Technology, in its many forms was perceived to be readily available to Nebraska high school journalism advisers. This survey was not designed to determine if journalism students were actually using the technology in the classroom, it was to determine if the technology was available for use. All schools of survey respondents (n=55) were connected to the Internet. Ninety-five percent (52 of 55) of journalism classrooms or labs had at least one computer with Internet access. All journalism classrooms or labs had at least one computer and at least one printer available. Nearly all schools that responded to the technology inventory (n=53) had a VCR available (94.3 percent or 50 of 53) in the journalism classroom or in the school to be checked out or used by journalism students, according to the journalism adviser. The three schools that did not have it available wished it was available. Ninety-two percent had a CDRom player available, 94 percent had an overhead projector available, 83 percent had a flatbed scanner available and nearly 79 percent had a digital camera available. (For complete technology inventory breakdowns, see Table 1: Technology Inventory.)
Plotting these on a diffusion curve shows that at least computers, VCR's, overhead projectors, laser printers, CDRom players, and camcorders are almost completely diffused into the journalism classroom experience. Using Rogers (1995) adopter categorization on the basis of innovativeness dimension, that which partitions an adopter into five categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards, provides a way to classify the Nebraska high school journalism programs. Any journalism teacher or school system that has not yet adopted a VCR, laser printer, CDRom player or camcorder is in the laggard category. Those yet to adopt flatbed scanners, digital cameras, color printers and computer projection devices are in the late majority category. Those who have already adopted videodisc or laserdisc systems, and negative or slide scanners are at least in the early majority category. These survey results were unable to identify exactly who the innovators or early adopters of a particular innovation were, because very few respondents actually were able to list a date of acquisition.
If respondents in this study could produce a wish list for Nebraska journalism classrooms, of those without certain technologies:
• 32.1 percent wish they could have or have access to a Negative or Slide Scanner.
• 32 percent wish they could have or have access to a Video Editing System.
• 24.5 percent wish they could have or have access to a CDRom Burner.
• 17 percent wish they could have or have access to a color printer.
Table 1: Technology Inventory
Technological Hardware Available in Nebraska High School Journalism Classrooms & Labs or in school buildings where teachers and students can check out the equipment to use for journalism and publication projects.
Computer
100 %
VCR
94.3 %
Overhead Projector
94.3 %
Laser Printer
94.3 %
CDRom Player
92 %
Camcorder
84.9 %
Flatbed Scanner
83 %
Cable Television Access
79.2 %
Zip or Jaz Drive
79 %
Digital Camera
78.8 %
Inkjet Printer
73.6 %
Point & Shoot Camera
66 %
Color Printer
64.2 %
LCD Projector
58.5 %
Other Computer Projector
58.5 %
SLR Camera
55.8 %
Videodisc or Laserdisc
35.8 %
Negative or Slide Scanner
24.3 %
Percent is out of 53 valid responses. (
Respondents indicated the availability of the technology in their classroom first, if it was not available in their classroom, they were asked if it was available in the school to be used by teacher and students. If the answer was no for both, they were asked if they would like the technology to be available.)
As for software, the respondents to this survey noted that Adobe PageMaker is the desktop publishing software of choice with 92 percent (49 of 53) of the journalism programs in the state of Nebraska using it. Quark is the second most popular, with 13 (7 of 53) percent. The percentages equal more than 100 percent, showing that some schools are using both, or in the process of switching to one or the other. Seventy percent (37 of 53) of Nebraska high school journalism programs use Adobe PhotoShop for graphic and photographic software. For word processing, 77 percent (41 of 53) use Microsoft Word, 35 percent (35 of 53) use Claris Works and 23 percent (12 of 53) use Word Perfect for word processing. Again, the percentages indicate that many schools are using more than one word processing software package. For computer presentation software, 67 percent (33 of 53) use Microsoft’s Powerpoint and 30 percent (16 of 53) use Hyperstudio. For Internet browsers, it seems that the two options are equally available, Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer. Both are available at 75 percent (40 of 53) schools. Again, there is overlap because some schools have both options, but all have at least one or the other.
(See Table 2: Software Inventory for complete software breakdowns.)
