Richmond City Computer Bust

    In March of last year, 500 unused computers were found in their boxes in a Richmond city warehouse. These computers were intended for distribution between two Richmond city schools: Clark Springs and Chimborazo Elementary Schools. Now, over six months later, investigators received an anonymous heads-up and discovered that 211 of 500 computers were still packed in their boxes in the same warehouse. This discovery of abandoned technology left Richmond city officals and residents in an uproar. 
    According to an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, city auditor Umesh V. Dalal wrote a letter to Superintendent Yvonne Brandon upon discovery. In his letter, Dalal stressed the issue that these computers were bought in 2009, and with ever-changing technology, they have been sitting in a warehouse for a year, not in use, while the value of their age and technological capabilities quickly dwindles. 
    Superintendent Brandon is not only under fire because the computers were not used, but also because of the previous claims that they had already been installed in several middle schools to help students prepare for the SOLs. In a recent article, Superintendent Brandon promises that she did not lie about the use of the computers, but rather that the Richmond city technology distribution system is significantly flawed. 
    Now, this may very well be the case. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Richmond city has a lot of issues that they have to deal with day in and day out, and perhaps the distribution of their technology isn't high on their list. But I have to side with Dalal here (and many other officials and residents, I'm sure) and say that computers gathering dust in their unopened boxes in a warehouse is devastating for those Richmond city students. The students in these schools need technology and resources to help improve their learning and achievement. While it certainly won't solve the problem, computers in the classroom and schools would provide both teachers and students with stronger resources and methods for teaching and learning.
    It's upsetting that it took an anonymous tip to a city auditor to discover that over 200 computers remained unused in a warehouse for over 6 months. I sincerely hope that Superintendent Brandon works toward restructuring the distribution system that Richmond city has in place to ensure that both students and teachers receive the technology that has been allocated to them to improve both teaching and learning. 
    
   

Ode to the Praxis II: Spanish World Language Exam

       Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking the 3-hour long Praxis II Exam for Spanish. I can honestly say it is the most nerve-wracked I have ever been during an exam, including the exam for my Interpreting class the second semester of my senior year at Wake. My professor at the time told us that being an interpreter is one of the most high-stress professions in existence and assured us that our final exam would "knock us off of our high, Spanish horses." The exam consisted of listening to a 20-minute long recording in Spanish and interpreting it into English as it played. That meant listening to and comprehending the Spanish well enough to then re-produce the material word for word in English... Not an easy task. That being said, I felt even more anxious walking into the Prometric Testing Center yesterday afternoon. 
       Now I'm not going to disclose any of the information from the exam, but I do want to point out the substantial technology that the test employed. As of October 15, 2010, the Praxis II Exam for Spanish changed from paper-based to computer-based. This means that the entire exam (all 3 hours of it) is presented on a computer. The exam not only changed in terms of its format, but also in terms of its components. Again, all of this information is available on the ETS website, so I'm not giving anything away here that isn't already clearly stated by the company. The Praxis II Spanish Exam now includes a listening section, writing section and recording speaking section. All test centers administering the exam are equipped with computers and attachable headsets so that test-takers can listen to the recorded material, type essay questions (including accent marks) and record themselves speaking Spanish.
       To some, this use of technology in testing might not seem significant. But consider how teachers were formerly assessed... Without such technology, test graders had no way to determine a prospective teacher's speaking ability in the target language, which many would argue is a foundation for teaching a new language to students. Consider the exam before it was computer-based... Graders measured a teacher's ability to teach Spanish based on the answers on a few pieces of paper. 
       No matter the type of technology used, I think it's really interesting to consider how far we've come in the world of technology. Furthermore, it's interesting to consider that students aren't the only ones being assessed with the aid of technology. If standardized test-makers are going so far as to assess pre-service teachers' content area proficiency through the use of a computer, shouldn't all teachers consider applying such technology to their classrooms? Just something to think about until the next time... 
       ¡Hasta la próxima!

Podcasts: A Perfectionist's Nightmare

       Recently in our Instructional Technology Integration class, we've learned how to use GarageBand to make a Podcast. Not some home-grown, back of the woods Podcast, but a bonafide Podcast equipped with music, voice recordings and even pictures. After learning all of the ins and outs for creating said Podcast, I was worried it would be a perfectionist's nightmare. I think it's fairly safe to say that most people who enter the teaching field (myself included) tend to exhibit type-A tendencies, so after a quick pep-talk, I prepared to tackle the beast that was our Podcast assignment. 
       To my surprise and delight, creating a Podcast was hardly a perfectionist's nightmare, but rather a Spanish teacher's dream. Using one single program I was able to incorporate Spanish music ("La Camisa Negra" by Juanes, anyone?), pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary AND assessment. Even better, if I were to assign said Podcast to my students, they would be able to hear correct pronunciation and even practice speaking Spanish at home. Imagine the possibilities.
       I can honestly say that as soon as I finished creating my first Podcast, I was ready to get started on the next... Unfortunately lesson plans, research papers and reading for five other grad school classes also need my attention. Even though I couldn't begin my next Podcast creation right away, it's safe to say that I see myself utilizing this technology when I enter the teaching field. 
       ¡Hasta la próxima vez!