  Now, the server is overloaded with teacher, student and staff devices.  I know this can be frustrating in my class when I have planned a lesson involving a video clip or demonstration online and it takes 20 minutes to load the 20 second clip!  So, I can only imagine the frustration when your whole lesson is based on the sole fact of the students connecting to the internet.  She even made it a point to state that rarely has her equipment ever failed her, rather just the internet.  If one program is not working, she can use another.  When she is unable to connect though, it is not as simple.

Reflections Overall:

As a teacher, I know having someone in your room, observing you from the back can be tedious and straining. Some teachers put on a show for the observer in order to make an appearance. With Mrs. B, it is evident that this is not the case. Though I did witness a few students who had problems navigating a page or saving their work, for the most part they knew to figure out the solution or ask a peer for help. Students were eager to show their friends their new blog post or website. One 7th grade student, who does poorly in most other subjects, was able to make a game using Scratch and show others how he did it. The feeling of accomplishment gleaming across his face. In the end, my overall reaction to this experience is that we need technology integration. As educators, we are responsible for teaching students how to use technology and use it correctly. Mrs. B did mention that she feels most teachers use technology and integrate it into their daily lessons based on their comfort level. They may be timid in reaching out or changing their ways. I can't imagine not wanting to self-educate and explore my option. Maybe this is due to age difference? I really am not sure, but I hope the future calls for more technology and computer science integration. I hope teachers like Mrs. B continue to make a difference in the lives' of our youth. We want them to embrace the tools they have at their fingertips, have respect for what they do with their identity online, and become a productive member of the digital society.

Image Sources:
St. Joseph School school building
No Internet Comic (Top)
No Internet Comic (Bottom)
Stable Life, Stable Internet