Adopting Technology: What Do You Really Need?
Are you concerned that your use of technology may not be adequate to meet the needs of your students? Ae you confused by the number and variety of technological tools in the marketplace? Ae you unsure of where to begin finding answers? Perhaps our experience may help you get started in the process. The Education Department at Wilmington College was fortunate to receive an unrestricted grant from a college alumnus. One of our first thoughts was to use at least some of the money to upgrade the technology that our students are exposed to during their course of study. A some classrooms on campus had already been upgraded with media stations that included document cameras, DVD/VCR combinations, computers with internet connections, LCD projectors and integrated sound systems, we elected to use some of the grant to install such a system in our main classroom. However, we still had some money to spend on technology, so we started investigating options. First, at a meeting of our Community Advisory Board, we inquired about the technology that was common in the local schools, and also what was to be added in the near future. In listening to the responses, we learned that both the largest local school district (which hosts many of our placements) and the county wide vocational district were investing heavily in interactive white boards. Since this was a technology that we had not yet adopted, we investigated. We discovered that both districts had selected the same brand, and for the same reason: the software that accompanied the boards was more versatile, and met more of their needs, than the software that accompanied competing brands. The education department faculty decided that our students would have an advantage if they were already familiar with both the hardware and software that they would encounter in their placements, so we contacted the vendor and asked for a demonstration. Among the capabilities we observed were the standard interactive white board features, which included a large, attention engaging display size, control of PowerPoint presentations, hands on navigation of internet web sites, and real time modification of displayed content with devices such as special markers. However, several of the software's unique features intrigued us. First, the software includes a sizable gallery of images and movie files, which can be added, manipulated and modified with a touch. With such a large gallery at hand, less time will be spent searching for just the right image to illustrate a concept. Another feature we appreciated was the ability to manipulate the images in a variety of ways, including using the gallery image of a protractor to rotate to fit a specific angle and measure it, all by using a finger. Another significant feature of the software is that with our purchase of the board, we would be granted the right for all our faculty and students to download and use the software at home. This allows users to work in their own space and pace to develop and refine activities.