[K12OSN] Mass remote login to computer lab systems

[David D. Nelson]

--- "Terrell Prudé Jr." <microman at cmosnetworks.com>
wrote:

<<snip>>

> What our two examples indicate is an ego problem,
> specifically the
> end-user's ego problem.  This is particularly
> compounded when those end
> users are accustomed to flaunting their "advanced
> degrees" all around
> trying to show us how smart they're supposed to be.
> 
> What I haven't yet figured out yet is how to get
> such people to be
> willing to learn the tool, like kids do.  This is
> one of our biggest
> roadblocks to furthering K12LTSP and Free Software
> in general.  Ideas,
> anyone?
> 
> --TP

Ego is definitely one of the big issues. It seems that
those with low self esteem use their degrees to
measure their value. This just makes things worse.

The same issues come into play when talking about
teaching techniques. Those who are comfortable with
who they are are more open to learning anything,
whether it be about how to improve their teaching or
learning to use a computer. Unfortunately, many use
the lack of computer know-how much the way society
uses the lack math know-how. It is sociably acceptable
to not be very good at it and do nothing about it.

In teachers' defense, however, we are inundated with
regulation, work load, training to keep current,
education fads (will this one just blow by too?), a
classroom full of students who are at varying
developmental stages, and many more things in addition
to making several hundred to several thousand split
second decisions throughout the day, each of which,
may have long term unwanted consequences. I have heard
that being a teacher is only second to an air traffic
controller when it comes to stress level.

I contend, however, that learning the basics of how
computers work will lighten a teacher's load but many
teachers don't see that. This is along the lines of
"Don't teach Word, teach wordprocessing."

I also have seen where some computer support people
don't really understand what teachers have to do. So
it does go both ways.

I'm speaking from the stand point of having been a
teacher for 19 years and being in the computer tech
role for 14 of those 19 years. The teachers who
learned the fastest were the ones who would take just
10min each day to "play" with something new on the
computer, who wrote down the steps to do something
when I went over it with them, and finally those who
asked the most questions.



David D. Nelson
nelsda at yahoo.com

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/1328


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