Chapter 5

Chapter 5 deals with the emergence of peer based learning in the ACOT classrooms.  Because of the nature of the technology and the students adapting to it quickly, they became a great source of learning for the class.  Teachers initially noticed the exchange of knowledge from one student to another naturally with the technology.  Then teachers learned to use this and plan around it causing the students to be more engaged and learn from each other.  The approach also helped overturn stagnating social orders in the classrooms to the benefits of the less popular students.

            The author continues to point out that using students as technological experts can extend beyond the classroom.  It was interesting to see the adoption of student run lessons on technology for the district and hiring students as technical experts.  Additionally, the students began to branch out and peer teach material on the subject not just technology.  The chapter closes with data supporting the peer teaching method and its benefits for many classrooms.

            This chapter I found reinforcing.  The peer teaching model is something that we are much more accustomed to today; it is nice seeing literature from a time when a stronger argument would need to be made for it.  It is a much easier sell today, and as such I would not expect to find an article like this to show up today.

            I enjoyed the phrasing and frontier feel to describing peer based teaching and it was nice to see the benefits laid out the way they were.  It also makes sense that this approach would flow from incorporating technology.  It is a means of opening the door in older pedagogical styles.  In all it was a nostalgic view into common contemporary ideas.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 lays out some of the issues with the adoption of new technologies.  Problems from student misbehaviour and cheating hit hardest during the initial stage of entry.  Further issues from environmental concerns and software conflicts can really cause problems in that initial stage.  This further combines with the attitudes during entry stage and make it very difficult to adapt to.

            Fortunately, by stage 2 adoption the teacher becomes familiar enough with the technology to adapt to begin adapting to these new issues.  As these issues get overcome the teachers begin to see the direct uses of having the technology in the classroom.  The efficiency in combining databases for instance was a huge gain for a teacher.  Another commented on how quickly the existing technology is maxed out resulting in queues for popular machines and filled hard drives.  It never seems like enough.

            By stage 3 the teachers are actively using the technology to better solve general problems in the classroom.  The technology no longer serves as a source of problems, but instead helps reduce pre-existing issues.  The new technology allowed grading and education plans to become much simpler.  In addition, it became easier to use approaches that minimize cheating.  On top of that the technology allows the teachers to easily access information from broader sources to help improve teaching style and results.

            I liked the direction of this chapter.  It addressed issues that anyone having to employ new technology would run into.  In the times before we master a technology there is a power vacuum that allows all sorts of negative consequences to carry more weight than we are comfortable with.  I liked how the chapter acknowledges this and then shows that with a little time and effort the investment can pay off by ultimately countering those effects in the technology and possibly work against them further to keep misbehaviour and cheating down even more effectively.

Chapter 3

Chapter three laid out a general road map of adopting technology in a classroom setting.  The chapter starts off pointing out the importance of beliefs in instructional evolution.  The author then goes on to describe the stages that a classroom undergoes while adopting new technologies.

            The stages run from entry where the frustrating and reluctant time of unpacking and basic troubleshooting occur to adoption where enough familiarity is established to further incorporating the technology.  Then adaptation when the technology is used regularly in the course of daily work.  Next came appropriation where the technology is viewed as another tool like any other and the teacher has a certain mastery of it.  Finally comes invention where the teacher gets creative in the use of the technology and it makes its own value in the classroom.

            I really enjoyed the layout of this chapter.  It seemed to be more realistic than some of the other readings.  It is excited about technology but realistic.  The stages show that a concerted effort often has to be made to adapt previous pedagogy styles to include newer technologies.  I really enjoyed the section talking about the importance of beliefs in motivation.  Honestly, that applies to nearly everything not just education.  To get someone engaged in a new idea or technology you have to get them to believe in it in some way.