The retired teacher agreed to substitute for a 9th grade teacher. She did not want to do it but the principal was in dire need and could not find any one else.
The retired teacher had not been in a classroom for nearly a decade but prayed hard and was determined to make it through the two days she agreed to work.
She arrived an hour early to get herself mentally prepared to meet the teenagers. She would be teaching six 9th grade classes today.
The classroom had 25 computers. Several across the back , several across the front and the rest along the walls.
The first class filed in and the students went to their assigned computers and took a seat.
There was no attendance to take because the computer would confirm who was present.
The teacher opened the book and began to introduce the lesson. She cleared her throat for her lecture. Todays lesson was on the Rain Forest. After several minutes the students began looking uncomfortable and some were looking at their watches.
“Whats the matter?”” she asked looking around the classroom.
One young lady spoke up. “We have to get to work. We only have 50 minutes to complete our daily lesson and you keep talking and talking...”
The somewhat surprised teacher looked at the students who were all nodding in agreement ready to start their computers.
She told them to go on since they knew the routine!
Each child took out their personal head phones and plugged into the computer.
Then they began watching the lesson for the day.
The computer taught the lesson as the children watched attentively. No one was distracted or otherwise involved in any foolishness. They all watched seriously as the computer taught expertly, doing background information, imagery, introducing key words and reviewing the lesson.
Finally the computer informed the class of a 10 question quiz.
Each student completed the quiz which contained 8 true and false and fill in the blank questions, and 2 composition questions.
Then they typed in their names and student numbers and emailed their tests to the teachers computer.
When the bell rang, they got their book bags and prepared to leave.
The retired teacher was not use to so little talking and said, “Er…I will see that your teacher gets your tests.”
One 14 year old boy answered, ”Shes already got them on her home computer right now. Jennifer, the class secretary just got a text message from her.
When she gets through checking them, she will email the results to our parents tonight!”
Copyright 2007
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Everything changes but God. I will teach two classes this year in a private academy, and both will be done by using computers. I delighted in reading your article. Thomas
