Are Computer Labs a Crutch?
A lot of teachers are hungry to know more about Web 2.0 and its tools. They are hungry to know about it, use it, teach it.
Many of those who are hungry (and most are, even if they don't admit it in a group), also lean on a crutch. They call it the computer lab.
The challenges I have with the computer lab as a crutch are plenty:
- Unlike shop, phys-ed, music, or art - computers and connectivity are in everyday use for everyone. All the time. It's the world we live in. Just about every cubicle, office and table at Panera has a computer of some sort - even if it's handheld. Computer lab? Why the separation?
- I'll answer my own question (in part). Bandwidth. Both the network and the brain.
- The Network: From a Web 2.0 perspective, having 20 students watching the same video or grabbing images of Flickr would suck up so much bandwidth it slows down the teaching, the task, and the talk. Time's a-wasting.
- The Brain: Putting 20 students in front of a glowing computer screen is going to take attention away from even the best of teachers.
I'm NOT saying the computer lab is bad. What I AM saying is the computer lab shouldn't be the first (or only) stop in teaching computer and Internet skills.
Structure of an Internet Workshop:
Modeled (15-20 minutes): An Internet workshop or lesson plan should begin in the classroom. With a single computer, a PowerPoint presentation with screenshots, or even a flip chart -- a teacher can model, think aloud and read aloud, all eyes front.
Shared (15-20 minutes): Teacher and students together navigate the web and manipulate search strings aloud.
Guided (30-40 minutes): Our first steps into the computer lab (unless you have One Laptop per Child (OLPC)). Small groups would work great here, with students learning from each other as well as the teacher.
Independent (15-20 minutes): Teachers can take this opportunity for one-on-one, while other students work independently.
This type of workshop isn't an all-at-once, or even a cram-this-into-a-month, lesson plan. Integrating this type of workshop will keep students engaged AND prepared for what's ahead.
Add-on: As you can see, just a bit over half of our time is actually spent in the lab. So, is the computer lab really necessary to teach this stuff? I think so - but it's not the end-all, be-all.
And for my colleagues in marketing agencies trying to get their clients to blog (or whatever), this is how I coach business leaders to do it too.
Photo on Flickr by Extra Ketchup
Comments