STEM – McCroskey – School Technology

STEM and CS in education are excellent resources if they apply to teachers and their coursework. I believe in project-based learning and using technology to enhance students’ understanding of information. However, the educator who wishes to use technology must understand the application well and be able to problem-solve efficiently if students have issues. I have heard from several colleagues that they have tried to create lesson plans that focus on STEM activities, such as creating 3-D buildings or mapping. However, they found it difficult because they did not fully understand the application and could not wholly troubleshoot the issues for the students. One such teacher I know personally became highly overwhelmed and decided to nix the whole activity midway through the assignment. Just like I have stated previously, when we, as the school community, present new applications to teachers during PD events, we do not gauge whether or not they fully understand these applications or know what to do when things go wrong, which ultimately leaves a bad taste in teachers mouths and might, unfortunately, leave them unwilling to use these applications or teaching strategies in the future. That said, I do not think STEM approaches to education will be considered fads. Still, some of the different methods we may be taking might need to be reconsidered when evaluating their effectiveness. Whenever students ask me, “Mr. McCroskey, which major should I take in college so I can make a lot of money,” I always give them computer science. While I want my students to explore jobs they are interested in, I know that the future job market will focus heavily on computer science roles. Our school had the same computer science teacher for 30 years until he retired. While the new teacher we just hired is fantastic, the old teacher did a great job not only preparing students interested in pursuing careers in those fields after college but also providing knowledgeable skills and education for students that could hopefully translate them into the next phase of their lives in a world that will primarily technology-based.

Karen Richardson says:

November 19, 2024 at 10:09 am

One of the goals of the tech coach program was to support teachers as they experimented with technology. However, the program that mandates one coach per school was put into place when most schools had computer labs or carts so tech use was fairly limited and easy to support. Now, with laptops, every teacher could be using technology every day. With pacing guides and testing, teachers don’t have time to waste with complicated programs and that is where the coach is really needed.

CS is a good job and I think you can get into it without a four year college degree in some cases. The highest paid jobs, according to Forbes, are all in medicine but that requires long years of school and lots of debt.