Angela Stevens :: English III and Instructional Technology Specialist
Irving ISD is in the sixth year of implementing its one-to-one laptop program at the high school level. All four high schools and one middle school are blessed with a Dell laptop for all teaching staff and students… pretty amazing, really.
So, has it been easy? Definitely not. Implementing ANYTHING new is a struggle and requires a paradigm shift, lots of time, staff and student buy-in, positive collaboration and CONTINUAL professional growth.
Irving just passed its second bond so that we can continue the laptop program and other technological upgrades within the district… which is great. The problem is that this bond is about half the amount of the original bond, so as a district, we are looking at some options to conserve funds.
So far we have conducted two “laptop re-visioning” meetings where we have discussed what we are currently doing well with technology and what we need to do to improve. We have also discussed ways we might restructure parts of the laptop program. So far some options that have been thrown into the mix are sharing printers instead of having one in every classroom, purchasing one battery per laptop instead of two, transitioning from language labs to podcasting, and even possibly switching from “full-service” laptops to lighter devices. We have taken cursory looks at the following devices as a possible option - the XO laptop, the eee PC, and Intel’s Classmate PC.
So, at this point in the post you may be asking why is she telling us all of this? Is there a point? Yes, I assure you there is, and here goes…
The point is that in order to effectively prepare students for their future, educators must be willing to evolve, take some risks and continually readdress their strengths and weaknesses. Although Irving ISD is certainly not perfect, I believe the school district is committed to providing its students with an innovative and quality education.
I was reminded of how lucky I am to work in such a district when I read an article in the Washington Post, A School That’s Too High on Gizmos. After reading the article, I was a little sad, a little mad and deeply grateful for where I am teaching.
Introducing a real and lasting change into education isn’t easy, but as educators, we should all be committed to doing what is best for our students. And teaching them in a classroom that will prepare them for their future… their “real” future is what is best for our students. As I read the article (which was written by a teacher), I was struck by how reluctant the staff seem to be about making a paradigm shift… not just about technology but about shifting the “sage on the stage” to the student-centered approach.
“The latest is the “school pad” — a hand-held device that allows a teacher to roam around the room and underline whatever the LCD projects onto the screen. In other words, it saves teachers from walking a few feet to their desks to click the computer mouse. The school system ordered 77 school pads for T.C. at $495 apiece, even though one teacher said they reminded her of “the Magna Doodle pads we had as kids. It’s another way to waste money for people who are too lazy to write on the board.” - Hmmm… I am saddened by this statement and the speaker’s lack of creativity. The school pad CAN allow the teacher to walk AMONGST the students and interact with them while teaching instead of simply standing at the front of the room talking AT them. The school pad can easily be passed around for students to work problems in stages (step-by-step), in groups, and it can help build collaboration.
Technology itself will not revolutionize education. Teachers are the ones who will make the change, but they have to be willing to evolve, slip out of their comfort zone and leap into the great unknown so they can learn to TEACH MORE, BETTER. 
Disclaimer - The article I discuss is an opinion piece and is written from the perspective of ONE teacher. I hope he is in the minority of his district, and I would love the Washington Post to publish another opinion piece by a teacher from their district who supports the district’s technology integration.
