Interview with the Real Stakeholders By Charlotte Morgan MEDT 8461 October 25, 2009

Interviewee Shannon Simpson teaches 9th grade at South Paulding High School. Austin, her son, is in the 7th grade and attends South Paulding Middle School.

Why did I interview her? I asked Shannon for permission to interview her because she is a dual stakeholder in our county. She can provide both a teacher’s perspective and a parent’s perspective.

Background Shannon is currently in her fourth year of teaching and is currently finishing up her masters degree. She is interested in integrating technology into her curriculum. Her son participates in the gifted program at the middle school which traditionally provides moderate access to technology.

What does technology integration mean to you? Shannon responded that “technology is anything that can assist her instruction in the classroom and helps students master the material.”

How would you assess your teachers’ integration of technology in your school? Shannon replied that “not many teachers use technology because it is not available to everyone since there are limited technology resources in the school.”

Do you think your school emphasizes the importance of using and teaching technology?

In fact, Shannon teaches a class without a textbook In fact, Shannon teaches a class without a textbook. She does not have a projector in her room, nor are the labs available for her use more than once or twice a month.

Do you think that the utilization of technology has or could have a positive effect on your students’ achievement? She does feel that it has a tremendous impact on student achievement. “If the teachers and students are trained correctly and have sufficient access to the technology, it could have a positive impact.”

How much does your student utilize technology in school? Shannon responded that she was surprised how little her son uses technology in middle school. He is in the gifted program, yet the only time he uses technology is to do research via the internet.

As a parent, how well do you think his school encourages them to utilize technology?

Do you think your son’s school is teaching the technological skills they need?

Ultimately, what do you think the future role of technology is for teachers and students? Teachers are going to have to be willing to learn new technology in order to prepare their students for the future. The also have to stop being afraid to experiment with technology.