Table 2: Software Inventory
Computer Software Available in Nebraska High School Journalism Classrooms & Labs
Adobe PageMaker
92 %
Microsoft Word
77 %
Netscape Navigator
75 %
Internet Explorer
75 %
Adobe PhotoShop
70 %
Microsoft Powerpoint
67 %
Claris Works
66 %
Microsoft Excel
38 %
Hyperstudio
30 %
Adobe Illustrator
26 %
Word Perfect
23 %
Freehand
17 %
Quark
13 %
TypeStyler
8 %
Other Software: (write ins)
AvidCinema
4 %
Microsoft Publisher
4 %
Photo Studio
2 %
Picture Works
2 %
Claris Home Page
2 %
Corel Draw
2 %
Microsoft Front Page
2 %
Multiple responses were allowed. Not all respondents replied to this section of the survey. (n=53)
In order to determine if school size or location influenced the amount of available technology, the variable of school size was collapsed into four categories, by classification size, and was cross-tabulated with the different innovation variables. Very slight variances were found. For example, 92 percent (11 of 12) of Class A, the largest class of journalism schools have a flatbed scanner available and a CDRom player and the exact same percentage of Class D, the smallest class, have the same innovations. It was the Class C schools that had the most significant difference, but only in one innovation. Only 67 percent (10 of 15) of Class C schools have a flatbed scanner but 93 percent have CDRom players. The same type of statistical test was conducted on several other journalism production-related technologies, digital cameras, negative scanners, Zip drives, CDRom Burners and color printers.
With digital cameras, Class D schools were most likely to have them available, with 92 percent (11 of 12). Seventy-five percent of Class A schools (9 of 12) were likely to have a digital camera and Class C schools were again the lowest, with 67 percent (10 of 15). Negative or slide scanner availability cross-tabulations were significantly different. Class A schools were most likely to have negative scanners available at 58 percent (7 of 12) and Class D schools were least likely to have them available at 8 percent (1 of 12). The trend was followed with Class B and C schools, showing that the larger the school, the more likely they were to have a negative scanner available. The same positive correlation was found with the Zip drive, a storage innovation and the CDRom burner. The larger the school, the more likely it was to have a Zip drive and a CDRom burner available. All Class A schools in this survey had a Zip drive (12 of 12); Class B schools were 79 percent (11 of 14) likely to have a Zip drive; Class C schools were 73 percent (11 of 15) and Class D schools were 67 percent (8 of 12) likely to have a Zip drive. CDRom burners were available at 42 percent (5 of 12) Class A schools and only 17 percent (2 of 12) Class D schools. When looking at color printers, a negative correlation was found. Class D schools were the most likely to have color printers available at 92 percent (11 of 12) and Class A schools were 58 percent (7 of 12) likely to have a color printer.
One would expect that if school location variable were cross-tabbed with the same innovation variables that a similar relationship would be found as those with the school size. The location variable of urban, suburban and rural were collapsed so that urban and suburban made one category and rural was the other. It must be noted that 65 percent (34 of 52) of the schools responding to this survey and having valid responses for all innovation categories classified themselves as being rural in setting. More than 72 percent (13 of 18) of the urban and suburban schools have digital cameras and 82 percent (28 of 34) of the rural schools have a digital camera. The urban and suburban category had higher percentages of almost all other innovations, including flatbed scanners, CDRom players, negative scanners, zip drives and CDRom burners. The only other innovation with a higher prevalence at rural schools was a color printer; 68 percent (23 of 34) of the rural schools had a color printer available while only 58 percent (11 of 19) at urban and suburban schools have access to a color printer.
RQ2: Perceptions of technology by Nebraska high school journalism teachers:
Technology does seem to make Nebraska journalism teachers feel like they are better teachers. Using the responses on the scaled survey items, nearly 84 percent (46 of 55) either agree or strongly agree that they are better teachers with technology. Nebraska journalism teachers in this sample are also comfortable using technology in their classroom with a rate of nearly 86 percent (47 of 55). Approximately 76 percent (42 of 55) believe that as a teacher, they should continuously search for new ways to use instructional technology in the classroom. Technology may make a journalism teacher feel like a better teacher, but it may not necessarily make them a better teacher. As many survey respondents noted in the open-ended response section of the survey, technology does not always equal good writers, good journalism practices or good editing skills. One Class C adviser of three years responded, "Don’t get into this profession if you care about good writing. It is all about the technology now and nothing about the discovery of fact and truth." Another Class C adviser of 12 years responded, "Don’t think that having lots of technology is a substitute for good writing skills or careful editing. Be careful of letting the quality of product decline because you spend so much time with technology doing cool stuff." A Class A adviser of 14 years responded with a similar note, "Technology is a means that can provide an end…too much of our time is focused on its utilization, and not enough time spent on asking "Why?" Too many folks consider technology a god and have never questioned its presence and use in education."
Even with these expressed concerns, at least 87 percent (48 of 55) want more technology knowledge and skills in general with 78 percent (43 of 55) saying that they want specific technology training with journalism related technologies. One Class D adviser of 18 years even made a side-note on the survey asking, "How can anyone NOT want more training?" Evidently, 22 percent (12 of 55) are neutral or in disagreement on this issue. A full 75 percent (41 of 55) believe that the use of instructional technology improves the overall quality of student learning. Almost half of the journalism teachers in this sample are comfortable demonstrating the effective use of the technologies available in their classroom with a rate of 45.5 percent (25 of 55); 14.5 percent (8 of 55) were neutral on this issue. The remaining 40 percent (22 of 55) do not perceive that they can effectively demonstrate effective technology use in their classroom. Many respondents expressed frustration of some kind with their own technology skills in the open-ended response area of the survey. Many also gave advice to simply learn from the students; teachers are also learners.
