XplanaZine

Yvonda Sieber refuses to teach home economics the old-fashioned way. After learning to design her own Website and PowerPoint presentations, she has incorporated technology into her classes, asking students to utilize the Web and additional computer programs for their lessons and projects. Mrs. Sieber is in her eighth year of teaching family and consumer science at Alcott Middle School in Norman, Oklahoma, where she was Teacher of the Year in 2002. Recently she was appointed to help train other teachers to use technology in their classrooms.

I spoke with Mrs. Sieber about the challenges and benefits that she has witnessed throughout her move to becoming technologically savvy.

Xplana: How do you use technology in your classroom?

YS: I use Trackstar. It’s a service for teachers to find references online and ask students questions. The students have to read and do assignments all online. The one I do specifically is about family and family crisis. We also have a service learning project that is called “The Empty Bowl.” I have them look up soup recipes. That way they become more acquainted with some of the assets of using technology. When we do a nutritional lesson a lot of my students want to the report with PowerPoint. If they’re making these leaps and bounds I have to make them with them.

Xplana: So the students are the ones pushing the technology.

YS: Actually it’s a push from both ends. We’re teaching each other. I’ll say, “How did you do that?” And they’ll come back and say, “Whoa, Mrs. Sieber, your Webpage, we’re so impressed.” It’s nice because we encourage each other.

Xplana: Do you find that your class has been more interactive since you’ve started learning these new programs together?

YS: I think so. Even when we look for the soup recipes, I’ll go in with a couple of sites and then some of them will do searches and find other Web sites. I think it becomes a challenge for them to see if they can find something I haven’t.

Xplana: That wasn’t happening before?

YS: No.

Xplana: Are other teachers in the school using different programs?

YS: We have a program in the computer lab that extensively covers the fine arts. We’re very lucky because we have a computer lab for general use. This year we got to establish a computer lab for students identified as having trouble in certain areas like math, reading, or spelling. They can go into the computer lab three times a week and work on a program called “Success Maker.”

Xplana: Are you seeing resistance from other teachers towards technology?

YS: You always have teachers who are resistant. Nobody likes change except a wet baby. I find it fun and challenging. When I came to the district eight years ago the only program I used was MS Works. Now I use PowerPoint, Web Design, Word, and Excel.

Xplana: Are students resistant to technology?

YS: I don’t think I’ve seen students being resistant to the computer. They may be resistant to doing the lessons (laugh).

Xplana: That’s a different subject.

YS: Yes, that’s a different subject, but a lot of the time students will do it because it’s more fun online. It’s not like reading the book, even though they may be reading it online.

Xplana: How could lessons in technology be improved?

YS: The one thing we need built into the instruction is more time to process it. That is the biggest complaint I hear. “I wanted to do a PowerPoint and I did that lesson but when I went back to my computer at school I couldn’t use it.”

Xplana: It’s too much too fast.

YS: Yes, and support needs to be there. The home economics teachers have talked about using our professional times to work on a Web page, or PowerPoint, or some online lessons. We’ll have each other to help process it and answer questions, a support group.

Xplana: How do you think the classroom might be in another five years regarding technology?

YS: More will be online. It will help alleviate handwriting difficulties. We have many students whose handwriting you can’t read. Sometimes it’s because they’re careless, but other times it is fine motor underdevelopment. Technology would be a benefit to them. Even the spell checker is so wonderful.

Xplana: But do you think it will teach students that handwriting and spelling is not important?

YS: You’re always going to have students who will take the easy way. Other students who work hard will use those things as an asset, a backup, for editing. You’re still going to have to know which you want, R-E-D or R-E-A-D. You’ll always have students who will achieve and know the rules anyway.