FaceTiming/Video Calling

This week we are discussing technology and face-to-face instruction. Specifically, my discussion group talked about FaceTime/Video calling and it's place in the classroom (which I think absolutely has creative, real possibilities!). Part of this week's curriculum involved watching this video:

I have to admit this video really annoyed me. Seriously. For starters, on a very superficial and, well, snotty level: where in America do you have an entire classroom of students (and "entire classroom" is apparently only 10 ten students?) on task, eager to learn, and ready to do everything the teacher tells them or their "technology" tells them to do. Easy peasy classroom management. All students smiling. Every person is neat. No mess - and I mean that internally and externally. Um. Nowhere. The utopia that this video presents really gets under my skin. [By the way, where is the diversity in this video?] Of course, I realize the video is simply trying to make people "think" in very general terms but it only makes this teacher [like me] annoyed. There are enough people pointing their fingers at teachers and their "cushy" jobs - so things like this annoy me. I seriously question the author's teaching/education street cred. Grumpy. Maybe? But, it just annoyed me and I needed to get it off my chest. So, there. I did it.  And, well, there is always the annoyance that in real life budgets currently cannot support all of these technological bells and whistles. We never will never be able to unless major revisions to school funding are made.

Even with the above, please know I am a huge supporter of technology - especially in the classroom. I have thoroughly loved learning about all of the endless resources and tools this semester (and hearing my peers amazing ideas/experiences). However, I do not think technology is the end all be all for students and teachers nor will it fix all of the problems at hand in our school systems. It certainly will not make a school utopia like this video portrays. Rather, I am of the team that technology is a important and vital tool for a teacher's tool belt. If used appropriately with planning, support, and effective implementation  - technology can play a huge, effective, loving role in our classrooms. But, do I ever think it will lead exactly to classrooms like this video depicts? No.

I think I sound grumpy. Sorry. I'm not. Please know, I just approach this whole topic with a lens of a teacher who has participated in combat. Realism. I've taught in some pretty rough schools. For starters, I was hired for an urban, alternative education position fresh out of undergrad (Side note: silly, naive me didn't think to ask which school they were going to house me at and they didn't privy me of this hidden fact! Always ask what is meant by a "satellite campus!"). And, well, I have war stories. This is where I truly got my "teaching degree." I loved it and also hated it and I'm not just talking about the situations I dealt with with students. Support, budgets, colleagues, etc. Anyway, all I am trying to say is that technology is awesome and it really can support some amazing lessons for educators but...at this point, I do not think having a completely technology based school/classroom (as this video depicts) will lead to a educational utopia for teachers and students. I think it is very naiive to think it will. 

Again, sorry if this is a negative post. It's not meant to be. I really do think highly of technology and it indubitably has a role in a classroom but it in my opinion it shouldn't be the answer/solution to everything. We should be balancing all of the tools and practices a teacher can implement for successful lesson delivery and student success. 

I promise I'm not grumpy,

Sara :)