As of the time of this posting, there are nine days remaining in my graduate program. This means, of course, that I have turned into a zombie who sits crouched in front of a computer screen (or three) and stacks of books frantically trying to write coherently. I am grateful, naturally, that my current un-dead state coincides with my bi-annual self-directed learning project at work. Thus, this post.
My current reading and interest of study is that of technology infrastructure. Research points to the fact that many teachers cite lack of access to technology as their primary reason why they don’t integrate it more fully into their instruction. However, we know that essentially 100% of schools have Internet access and each state is at least 5:1 students to computers. Digital access, then, needs to be at the forefront of our discussions. The precursor to this is that of infrastructure.
It isn’t glamorous. It isn’t sexy. It doesn’t (typically) make the front page. Could you imagine a headline of, “Local School Upgrades Wireless Access Points” with the story to follow discussing the difference for learning between 802.11g and 802.11n? But it’s necessary. Infrastructure is the most overlooked piece of the puzzle yet it’s the most crucial. Did you drive to work today? Or use electricity? Or drink water from anything other than a well? Did you plan in advance what you were going to accomplish at work?
Writing lesson plans isn’t glamorous. Disaggregating data certainly isn’t sexy. But it’s part of establishing the infrastructure to ensure student success. You must decide, in advance, how you are going to get to an established learning goal. We have the calling and the obligation (if not the opportunity) to set up our students (and our teachers, for that matter) for success.
What are you doing to ensure that you students succeed? The secret to being a good teacher isn’t charisma or even the skill of oratory. It isn’t how quickly you grade papers or how late you stay after for tutorials. The secret of a successful teacher is the ability to script and design a learning environment that puts students on the path to success and knowing the ways that your infrastructure is prepared to handle detours and lane closures. In this regard, then, the skill of a teacher is knowing where you’re going and all the possible ways to get there. If your lecture isn’t working, how will you teach them? How will your students be successful?
