Interview With Today’s Tech-Savvy Teacher

I have finally reached the point in my career where I am not one of the “new, young, teachers.” It happened suddenly and I wasn’t prepared for it. We computer teachers always like to think of ourselves as cutting edge. Well, if you are any kind of educator, you realize that you are also a lifelong learner. We still learn from the kids and we know good ideas when we steal them.

Melissa Julian is a young English teacher in my building. She does things with technology in her classroom that put me to shame. Why? Not because she can do this stuff and I can’t, not even because she thought of it and I didn’t. Because it comes so naturally to her.

We have a lot in common, Melissa and I. We both like our students, we were destined for this profession, we both like to try new technology. I decided to interview Melissa for a couple of reasons. One, she represents the new wave of teacher in our profession. Two, what she is doing in her classroom is interesting and holds the attention of teenagers, no mean feet. Third, we can all see aspects of ourselves in her. Finally, I’m hoping to recruit her to write articles for this web site. So, for the record, here goes:


J: What was your college major?
M: “Syracuse University Dual Major in English and Textual Studies and English Education. BA and MS in Instruction Design, Development and Evaluation.”

J: Why did you become a teacher?
M: “I knew I wanted to work with kids from working at summer camp.”
J: Did you always want to be a teacher?
M: “I taught my sister to read when I was little. We read together and I taught her how to look at letters.”

J: How long have you been a teacher?
M: “4 years.”

J: You use technology in your classroom quite a bit. Why?
M: “One, it provides an opportunity to go to new places on the internet that kids could never go to on their own. For Example, The Globe Theater.” (Melissa has created a Powerpoint show all about Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.) This is something that is a self-paced, narrated (for students that need it)and that draws students into the realm of Shakespeare. Students get it faster through visuals that touch all of their modes, as opposed to just being lectured. Students answer questions and get take a quiz. The whole experience is in a third of the time! By including links to web sites it is a web quest, An Interactive Powerpoint.
Second, kids teach you, you get to play with cool stuff while you are teacher.”

J: What are some of the ways you have integrated technology into your classroom?
M: “Web quests, Powerpoint Jeopardy Game for a review for each novel, and review for the final exam. Kids like games, it increases student interest. It is more fun, interactive, and students do better on quizzes. Even students that didn’t read the book can review this way.”

J: How do students respond to this way of teaching?
M: “Kids like using Inspiration to outline their essays better than straight outlines. They like the pictures (icons) They see the important elements, organize it, see the relationships, turn the Inspiration Concept Map into an essay. Inspiration is perfect for Food Chains in Science, classifying rocks, etc. Inspiration allows an easy change to outline. Also, it transfers easily into MS Word.

J: Have you met with any resistance from students, colleagues, or tech department?
M: “None from students, it is second nature to them to use computer. They prefer it to writing on paper. Not resistance from colleagues for what I do, but reluctance to try it themselves. Some teachers are having some “wow moments.” The hardest part is lack of technology available in the classroom. I’d like laptops for every student because the lab is booked too often. Students could come into class and log on.”

J: What obstacles have you overcome to teach this way?
M: “I don’t think any. I grew up in a district that had tons of technology. To me it was just second nature to use it in my classroom. I first taught 7th graders, and they are squirrels. That helped me redesign how I would teach. Technology draws them in and captivates them. It is second nature to them to point and click.”

J: Now that you use technology so much in your classroom, could you give it up at this point?
M: “No, I would invest in my own equipment and bring it in. I have had to forego some things I would like to do. I can’t get into the computer lab all the time, so some web quests had to be book research papers. It is just hard sometimes to get to the technology. I set up stations in the room so that kids could rotate through.”

J: Would you do things in a different way knowing what you know now?
M: “I would have gone into Business and become a computer teacher instead.”

J: What advice would you give to other teachers who are integrating technology into their teaching?
M: Try it, Just try it. Take one assignment or project and turn it into a piece that has a technology component. You will have excited kids, you will be talking about it with other teachers, you would get hooked on it.

J: What are the trends you see in education technology in the near future? How will teachers deal with these new ways of doing things?
M: “More handhelds, because they are cheaper and more efficient. We will move away from bulky computers and more towards Alpha Smarts, palm pilots. They look cool. A Palm Pilot with the reading software and you just download your books. Cool!

J: You are moving on and taking a new position. Can you describe your new job?
M: “Instructional Technology Specialist at the Secondary Level at Baldwinsville. I will be helping Teachers take their pieces of curriculum and integrate more technology into it. I will also be working on curriculum and standards and standardized tests. Also, helping students and teachers achieve “real world” skills that include technology. I will also research new equipment.”