Technology Class at a New Hampshire Inner City High School

As part of my graduate studies at Southern New Hampshire University, I was asked to sit in on a technology class.  Since I teach high school math at CHS, I choose to sit in on a  technology class at my school.  I was excited to do this because I know how much children enjoy using technology and I was eager to see them doing fascinating things on the computer.  During my math classes, we get to use a graphing calculator. The students would much rather use this technology over manually graphing.  Outside of my classroom, I have seen students use the computer lab in the library to do research and write their essay papers.  I had the privilege of visiting three technology classrooms and got to sit down and speak to the teachers who teach the classes.  This is what I found out.  

Students and the staff at CHS really enjoy using technology.  The biggest challenge for the staff is getting the equipment in order to teach the classes.  CHS is an inner city school and is the oldest high school in the state.  Many of the technology classes have been cut due to budget constraints and the school lacks quality computer equipment. Although this makes it very difficult on the teacher and the students, the teachers and the students seem to persevere and learn in this environment.

I had the privilege of sitting in on Mr. C’s and Mr. K’s ICT (Information, Communication & Technology) class.  Mr. C’s classroom has about twenty five computers that are 15 years old and still use floppy discs.  I stayed in Mr. C.’s classroom for only a short time because he felt that I would get see a lot more if I visited Mr. K.’s classroom which had newer computers.  Mr. K’s classroom is similar but the computers are only three years old.  Although Mr. K’s equipment is relatively new, it was of poor quality and it took a long time for the students to actually do things on the computers. As time went by in the class, the students were getting frustrated using the slow computers and then access to the internet went down.  Both classes were writing a letter to a restaurant owner regarding a bad dining experience.  I ended up visiting the second ICT class because Mr. C. felt that his students were restricted on what they could do on the computer due to the age of the equipment.  Little did I know that Mr. K. was going to feel the same way.  Both of these classrooms had printers, but neither had ink.  Mr. K. was using a teaching method called “flipped classroom”.  This is where teacher instruction is done outside the classroom and homework is done in the classroom.  For further information on a flipped classroom, please visit the following link.  I also found this website that will help you setup your flipped classroom.

After visiting Mr. K., I found out that there was a really cool Computer Graphics class being taught in the Art Department.  I decided to visit Mrs W. in room 505.  She was teaching a lesson on Photoshop.  The computer equipment was new and it did not limit the student’s ability to learn.  I found students that were really engaged in the lesson and excited to be working on the computers.   The teacher began the class by demonstrating some of the tools that she wanted the students to practice during class.  Each student had their own computer and worked independently on their assignment. Photoshop allows students to edit and retouch images and photographs.  If you can imagine an image, Photoshop allows you to create it using digital painting and vector drawing tools.  

 

Change of Viewpoint 

Before After

Digital Painting

After school, all three teachers were able to sit down with me and answer questions regarding their technology classes.  Listed below are their responses.

1.What is the name of the course you are teaching and how long have you been teaching it?

Mr. C. - ICT (Information, Communication & Technology), 8 years.

Mr. K. - ICT (Information, Communication & Technology), 10 years.

Mrs. W. - Computer Graphics, 3 years.

2. How long does the course run and how many credits is the course? Is it required for graduation?

Mr. C./Mr. K. - ICT is half year course, half of a credit, Yes.

Mrs. W. - Computer Graphics is a full year course, 1 credit, No.

3. How do you assess the students?

Mr. C/Mr. K. Mrs. W - All three teachers stated that the students are given a syllabus and rubric at the beginning of the semester and that they assess the students towards the end of each assignment. They stated that since the students work independently, they are often at different stages of their assignment. All three teachers are engaged enough with every student to know what they are presently working on and where they may need help. As they walk around the classroom, they assess the students and let them know how they are doing. They often give instruction and feedback as they make rounds around the classroom.

4. What should the students be able to do when they finish the class?

Mr. C./Mr. K.- All students are required to have a digital portfolio when they graduate. All students will meet this goal.

Mrs. W. - The students should know how to use the major software tools produce Computer Graphics.

5. Do you follow the Common Core Standards or ISTE Standards?

Mr. C/Mr. K/Mrs.W. - No

6. Are you familiar with the ISTE Standards?

Mr. C. - Yes.

Mr. K./Mrs. W. - No.

7. What are the biggest challenges you face when teaching a technology class?

Mr. C./Mr. K. - Both teachers are very frustrated with the school district’s lack of funding towards technology. Both teachers mentioned that the following topics are no longer being taught because of budget cuts and the lack of proper equipment: Networking, Web Development, After Effects, Programming, Movie Making, Networking, and Social Media. They feel that the equipment provided is insufficient and prohibits them from doing their job. They both explained that many of the students do not have access to a computer outside of school.

Mrs. W. - Mrs. W. feels that the biggest challenge is her students do not have access to the computers/software at home. The work that they do must be done in school.

8.Do you have an annual allowance to purchase the equipment necessary to keep your classroom up to date?

