Interview with Mary Carney, High School History Teacher
Me: How has technology changed during your tenure as an educator?
M. Carney: I have taught for 9 years in the same high school. In that time I have transitioned from using an overhead projector with transparencies, to a projector that connects to a pc, to a mobile smart board, to a permanent smart board with a laptop that has the appropriate smart software. In 9 years I have not had the same level of technology for more than a year or two. On one hand it has been wonderful to see the level of technology increase and on the other hand it has been a constant job to keep up with the changing technology without the appropriate professional development or technical support.
There has also been a tremendous change in student data software. I began my career keeping physical grade and plan books. All discipline referrals were hand written and submitted in person (often prompting a conversation between myself and the administrator about the situation). Book lists, attendance, and other administrative tasks were all paper based. While the implementation of this new software was unnecessarily difficult, the end result is a much more efficient and certainly more earth-friendly system.
Additionally, the technology available to students has increased dramatically in the 9 years that I have been in the classroom. When I began, many students had cell phones that functioned almost exclusively as phones. Throughout the last decade texting, social media, smart phone technology, and addictive smart phone games have all entered the classroom with positive and negative results. While the students have the amazing new ability to access virtually all of the world's information at their fingertips, they are constantly distracted with games and social media.
Me: How have those changes changed the way you teach?
M. Carney: I have tried to adapt my practices to keep up with technology. Of note, I have moved most of my content to an online format that supports the in-class instruction. I use a free online blog format to provide notes, class announcements, parent information, extra credit, and homework to my students. I believe that the blog has been a great change in the way I assign homework because my students can interact with the homework in a way that replicates work they will have as professionals. Each homework assignment is a blog post that consists of reading, a video, a webquest, audio, or an interactive activity and several questions. In the field of history, this is especially important because it breaks the students free of the narrow thinking that textbook sections and questions require and promotes higher order thinking skills. It also requires students to develop computer skills that will serve them in a modern world. Finally, it allows them to see the academic use of the internet that they will encounter in college.
One goal I have for myself this year is to incorporate the new technology in our school more in the day to day lessons in my classroom. Specifically, I want to learn that many ways I can use my smartboard and its corresponding software now that it is fully available.
Me: What do you think is the next trend in technology and the classroom?
M. Carney: In the field of history and social studies, like many other fields, I hope the next trend is the globalization of the classroom. It would be amazing to facetime/skype with high school students from around the world. It would be wonderful to learn about other cultures from the people of the region itself. Imagine the experts that can be brought directly into the classroom through new technology. However, I feel so strongly that this all will be so much more meaningful in small classes with professional teachers leading them. There is so much value to online learning but I worry that society will lose sight that it is a distant second to a professional, passionate adult in young people's lives.
Me: What is one piece of technology that all students should have access to in a classroom?
M. Carney: Honestly, I do not think there is any one thing that exists today that will level the playing field for all students. As soon as every student has a brand new ipad, a new and even more powerful device will come out and change everything. In a perfect world, a device that can only be used for educational purposes would be wonderful but that is impractical so we need to teach kids how to manage technology and their attention spans.
Me: What is one piece of technology (hardware or software) that no teacher should be without?
M. Carney: An electric tea kettle or coffee maker. Just kidding (sort of).
I think that teachers need to have a reliable device (laptop, tablet, etc) with a constant and strong internet signal and the ability to project. I also think a fully functional, user-friendly student data system is critical for the operation of a school. Much like my answer to the previous question, I think that more than any specific device, teachers have the responsibility to adapt to new technology constantly and districts have the responsibility to acquire this technology to the best of their ability and train their staff regularly.
I would like to thank Mary Carney for her excellent and enthusiastic participation in this project. I look forward to working with her on advancing technology in the future!
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