Teacher Policy Institute Kits, IMPACT II

Getting Real:    Setting Expectations and Developing an "R&D" Culture.    by Janice Gordon and Bram Moreinis

Why Get Real?

One difficulty with technology envisioning is that there are two predominant cultures (or rather, cults) related to school computing: "true believers" (who think that anything you can use a computer for is worth using a computer for) and "Luddites" (who would rather we return to 18th century farming). Somewhere in between the two lies the reality - that computer vendors are not schoolteachers and don't know what works and what doesn't in that setting, but that there are many very powerful learning opportunities computers provide. It's important to navigate a path between these two extreme visions, and "Get Real" as you envision what the implementation process will be like and require.

There's a well-known cautionary fairy tale called The Monkey's Paw, in which a talisman that seemingly bestows the magical power to grant any wish produces side effects that are far worse than the wished-for benefits. The Monkey's Paw is a chart of such "side effects" to plan against in new technology implementations, and is a good touchstone to explore in establishing realistic expectations. I do not mean to imply that technology is a monkey's paw in the classroom, only that it can appear so if not properly contextualized or prepared for. Its tabular form is designed to be stimulate group discussion as part of a faculty pre-orientation to technology planning and implementation.

NOTE: The Monkey's Paw has been adapted from Getting Real, a "technology kit" created for IMPACT II's Teacher Policy Institute by Janice Gordon (Mott Hall School) and myself, written for teachers about to enter a major phase of technology implementaion. It address issues that arose in the responses to the Getting Connected Survey we circulated among five schools. These issues are discussed at length in the essay, Promises and Problems: Getting Real about School Technology also part of that kit.

Having agreed to steer clear of promising the moon, and before diving fully into the planning process, the technology team should wisely consider what stakeholder representation should be actively solicited, and how it can make best use of the wide range of community members and their capacity to support technology initiatives.

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