Can we count on it? Is it available to our teachers?

The article, Nine Rules for Good Technology by Stephen Downes, was a refreshingly straightforward read. As we begin to understand the importance of internalizing the use of technology in our classrooms, it becomes apparent that the technology must be reliable and viable close to 100% of the time. Though the technology is exciting, creative and a wide open tool, if it doesn't work a vast majority of the time, it's use in the classroom will diminish as the teachers get frustrated.

A teacher develops an engaging Smartboard lesson. During the lesson, the bulb on the projector goes out. She is told that they are not replacing bulbs this year due to budget cuts.

A teacher develops a webquest for her students on the Constitution. She runs it by the computer department to make sure that there are no problems. Given the all clear, she tries to run it in her classroom. One day it works. The next day, the students keep getting blocked. One of the sites was just deemed inappropriate due to advertising.

A classroom teacher prepares her students for a video chat with a science professor who will take them through the steps of an experiment. Time comes for the video chat. The computer teacher cannot get the equipment to work.

This is a difficult period economically. Computer teachers are being cut. Technology purchases are disappearing. In many classrooms and in many schools, technology is not available in the classroom. This article highlights the importance of the other piece of teaching with technology.

We need not only lesson plans that incorporate the use of technology to effectively facilitate learning. We must also have reliable hardware that supports those lessons. We need not only technology in our lessons, but in our classrooms. In these hard times, teachers and districts may need to work harder and be creative in order to do that.

Grants, anyone?

Another interesting video by Stephen Downes is Web 2.0 and Your Own Learning Development.