Every good teacher should take a good look at all sides of an issue. This isn't about right or wrong, but rather it involves a perspective. You can't just turn your head to the left or o the right, sometimes you need to elevate yourself, even get down on the floor and look under the couch so to say. Chapter 3 is about giving consideration to that "other side" of the perspective. It's about having empathy for the failures and disappointments which technology has failed to bring to the classroom. The author notes how teaching can be a conservative practice as teachers are reluctant to change after fighting for their programs all those years. But those "fights" should be a thing of the past, and it's time to begin from a new perspective. Yes, there has been waste and failure with technology in education. Not every school district can afford to spend to spend monies on the "latest & greatest" tech tools when another academic year rolls around. Yes, there is a divide between the haves and the have-nots, and it WILL continue to be publicized. It is NOT going away in the very near future.
There will be some of us who find jobs in schools with endless financial resources to re-stock their technologies every fall. Some of my cohorts will be in schools using computers and other technologies from what seems to be long ago. And then there is everyone else....in the middle ground between gotta-have and keep-away. Regardless, we have to be aware of the arguments which question the validity and sanity of ongoing changes with technology. A good educator is always hoping for the best but prepared for the worse. Having the ability to view the problem and develop a solution from a fresh perspective will increase your value to the school district, parents, taxpayers....and most of all, to the kids in your classroom!
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