Journal 2

Heller McFarlane, Sarah (2008, July). The Laptops are coming! The Laptops are coming!. Retrieved July 23, 2008, from Re-Thinking Schools Online Web site: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/22_04/lapt224.shtml

This particular article was a little on the negative side of how technology is used in school. There several hints to show that she was excited and ready for her new computers to come into the classroom. But as you read along into the article she goes on to talk about the many negative points that these new computers caused her as a teacher. One negative aspect was the fact that she felt disconnected from the class because she spent so much more time in front of her computer instead of interacting with her students. She goes on to talk about how less time was spent teaching and more time in front of her computer screen. Another factor was when Finally, Heller believe that her role in the classroom had changed dramatically from a teacher to a computer monitor. She found herself having to monitor all her students on their computers, checking on whether they were doing what they were supposed to do or chatting and emailing their friends. This article gives us a different point of view on new technology. Rather than having technology has a tool in teaching she complained that it was more of a disturbance or burden to her teaching. It is interesting to read about this particular teachers feelings towards new computers.

1. My first question is can this teacher figure out a way to manage her time both teaching and computer usage?
I believe that with dedication and hard work this is very possible. In the article she complains about time being taken away from teaching and more in front of the computer. Well for me I think this is something that can be solved by good time management. Use your time wisely in the classroom and use it teaching and interacting with the students. So this gives you the opportunity after school and during lunch to go in front of the computer.

2. The next question is she talks about how there are already computer administrators monitoring the students so is it her job as a teacher to monitor them as well? I think that she can mildly monitor her students by walking by and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be instead of chatting online or emailing others. So by doing this it does not burden as becoming a computer monitor, knowing that there are computer administrators on the job.