Whenever I learn something new, I always think, "How can I use this in my life?" I try not to have a similar outlook as my students do and simply say, "I'm never gonna use this!" I love to learn new things and love to broaden my thinking. So, this course has been interesting for me.
I had some exposure to computer parts in the past, but I needed a refresher. At the school I teach at, we have a required course called Computer Lit. It is taught at the high school level and covers computer history, computer parts, and Microsoft Office programs. I do not teach this class and the teacher that does, is not leaving in the near future. However, I teach about an hour away from where I live, so it is possible that I would leave soon. As curriculums and course offerings differ from district to district in business ed, I could be expected to teach something like Computer Lit. somewhere else.
I might have to opportunity to help fix problems that arise in computer labs. We only have one computer tech in our district and he has more work than one person can do in the amount of time he is expected to do it. So, if there are things that I can do myself that would alleviate some of the tech's workload, I will do them. Also, it is helpful to be able to assist other teachers in troubleshooting their classroom machine.
I enjoy being knowledgeable on subjects that can help me in my own life. In the past, I have had problems with my computer and haven't been able to fix it. By learning more about computer systems, I will have a better understanding of how to protect my computer or how to fix it if problems arise. It also is helpful if my parents have problems with their computer, if I can fix it.
It seems that overworked IT people is common in school districts. Having one tech for the entire district seems like a bad idea. What happens when that person goes on vacation or gets sick? My school has a team of help desk techs but with thousands of students around the country needed tech support, it is sometime difficult to reach them and get help in a timely manner. So I agree that anything we can do ourselves is a benefit.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is a lack of confidence in my abilities. Do you ever worry that you may do more harm than good if you attempt the help with a tech problem?
There is a certain power to knowing where computers came from, how they work and where they might be going. It makes you a better consumer and user.
ReplyDeleteChris-Absolutely! Until I know more or unless I have done something before, I always worry that I am going to make a problem worse!
ReplyDeleteJohn-I am always telling my students that they need to be wise consumers! I feel I should practice what I preach and I am always learning new ways to be a better consumer!
One thing that some districts are trying to do as a "cost-saving" maneuver is to get rid of the site based technology support people. The rationalization is that if a district does not need to pay benefits, there will be a net savings. This is a policy that is "Pound wise, penny foolish". The unfortunate problem with this is that when you don't have site based resources, the consultants that are brought in do not know the environment of the school or the history of certain individuals with regards to ability (or inability) to use technology properly and productively. This in many cases leads to excessive expenditures with regards to having outside consultants coming into the schools to fix the same problems over and over. With on site personnel, there is a chance that some preventative measures can be taken and still allow all users access to the networks in the schools. I do not know the happy medium when it comes to balancing the need for knowledgeable tech administrators on site and the cost of knowledgeable tech administrators. Possibly having a small # of sites for each administrator might be able to provide most of the services of a full time on site administrator, but also mitigate the cost with more locations being serviced.
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