Hi, all. As you've probably noticed from the reading, the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT) project is a rather impressive undertaking, and it is well documented in _Teaching with Technology_. This should give us lots to talk about. Here are a few possible starting points.

- Sandholtz, Ringstaff, and Dwyer present us with two very different pictures of students using computers. Mrs. Bennett notes these two styles in her comments. "No more game-type programs in school as there is not enough time for this style of learning activity, which is noisy and creates too much excitement" (21). She continues, "Children are somewhat noisier as they become familiar with the equipment, and they talk a lot" (22). Later, Mrs. Bennett notes a different style of computer use, "The kids were just typing away. All you could hear was the sound of the typing keys. It was really wonderful" (23). Which of these styles do YOU see as "really wonderful?" Are they necessarily mutually exclusive? Look at it from the perspective of a teacher and a student. More specifically to CS92, how do you see students using YOUR software? Does your sponsor have an opinion on the matter? Do your opinions jive?

- "I'm uneasy about the kids' response to me when I'm working with the computers and don't really know what I'm doing," says Mrs. Lee, another ACOT teacher (25). Some of Mrs. Lee's tension will diminish as she uses the computers more, however she raises an important issue. When it comes to software, what do you see as the programmer/developers' responsibilities in instructing the teacher versus the teacher's own responsibility in learning the software? (Do we need an ACOT program for every school?) How do you convey the educational concepts you've tried to imbed in the software to the teacher? And ultimately, how will you feel if the teacher (or the student, for that matter) does not use the software as you intended it? (e.g. Oregon Trail?)

-Much of _Teaching with Technology_ seems to use anecdotal evidence to support its claims. In this spirit, what are your experiences, if any, in TEACHING with technology (computers in particular)? If you have these types of experiences, how do the concerns of the ACOT teachers sound to you ?

- The authors note, "Clearly, development and dissemination of alternative assessment techniques are necessary so that these teachers can more accurately measure and describe their students' progress" (88). Will your sponsor be assessing the skills of the students using your software? HOW will you and your sponsor be assessing the effectiveness of your software concerning the amount of student learning and/or depth of understanding that takes place? If it is noticed that students aren't learning what and how much they should, where will you look to solve the problem? The software, the teacher, the student?

- Something to keep in mind as we talk about the study, what holes do we see in the ACOT project and the research? Methodology flaws? Lousy software? Bad conclusions? You name it.

So says Apple, "Think Different."

See you Tuesday.

MT