I spent the last Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday officiating at a swim meet. The days were very long but they provided parents with an opportunity to catch up with what was going on with the kids. What struck me that weekend was the talk related to motivation and success. I had one parent ask if I thought kids were sometimes scared of success. We were of course talking about swimming but I believe it is relevant in other fields. I do think kids are sometimes afraid of success. I explained that with every achievement the bar is raised and for some the thought of having to work harder is unbearable. I know with my son’s swimming success this weekend he will now have to train harder to move beyond the times he got. Will he be motivated to improve on those times or will he find the expectations of the next level unattainable? Only time will tell.
To bring this back to this course and the issues we are dealing with I would say that one of the reasons teachers lag in computer technology might also be due to this fear of success. I have heard, here and there, a few teachers express concern regarding expectations placed on them. What else would be placed on their plates if the majority of teachers are competent in integrating computer usage into daily teaching and learning? What would be expected of them regarding programming and evaluation? These are questions that have been raised.
On Friday (Feb. 22) I presented our subject blog and Voicethread presentation to my grade 12 and adult ed. class and six out of nineteen students were somewhat excited about working on a blog and volunteered to complete the Voicethread. I was extremely disappointed. I asked the others why they didn’t want to participate and some said, “It looks like a lot of work!” I was hoping that integrating computers into daily learning would motivate the students. Not so! I am also learning that what would normally take a week to complete at another school takes about three to four weeks to complete here. I’m hoping that I have something to add to our course blog soon. You can check it out at “Voices at Cochrane”. Not much there but we are working on it.
Dave Bircher said,
February 27, 2008 at 9:09 am
When I started my Law 30 blog, kids did not seem too excited about it. I think by moving them through the process and communicating the “big picture,” more will buy in. I have no proof, but people I think will learn things better when they do the tasks. Also, kids love to use technology, but when school work is involved the motivation sometimes lessens.
kibrown said,
February 27, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I think once the students see what is available to them on the net they will be motivated to start using the computers. The social networking opportunities, ease of accessing information and the ability to produce writing may help pave the way to getting your students excited about using technology.
Connie Cossar said,
February 27, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Hopefully you can use the 6 students that are excited to motivate other students. Sometimes the success of a few can be contagious! You look like your site is off to a good start, so stay positive and learn what you can from the experience itself. Good Luck!!
coreyterry said,
February 28, 2008 at 10:04 am
I really like the blog site you put together for Cochrane, I hope it takes off, don’t give up keep promoting it, it looks great!
ryanflood said,
February 28, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Your site looks great, and I love the name. I feel your disappointment, as I having a similar experience getting parents and students to use my site. Try not to get discouraged.
Mathman33 said,
March 1, 2008 at 11:38 am
In my experience some people are afraid of success because it means that they will have to go to another level. There have been students that have stopped trying to do well in courses simply because they were not ready to move away from home or the thought of becoming an “adult” was too overwhelming.
Colette Cassinelli said,
March 6, 2008 at 2:14 am
I am collecting examples of how educators are using Voicethread in their classroom or for professional development on a wiki at: http://voicethread4education.wikispaces.com/
My plan is to share these examples with other technology teachers who provide professional development in their schools.
Feel free to add your own examples or links to resources. Thanks in advance,
Colette