Every year I use Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to teach students iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme of a sonnet. Every year the students protest. Then they become invested in the storyline and bemoan the fact that these two characters are so young and so dumb and why would an adult write about kids making such horrible decisions because “For sure, we don’t act like that.” And then we get to the end and the students cry out, “Don’t do it! Juliet, wake up!” We finish the play and take the assessment. Then I ask the kids to imagine that Romeo, or Juliet, or any other of the amazing characters in that play lived today and had social media. I ask them to think about what that site might actually look like; what comments from friends would you see on their wall; what pictures and hashtags would they use on Instagram? Then the fun really begins.
Technology is so engrained in our students lives that they can immediately discuss who Mercutio would follow on Instagram or Twitter and get into an argument about what profile picture would make the most sense for the nurse. Students today know how to navigate the web and new gadgets with ease and are ready to see more of it in their classrooms. But the students are not the problem. Teachers are not equipped to implement all of the technology that is at their fingertips because they do not know how to use it.
Professional Development is meant to broaden the horizons for many schools and their teachers; unfortunately, there never seems to be enough time to really train the staff adequately on the multitude of programs that are in use each year. Many teachers fall victim to reaching out to the IT person at their site for quick fixes with glitches in the technology or help in navigating an unfamiliar application. According to the Office of Educational Technology, “…schools need to support teachers in accessing needed technology and in learning how to use it effectively. Educators need continuous, just-in-time support that includes professional development, mentors, and informal collaborations.” A lot of time is wasted during professional development. Often teachers are invited to participate in trainings that are not applicable to their classrooms or to events that they may not find value in. If instead we give teachers continuous training on the various technological applications they are asked to use, they might be more inclined to use them. And the issue is not time. There is plenty of time! These trainings could take place during the school day. Substitutes could be used for a half-day of training for one teacher, and a half-day of training for another. This is manageable. Teacher volunteers that are well versed in the application could also offer their time to help struggling staff members. This could be done during planning periods, before school, or after school.
In addition, if we give the teachers the support they need to implement technology into the classroom, we will be better preparing the students to face the 21st century world that waits for them upon graduation. “Smart policy will both ensure equality of access to technology that focus on specific connections to learning processes and address all the factors in complete learning systems. Smart research and development investment will be in learning systems that include technology applications as well as the conditions that support students and teaches to use them effectively toward strong learning” (Office of Educational Technology).
I will continue to discuss feuds between ancient families and my students will continue to analyze #feudsfordays, #romeoforever, and #julietwakeup. I would just like for the teachers to understand what it is the kids are accessing online and what it is they are talking about. Technology is here to stay. Our students know it and love it. We should too.
References
P. (n.d.) Learning Technology Effectiveness. Retrieved from htts://tech.ed.gov/learning-technology-effectiveness