Walking the line between having a secure technological infrastructure in our schools and not only giving our students the tools they need, but also allowing them to develop creatively has become an increasingly difficult task! I see very few schools in the ‘middle of the road’ any more. The majority of schools that I visit and/or talk to tend to be splintering and taking one of two extreme roads. They are either locking down their computers so tightly that teachers, students and assistants are almost completely giving up on using technology OR they are working well outside the box and really opening up doors with new technology. For comparison, I’ve heard from schools where teachers are not allowed to even have software in their classrooms on CD and I’ve heard from other schools where they are making tests accessible by putting them on iPods, using blogs to encourage less verbal students to get involved and beaming their writing across the room for peer editing and using Play Station Portables to enhance instruction! …two very clear extremes.
Aside from the legal requirements of making our materials and instruction accessible to all students, allowing technology to play a major role in our classrooms can truly reveal creative productivity in our students that we would have never imagined. Here are a few really interesting reads and some resources to consider:
Is iPod Banning Cheating our Kids?: A very interesting read By Mike Elgan, Computerworld, on how it really doesn’t make much sense to ban iPods from their school buildings without careful consideration.
Videora: Cool Story! I made a site visit last week to one of our UDL Pilot Schools, Warsaw HS. They are doing some really cool stuff with putting tests on their video iPods. They had some trouble using the iPod video converter that I use and had suggested to them because of some sort of security on their computers. So, thinking he was stuck, Dave started explaining to his class that they wouldn’t be able to take the test via iPod today when a student volunteered to take a look at the problem, suggested he use Videora to do the conversion! IT WORKED! ….point being, DON’T be affraid to learn and explore these new technologies WITH your students. Empower them and acknowledge their expertise. Thank you Warsaw for letting me share your cool story!
iPods in Education: A listing from T4 about some really cool things that classrooms are doing with iPods.
Finally, a technology assistant in Seymour, Indiana recently posted this piece of writing to the HECC listserve. I thought it was great and worthy of posting again here on the Blog. Check out what he’s doing not only with Play Station Portables, but also with Technology Security in general:
It is truly amazing what students can accomplish when you give them guided freedom with technology.
To better prepare for the PSP session at HECC, I have been promoting the use of the PSP in my High School. One of my teachers, Bob Sexton, started a PSP club, where all the PSP gamers meet around an open access point and explore ways of using them in the classroom. It wasn’t long before a few students rose right to the top. The students have so impressed the teacher, he converted his power point, scheduled for this weekends Technology Educators conference, to a PSP. He also is using his iPod to provide the content for his speech.
I have been challenging the student to push the limits of the PSP and working with them via e-mail and class visits. It is so amazing at what they are doing that I can honestly say it is time for me to start learning from them. Young minds have such great potential when they are focused.
While some schools use fabulous tools like ZenWorks to lock down stations and keep system integrity they often hinder the creative process. While I certainly understanding running a tight ship to keep things going in an understaffed, tight budget team, we should always keep an open mind and open eye for those moments to loosen the reigns a bit.
If I had my HS tightened down like most schools, I would have missed out on wonderful ingenuity of my staff and students. I guess it is because I am a former teacher turned Tech Support – I remember the frustrating days of not even being able to change my screen saver 
Here are the things that help support my creative students:
- We use Deep Freeze: the students can alter the system, but a reboot fixes it.
- I monitor my building for misuse and strongly encourage my HS Admin staff to follow up on it. I sit in on the meetings of my hackers from time to time.
- I allow my teachers to install, alter, and mess up their teacher stations
- I just tell them “you are allowed to break it, but you must be patient with me fixing it” – I usually just re-image it in a mater of minutes and move on.
- I give my students enough freedom to explore and make wise choices while locking down the obvious threats. I am very excited about what my students are doing and I would have missed out if I was not willing to loosen the reins a bit. I am sure glad I did.You folks coming to the PSP class at HECC, will get to see some of their work. – can’t wait.
Shawn P. Mahoney, Seymour High School
Have a great weekend and Remember to Register for:
~ The PATINS State Conference in December ~
Register as a group of 5 or more to get the best price!
Info & Registration Form can be found here: http://www.patinsproject.com/htm/trainop.html
Remember that CRU’s are available for the PATINS State Conference!