Mr. C./Mr. K. Mrs. W. - No. Each teacher annually puts in their request for new equipment. The District decides who gets new equipment.

9. How do you teach the ESL students?

Mr. C./Mr. K. Mrs. W. - The ESL students are treated like everyone else. They are responsible to meet the same course requirements as everyone else. Most ESL students are not allowed to take the class until they are cleared by their ESL teacher. Once they feel that they are ready, they mainstream the ESL students as soon as possible. The ESL program is very strong at CHS and they can always get additional help from their teacher or the ESL Department.

10. Do you feel that children have a harder time learning how to communicate because of cell phones and computers?

Mr. C.Mr. K/Mrs. W. - All three teachers felt that technology has affected the students writing skills. The most common mistakes are capitalization and punctuation mistakes. They all felt that the children have lost that personal touch by hearing the person’s voice on the other end of the phone. They see children affected by what they read or see online. They all said that children often misinterpret what they read or see. The children forget that what they are posting may not be the same as what is being seen or interpreted by the reader. The teachers stated that they feel the kids communicate even more than they did prior to cell phones. The teachers said it is real easy to send a text and it is even easier to say stuff in a text that you may not have said in person.

11. Do your student’s understand the word Digital Citizenship?

Mr. C./Mr. K. - Both teachers responded that they teach Digital Citizenship. They noted that the students that come to the high school from outside the district as paying students, seem to better prepared for the ICT class. The students understand the responsibility of using the computer.

Mrs. W. - Mrs. W. stated that she goes over digital citizenship at the beginning of the year and most of her students seem to understand the concept.
12. Are your students able to do research on the computer and properly cite their sources?

Mr. C./Mr. K./Mrs W. - Yes. This is a skill that they all master.

13.What types of digital media do you teach to the students so they can communicate and work collaboratively?

Mr. C/Mr. K./Mrs. W.- All three teachers mentioned that they do not teach forms of digital media and that almost all of the students have been exposed to sharing music files or videos. They stated that most of the students have been exposed to a MP3 player and have used video games. The children that have not been exposed to various forms of digital media seem to be able to pick it up quickly. All three teachers stated that the classes they teach really do not promote working collaboratively.
14.How do you feel about social media? Do you give your students access to any of your social media accounts.

Mr. C/Mr. K. Mrs. W. - All three teachers stated that they support various forms of social media such as Facebook, Youtube, bookmarking sites, and Twitter as long as they are used responsibly. They stated that most of the high school students have already been exposed to social media. They remind the students to act responsibly when using these sites. All three teachers refrain from engaging in social media sites with their students.

15.Who do you feel is responsible for teaching children how to use the computer and at what age do you think children should be allowed to use a computer?

Mr. C/Mr. K. Mrs. W. - All three teachers stated that they felt it was the responsibility of the school district to educate the students on how to use a computer. They stated that since computers are part of the workforce, they felt it must be included in a students education. They all agreed that with proper adult supervision, there should be no age restriction on when a child should be allowed to use a computer.

16.What ways has technology made your job easier?

Mr. C/Mr. K. - Mr. C and Mr. K. stated that technology has made their job very difficult. They are not able to teach the technology class the way they would like to because the district has not kept up with replacing the equiptment. All three teachers agreed that the school district is doing a poor job replacing the computer equipment and that they cannot afford to keep up with the pace in which technology is moving forward.

Mrs. W. - Mrs W. stated that technology has really changed the world. Computer graphics is now an industry and degree programs are offered at many colleges. Students are able to incorporate their love for art with their love for technology. Mrs. W. stated that graphic art can be produced quicker and cheaper. This impacts advertising and what we pay for products. Mrs. W. states that she is able to do accomplish more today using the computer than she did thirty years ago. She states that her life is a lot easier today because the computer is like a big teaching tool that everybody can learn from.

17.Where do you see technology going?

Mr. C./Mr. K./Mrs. W. - They all responded by saying that they feel that technology will have an even greater impact in the next ten years. They stated that the industry is so strong that they predicted that it will continue to grow. They predicted that computers will be used in places that were never imagined. They gave examples of how computers are now being used in drones to do surveillance and are used to map major weather patterns.

18.What is the most valuable skill that your students will learn when they leave your class?

Mr. C./Mr. K. - Both teachers stated that they hoped that the children would be able to do the following; understand digital citizenship, be proficient using word processing software, be able to research and properly cite sources using the computer, and be comfortable using the school computers.

Mrs.W - Be proficient at using Photoshop and realizing that the computer is a great art tool.

I had the great privilege of visiting three technology classrooms at CHS. I was welcomed by the teachers and the students. I learned that providing up to date computer equipment is always challenge for the school district. Although the equipment was far from perfect, the teachers were still able to instill a sense of excitement when it comes to learning about computer technology. All the students were engaged and excited to be learning various computer tools. It was a great experience and I can only imagine what other new technology tools may be coming in the future.