Back to school. At the K-12 level, it used to mean parents had to deal with the expense of pens, pencils, notebooks, and paper, maybe some art supplies, the occasional protractor, and a simple calculator. Now, of course, it means much more as we include more complex calculators, (with some teachers being very specific as to the make and model required!), flash drives, and maybe even a notebook computer.
Of course, it is more complex on the educator’s side as well, as teachers not only prepare their lessons but their websites, Blackboard, E-Chalk and more. Electronic grade books need to be created and prepared. Course outlines need to include email addresses and website URLs. Lecture presentations must be updated to include the multi-media content our students now seem to require to absorb material.
And let us not forget those administrators. A quick check of the student handbook in our school finds references to forbidden pagers and Walkman, even as they have been updated to forbid cell phones and iPods. Policies about internet usage, social networking perils, and no-texting-in-school must be written and added to the handbook. Pity the poor administrator who will have to update the book this year now that we have pointed out the errors! Coaches and club moderators want to create Facebook sites to keep students and parents connected. Can you imagine the tossing and turning the dean of students is experiencing?
Riding the wave of it all are, of course, our students. They enter our buildings this fall with new cell phones, iPods, iPhones, and other tiny devices that have more computing and communication power than the computers in our labs. They will talk about their new iPads, notebooks, E-readers, Playstations and XboXes, and multi-media entertainment centers the way previous generations discussed their summer vacations. They will expect us to be up-to-date, entertaining, and media savvy from the moment they walk in the door.
Are you ready?
Ron Martorelli
CSTA Board of Directors