What do teachers need to know about computers?   The answer may surprise you.   By Dr. Jerry Chaffin SCR*TEC

K. Now here's the deal. I have spent the last 15 years of my life trying to find really good ways to train teachers to use computers and related technology. But I have had moderate success. Now, just when I think I've got it, I have suddenly come to the realization that teachers don't need to know how to use computers! No joke! I'm serious!        Think about it. Teachers need to know how to engage students with content. They need to know how to arrange multi-age groups for optimal learning. They need to individualize learning opportunities. Teachers need to assess behavior, to evaluate, to guide, to facilitate, and to motivate. But, they don't need to know how to use computers. Students need to know how to use computers as a tool for meaningful communication, as a tool for learning, but teachers don't need to learn how to use computers. It's too late for teachers.

ot true, you say. Teachers need to model. Teachers need to teach. Teachers need to be able to help kids so they can be successful, so they won't get frustrated, so they won't be discouraged by their failure. Pardon me! From my view, it's the teachers who get frustrated with computers. It's teachers who get discouraged, not kids.

ome on folks! Face up to it--teachers don't need to know how to use computers. Besides, as I said, it is too late for teachers. Think about it. Learning a new program takes many hours, often several days. And, to become fluent, a program may require a month of patiently figuring out commands and reading manuals. This cost of learning dwarfs the price of the software and hardware. That's why so much of the hardware already in schools sits by unused, or at best seriously under used. Furthermore, the computer technology changes so quickly our learning can't keep pace. So if we are going to successfully and effectively integrate computers into our classrooms, we can't wait for teachers!

o, if I want to include computer based communication in my instructional approach, what do I do? Relax! Get comfortable with not knowing. Join up with your students and learn together. Mostly, though, you confront your fear of technology and the fast pace of change. Dig down and draw on your courage!

ou'll find there is a wide range of computer-related knowledge in your classroom right now. Some students have been doing e-mail for several years but have never surfed the net. Another is adept at using a word processor but has never even seen a graphic package. Still another may be enamored and skillful with Photoshop, but doesn't understand what Powerpoint, the presentation software, is all about. Quit worrying that you don't know everything you'd like to know about computers--you fit right in with the rest of us. Don't even worry if you don't know anything about computers--you can still play the learning game. And that's the key--learning--for you and your students. Relinquish some control, empower the students, set them on a path, and learn with them. That's what this new technology and educational reform is all about. Now that's my opinion. What's yours?

KeyNotes presents the views of leaders in educational technology. Copyright. © 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 ALTec, the University of Kansas