I feel like the
book takes the reader through the journey that teachers take when integrating
something new and not really knowing the best way to both take advantage of the
opportunity for new tools, but also to do what is best for students and the
projects at hand. Mr. Johnson has quandaries throughout the novel about the way
that pencils are being used in his classroom and whether they are a benefit or
a distraction. When they are no longer being used to accentuate a lesson or
project, it is time to use another medium. One of the programs that Mr. Johnson
has to teach in his class is, “the Career Readiness Achievement Program.” I did
laugh as I read this knowing that this was C.R.A.P. It was a program full of
worksheets and had much in common with what many teachers are still forcing on
their students in class. They wonder why they are not engaged! Mr. Johnson and
some of his colleagues come to the conclusion that student guided lessons are
the best way to teach for students to be prepared for critically thinking in
the real world. He mentions pen pals as a metaphor for social media networks of
today and teeters back and forth on the pros and cons of having these as part
of the classroom activity. There are some risks involved for the students;
however, they also get to collaborate with each other and students around other
areas. I feel like the use of social media and collaboration across borders is
truly dependant on the project and the group of students. It just isn’t black
and white, just like with graphite, there are shades of gray. As mentioned in
many of my previous posts, I feel like the use of technology is very important
in teaching and education today, however, I also know that hands on creativity
cannot be replaced by a technology gadget. As an art teacher, I will ALWAYS
feel like there is no replacement for creating with your hands, no matter what
technology tools become available. Some methods are just timeless.
I enjoyed reading
the book on the surface, although, it was somewhat monotonous for me towards
the end. I occasionally had to go back and read sections again because there
are a number of pronoun agreement issues or words that did not make sense in
the writing. I was quite surprised at the number of mistakes in a published
book about teaching. I guess, overall, it does not affect the storyline; it was
just frustrating, at times. On the one hand, I would recommend the book for the
ideas upon which it is based. I would absolutely have to preface the
recommendation by saying that the grammar and writing leaves something to be
desired in many instances in the book. Taken as a whole, I enjoyed reading it
more than some of the more research based texts that I have read for education
because it was a novel. Spencer admits, himself, that there is not really a
clear story arc, and it really is more the idea behind the story.
I really have a
benefit of teaching at a school that has already gone through many of the steps
that Tom Johnson and his colleagues took in order to integrate technology into
their classrooms. Many of the lessons that Mr. Johnson learns in the book are
old news to me, as we have gone through the questions and struggles ourselves,
at Delaware, and we’ve come out ahead on the other side for the benefit of our
students. I think that, more than anything, after reading this book, I just
feel overwhelmingly lucky to teach at Delaware Elementary with the staff and
students that I get to work with every day. It is evident that not everyone is
as lucky.
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