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Issue #1
How is equality of opportunity and the elimination of cultural barriers and socioeconomic status to be achieved in the public schools?
Acquisition of hardware and software, successful integration in the classroom, and staff development are all issues impacting adoption. Some students from disadvantaged backgrounds have the least experience with technology when they reach the school setting. Similarly, the schools they attend are apt to have the least fiscal resources committed to technological innovation.
Locate your districts specific plan for integrating technology into the preK-12 curricula? Is it on-line and available for parents to see?
Discuss what can be done to ensure access in disadvantaged schools?
Does the use of technology in the early childhood classroom significantly impact learning?
In most models, specific strategies for using technology are recommended. These strategies are to be tied to standards based curricula, with measurable outcomes identified. Of course, we all know that is often not the case. Technology is adopted because it is "there", and teachers are expected to implement new models of instruction to match the "mandate".
What is the proper balance between personal contact with the teacher and CAI? Does your district have a plan for measuring and reporting learning outcomes from that instruction delivered as CAI?
Issue #3
Do educators have adequate training to select and
With a new generation of learners must come a new generation of educators. It is incumbent upon teachers to learn new tools, new approaches and new skills. Teachers must attend professional development seminars traditionally reserved for media specialists. Administrators and other staff must help teachers use the available technology and provide leadership that extends teachers beyond simple games and drill-and-practice to higher-level applications.
What have your own experiences been relative to training in the use of technology--inservice, coursework, comp time, etc.? Defend your background as adequate for teaching in the next millennium.
Take a look at the following sites, MaMaMedia and Exploratorium and explain how and why these sites would be of interest to early learners.
Issue #4
Does technology in education, and specifically early childhood
School districts have a new mission--to convince parents and the public that technology is a necessary component in the educational process. This is a much tougher "sell" with early childhood constituents. Through research and statistics, and classroom application, parents must be informed of the investments in technology and how these tools are being used. Some of this outreach may involve helping parents become more technologically "literate".
Have you observed any effects on the early learners based on differences in SES, gender, or parental attitudes toward technology?
What would you do to help parents of young children take a more active role in the technological aspects of their child's learning experience?
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