Red Tape

In Marc Prensky's article "Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom", I found myself nodding throughout reading it, especially the sections called "The Social Barrier: Digital Immigrants" as well as the section called "New Problems, New Solutions". One part that stuck out for me was when Marc stated,

"With very few exceptions, our schools have not been physically designed for computers. Much time in our schools' 45-minute instructional periods is often wasted in computer setup and shutdown. Teachers are often unsure about how to integrate technology in their lesson plans and, often, administrators have little, if any, guidance to give them."

I have personally experienced this in teaching in Canada. Many of the schools where I grew up are "behind the times" in terms of technology. Many programs are out of date, computers are "old" and money for all the necessary updates can't seem to be found. Teaching at an international school where funding is not an issue certainly makes a difference. This is what makes me nervous...dare I say afraid of going back home. I do indeed want to go back home to teach, but I must admit, I am nervous of drastic changes I will be faced with, as well as the challenges. Parts of Marc's article highlights the resistance to change. He states,

"...the resistance comes more from the fact that our public school system has evolved an extremely delicate balance between many sets of pressures -- political, parental, social, organizational, supervisory, and financial -- that any technological change is bound to disrupt."

This is so true for my school board back home. There are indeed many sets of pressures and lots of red tape in trying to embed technology in the classroom. It's exhausting and disheartening to say the least. Has anyone else had an experience like this?