Students Fear Me

Not for the reasons that one might initially assume. As a schoolteacher, there is a natural tendency for my charges to view me with trepidation. Further, I am one scary-looking broad. Lastly, I am a potently intimidating individual. At a whopping 5’3” and 100 lbs, I can reduce an All-State Tackle to a smoldering pile of hair, teeth and eyeballs with nothing but an uplifted eyebrow.

For none of the preceding reasons do my students quake in my presence. They do it because I am better with computers than are they. For some reason, that makes them very, very nervous. The reasons for this are many, I feel. Students like to believe that they are the masters of the modern. Technology falls under this umbrella. Therefore, they should possess all knowledge and I should be a plebe. But, if you closely examine the younger generation, you find that they really don’t know that much about computer systems. They can turn them on, work with Instant Messaging, download songs, but that is really about the extent of their expertise. They can perform the basic functions necessary to accomplish these tasks (mostly communicative in nature) and this creates the façade of mastery to those for whom the basic skills are lacking. Unfortunately, this does include many of the older generation, of which I stand up to be counted. However, they truly lack any advanced abilities for computer use. They do not know the strategies to effectively navigate the Internet or evaluate its information, they do not know the ins-and-outs of browsers or productivity software. They are not knowledgeable in integrating pictures or media effectively into web-based or print publications. They just don’t know how to do much…

And their teachers have not been there to help them. Teachers are notorious for stagnation when it comes to professional development. I cannot completely brindle from the accusations hurled at academic professionals over this issue. Many teachers of preceding cohorts have walked into their classrooms, closed the doors and never let anything in or out again. When their administrators pried open the orifice and inserted a computer – the teachers felt their shrines had been desecrated by a craven idol. They wanted not to lay hands upon it, let alone delve deeply into its secrets. In other words, it became a dust-gatherer. Skills not acquired cannot be taught. Skills de-emphasized will not encourage others. Student technology skills have faltered in our school systems, not only due to insufficient resources, but also from teacher reluctance to bring technology into their curriculum.

Also, I am a woman. If I asked you to create a visual picture of a techno-geek, the person would likely be male. He could be fat or thin, likely wearing glasses, have unwashed hair, shabby clothes or clothes of preppy style rendered shabby by overwearing without washing. The image would not be a tiny, blonde, blue-eyed femme. Sci-fi nerd, techno-geek, pick the label and apply it to my forehead. I read science fiction and science fact. I consume books on technology history and commentary. I subscribe to tech-based magazines. I own and actually use manuals for coding, web design, software application, etc. This completely unsettles my students. And, my subject fields are in the life sciences. This, they could accept, but my tight integration of technology into my curriculum planning mystifies their minds. They are unbalanced, I do not fit the mold. I go against the grain. I should be scared of and inept in technology, but I have forgotten more than they will never learn. And they know this.

And, I USE technology. I don’t just pontificate about its benefits, I use it. They see me carrying my laptop every day and working on it every day. They engage in online instructional projects that I design. They are tasked to learn and produce using technology from the beginning of the school year to the end. They use Power Point, Hyperstudio, Word, Excel, Front Page and other programs regularly. They maintain blogs in conjunction with the ones I have posted for the courses. I gave them email accounts from my own web host to facilitate communication between themselves, me and the outside world (great for collaborative projects with other schools). I maintain my grades in Microsoft Excel, so I have a ready average for inquiring students (much to their consternation) I present lectures designed with multimedia software and, with my TV-Internet connection, incorporate the WWW into the classroom. I use and mandate they use scientific equipment, scientific graphing and statistics packages and computer-based simulations, in addition to the traditional “biology” lab exercises. Students see that not only do I KNOW technology and technological issues, I am comfortable using them day to day.

My students fear me. I represent that which they most dread – someone they actually acknowledge is higher in a pecking order than are they. Someone who truly knows things they do not know. Someone who has an opinion based on fact and experience and speaks words which are worth hearing. They cannot abide this. They cannot maintain the “know it all” masquerade in my presence. Not for everything, of course, but for this one area in which they assume natural pre-eminence. Technology is a feature they use to define their generation and, with me, they find that definition challenged. A 5’3”, 100-lb David to their Goliath. And, not all of my rocks are in my head…