Apprehension
While technology has been proven in the past three frames to expand understanding of the subject and content area of Language Arts, to provide students ways of communicating and discerning information, and to explore a multicultural world and engage in diversity and cultural studies that may develop student empathy and passion, many schools are still reluctant in adding technology into their classrooms. There are many reasons for this apprehension, however, many of these reasons can be avoided through impassioned involvement and careful implementation by the classroom teacher. Some of these concerns include:
Materials
*The school does not physically have enough computers for each student to use
*The Internet network is not reliable enough to host massive technology usage everyday by every student
*Students may not have access to a computer or Internet at home, making it difficult to assign homework dealing with technology
Social Media
*Most students already have Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ accounts for their own personal usage; Can you use those same accounts for classroom usage?
*Curbing abuses of social media in the classroom (using sites for non-school related material in the classroom)
*Keeping privacy issues in check (identity, public versus private accounts, etc.)
*Friending: How do you deal with students who wish to "friend" their teachers?
Blogging
*Keeping privacy issues in check (strangers reading blog posts)
*Keeping material posted school appropriate (Can students use school blog or blogger account to manage private blogs as well?)
Video/Research
*How do you make sure materials students view on YouTube, etc. are school appropriate materials without setting up extensive firewalls and banned websites?
While all of these concerns are genuine, they should not keep any instructor or school from adopting technology or social media in the classroom. To see suggestions as to how any school in any socioeconomic environment can combat these apprehensions and also incorporate technology effectively into every classroom, please visit the Basic Practices tab.
Materials
*The school does not physically have enough computers for each student to use
*The Internet network is not reliable enough to host massive technology usage everyday by every student
*Students may not have access to a computer or Internet at home, making it difficult to assign homework dealing with technology
Social Media
*Most students already have Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ accounts for their own personal usage; Can you use those same accounts for classroom usage?
*Curbing abuses of social media in the classroom (using sites for non-school related material in the classroom)
*Keeping privacy issues in check (identity, public versus private accounts, etc.)
*Friending: How do you deal with students who wish to "friend" their teachers?
Blogging
*Keeping privacy issues in check (strangers reading blog posts)
*Keeping material posted school appropriate (Can students use school blog or blogger account to manage private blogs as well?)
Video/Research
*How do you make sure materials students view on YouTube, etc. are school appropriate materials without setting up extensive firewalls and banned websites?
While all of these concerns are genuine, they should not keep any instructor or school from adopting technology or social media in the classroom. To see suggestions as to how any school in any socioeconomic environment can combat these apprehensions and also incorporate technology effectively into every classroom, please visit the Basic Practices tab.