A School That's Too High on Gizmos

Welsh, P. (2008). A School That’s Too High on Gizmos. The Washington Post. Retrieved from  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803271.html

In this article, Patrick Welsh examines his own T.C. William High School, a school with state-of-the-art technology and low teacher moral. The school’s building cost around 98 million dollars and is one of the most expensive school buildings ever built. T.C. Williams boasts natural light, ceiling-mounted LCD projectors, fancy cafeteria, security cameras, and even a rooftop garden. Although student behavior seems to have improved, Welsh explained, teacher moral has been the lowest he has seen in years.

The reason Welsh gives is what the superintended calls “technolust” or what others have called a “gizmo high” (Welsh, 2008). Administrators feel the need to get the latest and greatest gadgets whether teachers need them (or want them) or not. Although science and math teachers claim the traditional projects are superior for what their classes need to do, they are not allowed to use them. An example of the extravagance the school has promoted is the “school pad” which allows the teachers to underline material on the screen from around the classroom – an almost 500 dollar gizmo that saves only a few feet of walking to the computer. While headlines are being made about the amount of technology the school possesses, teachers are concerned about whether or not it is helping the students learn. In many classes students are actually playing video games instead of paying attention to the lesson. Class time is wasted when tech problems arise, and the school constantly has to update their computers when new technology comes around.

Welsh claims that this is not only negatively effecting student learning, but is also discouraging new and talented teachers. Teachers are overwhelmed with having to work with the technology and not being allowed to teach in their own style. Administrators, Welsh says, have turned a deaf ear to complaints and are still trying to push computers as the key to student learning. Welsh worries that face-to-face contact has been replaced by emailing, taking away the personal relationships teachers have with their students. He also worries that the quick answers computers provide discourage students to actually think and go through steps in a process.

Some schools have already abandoned projects that push too much technology while others are making sure that the technology they provide is something the teachers want to use and can use to improve student learning.

This article brings up an important issue: no matter how many fancy gadgets you have, students can’t learn without carefully planned out lessons with goals and objectives. I have personally been mesmerized by technology before and it is good to be reminded that it is only a tool. Schools still need well-trained teachers and good goals/standards to ensure the tool is being used correctly.