The teacher I interviewed works in Brick Township. This instructor teaches both freshman and junior level biology classes. When I first addressed the concept of NETS-S and NETS-T the teacher I interviewed had a few interesting things to say in regards to the topic. While he had heard of both NETS-S and NETS-T, he told me that while he had heard of both, Brick Township barely implements them. While the concept is an interesting one, and an aim that we should look to, it would appear that Brick Township has neither the funds, nor the training to properly administer lessons geared towards these standards. This was made clear during my interview. During my interview session, the teacher in question told me that while he would like to find a way to implement these standards, his classroom only has two computers in it, and only one of these computers actually works. In a class of thirty or more freshman, one computer is simply not enough to go around. Furthermore, the one computer lab in the entire high school only has ten computers, which is still not enough for one class, let alone the entire high school of over two thousand teenagers. Having attended this high school myself, I can attest to the severe lack of technology that is available to students. Another big issue with NETS-S and NETS-T is that there is a severe lack of NETS-A. According to the teacher I interviewed, he had not heard a single administrator actually discuss the idea of NETS at all. Instead, a few of the business teachers had taken it upon themselves to look into the standards. While the teacher I questioned said that Brick Township claims to use NETS, they really do not. While teachers and administrators are horribly lacking in knowledge of NETS, the main problem would still be funding. While knowledge and proper training certainly is important, not having the means to carry out NETS is a hindrance. In science it would be interesting to have computerized lab experiments, interactive videos and models, but without money to purchase the materials this is impossible. As the budget for Brick has failed miserably the past few years the school district is hard strapped for cash, and has already closed down a few elementary schools to save money. To be honest, I was not really surprised at all by the fact that my old school district does not implement NETS well, or at all. Having come from Brick Township, I am well aware of both the financial issue involved, as well as the lack of administration support. While I would openly discuss the standards and how to implement them in the future, I fear that ignorance and neglect from the administration would prevent proper implementation from occurring.
Google Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmZuP1NhqQzvdFpzaTRudXJUODI3TkRjQmwwUlpUMHc&pli=1#gid=0
Lack of funding for purchasing technological resources is the bitter reality that many school districts face. This factor along with the lack of adequate training is what impedes school districts such as the one where I was educated (North Bergen, Hudson County) to authentically implement the measures that NETS entails. In my former high school we do have at least 40 computers in our media center, which enables teachers to occasionally conduct a class session there (to explain the process for a research report or the like). However,technological resources that I commonly spot at other education institutions such as projectors to display visual media or smart boards to hold an interactive class cannot or can hardly be found in my high school. I believe however that even if the school district lack the financial means to obtain new technological resources, there is still the option of creating innovative initiatives that make optimal use of the resources that are available. For instance, the high school can design a student portal which displays links to academic websites that offer practice activities in different subject areas. In this student portal the administrators can create a chat-room area where youth counseling & tutoring sessions can occur. I believe that if the school is able to prove that student performance & engagement does improve as a result of these initiatives that make wise & efficient use of available technology, it can serve as a catalyst for validating the need for further technological resources.
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