Re: [school-discuss] "Educating Tux" + IT apathy

[Marilyn Hagle <marilyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In my opinion, part of the problem is the way the whole IT thing has evolved. 
I don't know if it could have been prevented.

I started using computers in the classroom in 1982, so I have been with it from
the beginning.  Early on, only the very geeky sorts did computer things.  That
was true of teachers and students.  The computers we had at first were DOS
based, Apple II, and those Radio Shack flavors.  Eventually, we had Macs and
Windows 3.  On the early systems to use a computer you did command line stuff,
went in and edited config.sys (is that right?) files, whatever.  The kids ran
bulletin board servers at home and in the early 90s when we first used the
Internet, we used telnet, ftp, chat, and discussion boards.

Computers in education were not mainstream. But the people who did use them,
understood quite a bit about how they worked, opened them up to add memory and
cards, knew where pin 1 was, and used pocket protectors.

Enter the late 90s . . . the Internet is graphical and faster . . . more people
are enjoying email . . . you hear about computers and the Internet in the news
and on movies . . . and suddenly IT is COOL.  Consequently, now there are those
in education who perceive that controlling IT is a way to gain personal POWER. 


In the midst of those power-grabbing years, there are many who gain control of
educational technology who do not know much about it.  But they have secured
important sounding titles like "Director" and "Assistant Superintendent for
Technology."  They are pleased with themselves.

Also during this time we have the Windows generation of students and new
teachers being trained.  They have not done anything with a command line
prompt.  They have not opened up their computers.  They have only worked with
pretty pictures, high resolutions, and wide screens.  They dislike a program if
the colors do not match.  They do not understand the file system or how a
computer works.

Many in educational IT management - probably the middle managers who are
misunderstood and struggling to keep everything running - are concerned about
tightly controlling the teachers.  After all . . . they have been breaking
copyright laws, pirating software, and inviting viruses and spyware into the
LAN.  So now teachers everywhere are in lock-down mode.  Experimentation is
thwarted, new ideas are discouraged, and creativity is scorned.

Another situation is that the middle managers remember how it was such a pain in
the ass to train all of those teachers in the 90s, and they certainly don't want
to do it again!!

Plus, in the U.S., we are so thick as to think that if we have not heard about
it on TV, then it can't really be that good.  Also, the old saying, "if it is
so great, why isn't everyone doing it?" holds true.  Most of the time when I
tell someone about Linux . . . saying "it is great and it is free" they look at
me like I am nuts.  I don't let myself get too upset about it anymore.  :)

***  I don't know if this could have been prevented!  ***

The question is - what do we do now?

Here is something I wrote in an email to another person some months ago that you
guys might enjoy . . . . 

***********************

Gwen,

I have just one more thing to add.  Thinking more about this after I emailed
you
my article, I have to say that using Linux has been one of the weirdest
experiences of my life, for this reason . . .

It is like I am sitting at a long table with many people.  We are all eating. 
I
have a feast of many delicious international foods in front of me.  Everyone
else is eating mush.  No one seems to notice or care about what I am eating.
Occasionally, a worm pops out of the mush.  That person is disgusted with the
worm, but just dumps it out and gets another bowl.  Recently, there has been a
bit of brown sugar sprinkled on the mush, but it is still mush.

Why?

I don't know.  Maybe it is simply the power of advertising dollars.  

This is not quite the same but sort of.  I drive a Geo.  When I started a job a
few years ago with a long commute, my husband bought it for me on Ebay for
$1500.  It consistently gets 50 miles per gallon.  But I hear ads on TV telling
me I need to spend $30,000 on a hybrid car that gets 33 mpg.  Still, no one
seems to be demanding that GM starts selling Geos again.  Twilight Zone stuff
or the power of advertising?

I am writing this at 2 AM, so I need to get back to sleep.

Hope you have been entertained,

Marilyn :)

**********************************


I guess that was a bunch of rambling.  Have a great day!


Marilyn  3/11/08



Quoting Richard Andrews <bbmaj7@xxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> This seems to be a common theme I'm encountering in my research. I'd like to
> call it culture shock but I don't think it is even that. There is a great
> reticence among educators to entertain anything (in terms of IT) but what
> they
> already know. This is quite a shame as teachers should be constantly
> learning.
> 
> I think part of it is an attitude that computers are a distraction from
> teaching - wasted effort; causing problems rather than being the great tool
> that was touted. This could be true - particularly with the headaches
> associated with Windows PC. Perhaps after having been forced to incorporate
> computers into classes, teachers are reluctant to put in another minute of
> effort. Once bitten, twice shy.
> 
> Not being a teacher I'd appreciate teachers points of view on why there
> seems
> to be such apathy from teachers surrounding computers. If you have seen any
> good ways to overcome it, even better.
> 
> 
> --- jim stockford <jim@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> >     i read it and found the most interesting, informative
> > info within the readers' comments on page three.
> >     the "mixed bag" part has to do with teachers and
> > administrators resisting any change away from what
> > they've already learned (windows). as to intrinsic
> > experiences with F/OSS, i read the article as presenting
> > only positives, no negatives.
>  
> > >   http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16984/1141/
> 
> 
> 
>       Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.
> www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail
> 
> 
> 


:)