Alexandra Reiner
Blog Post 6
April 2018
Initial Paragraph:
Along with discussing the challenges of effectively utilizing technology in the classroom, this article discusses how inconsistently teachers are trained in technology usage. This article illustrates how school districts who are at a disadvantage fiscally don’t have the means to adequately train teachers in the use of technology in the classroom. This article presents quantitative data to back its argument by comparing two schools, one where the majority of students are Caucasian and financially stable, and another where the majority of students are non-white and poor. The study concluded that teachers from schools where the majority of students struggle with poverty are less likely to be adequately trained in how to implement and teach technology in the classroom.
Revision:
Along with discussing the challenges of effectively utilizing technology in the classroom, this article discusses how inconsistently teachers are trained in technology usage. This article illustrates how school districts who are at a fiscal disadvantage don’t have the means to adequately train teachers in the use of technology in the classroom. The results of this disadvantage can lead to students from lower income families receiving lesser quality educations in comparison to their richer counterparts. Therefore, students from a lower income background can be stuck in a vicious cycle of receiving poor education, leading to less opportunities. The poor stay poor and the rich stay rich. This article presents quantitative data to back its argument by comparing two schools, one where the majority of students are Caucasian and financially stable, and another where the majority of students are non-white and poor. The study concluded that teachers from schools where the majority of students struggle with poverty are less likely to be adequately trained in how to implement and teach technology in the classroom. As a result, the richer schools tended to have better trained faculty who can tech their students about technology in a more effective manner. The less funded schools have faculty who aren’t trained as well.
Reflection:
Harris’ “Revision” paragraph was very helpful when I was revising my paragraph. I especially took advantage of the set of questions presented on page 100, which invites the editor to “come to terms”, “forward”, “counter”, and “take an approach”. I spent a lot of time trying to further develop what I had said in the initial paragraph, making implications of what I initially had to say, and of what the author of the article had to say. I used this approach to strengthen my argument. I feel as though I was able to connect the article’s ideas to my own in a more effective manner; further developing my own ideas. In fact, I believe that Harris’ advice actually helped me employ the “They Say, I Say” method more clearly. In addition, I tend to sometimes display my ideas through sentences that are too long and confusing. Through revising I reworded sentences to hopefully help the reader understand my arguments better.