A journalism teacher's perception of technology is influenced by those around them but only 29.1 percent (16 of 55) agree that their building administrators have a very good understanding of how technology should be used in the journalism curriculum. Many teachers remained neutral on this perception question (27.3 percent or 15 of 55) but 43.7 percent (24 of 55) disagree or strongly disagree, meaning they do not feel their building administrators understand their technology needs. A similar pattern exists when looking at journalism adviser's perceptions of the way other staff members in their building, not administrators, understand their technology needs and experiences. In this case, 45.5 percent (25 of 55) agree that other staff members understand and 40 percent (22 of 55) disagree. The eight remaining respondents were neutral with this perception question.
Further statistical analysis by cross tabulating some the perception questions with demographic variables such as age of adviser, education level of the adviser, gender of the adviser and school size also show interesting results. The age of the adviser does not make a statistically significant difference in the responses to the survey questions about technology and it aiding in classroom teaching, but age does seem to make a slight difference in perception of respondent’s ability to effectively demonstrate technology in the classroom. Again, the results are not statistically significant (Pearson’s Chi-Square value of 13.56 and a significance level of .32956), but they are interesting. Advisers who are in their 30s seem to be the most comfortable with nearly 65 percent (11 of 17) at least agreeing. Advisers in the 40s feel only 20 percent (3 of 15) comfortable demonstrating effective classroom technology skills. The same sort of relationship exists when cross-tabulating age of adviser with perceived administrative support. Forty-one percent of those advisers in their 30s agree that their building administrators understand their technology needs, while only 13 percent of those in their 40s agree.
The education level of the adviser does not significantly effect any of these perception questions, but it should be noted that nearly 93 percent (51 of 55) of the Nebraska journalism teachers responding to this survey have at least completed some graduate classes and that almost 31 percent (17 of 55) responded that they have had no formal journalism education whatsoever.
Of female journalism teachers, 32.4 percent (12 of 37) agree that the administration understands their technology needs in the journalism classroom; 43.2 percent (16 of 37) disagree and 24.3 percent (9 of 37) were neutral. Of male journalism teachers, 22.3 percent (4 of 18) agree that the administration understands their technology needs; 44.5 percent (8 of 18) disagree and 33.3 percent (6 of 18) were neutral.
The size of the school might also make a slight difference in the perceptions of the advisers. No Class A advisers, those at the schools with the largest enrollment, disagree that they are better teachers with technology, while at least one adviser from the other three classifications disagreed. No Class A adviser disagrees with the perception question of feeling comfortable using technology and only 3 Class A advisers feel that they cannot effectively demonstrate technology in the classroom, compared with at least six advisers in every other class.
RQ3: Strategies of successful technology gain in the journalism classroom:
Successful strategies for gaining technology involve many components as indicated by the wide variety of responses to this open-ended survey question. At least 87 percent (48 of 55) of the respondents made at least one notation on the final four survey questions asking for open ended responses and 65 percent (36 of 55) answered this question: What successful strategies have you employed to help bring technology to your students? Responses were varied and insightful. They ranged from one word answers: "Fundraising" to detailed listings with numbered strategies. All original responses have been included in Appendix F: Open Ended Responses. In an effort to synthesize the results, five key strategic elements have been identified in successfully gaining technology in the journalism classroom:
1.) Prove the value of the innovation/technology.
2.) Be vocal about the need to adopt the innovation/technology.
3.) Be persistent.
4.) Involve students in the process.
5.) Actively search for outside/additional funding.
To further illustrate these strategic elements, a few practical responses will be shared. A Class A adviser with 18 years of experience responded, "The best strategy is to have successful students...Several of my students have been recognized and gotten publicity for the school." This helped her gain technology in the journalism classroom. A Class A adviser with three years of experience said, "I complained, screamed, and bemoaned our situation. Then I threatened to quit or move back to my major content area of social studies." He was able to gain technology with that strategy. Another Class A adviser of 23 years responded, "To be perfectly honest, the most success I've enjoyed is when I have administrator's kids in the program. They see the value then, especially as their kids are affected." What obviously works for one teacher will not always work for another, but some indicated that they would almost do anything for more technology in the classroom, like a Class D adviser of 11 years who responded "bringing the technology coordinator Tootsie Rolls helps!"
RQ4: Who is functioning as a change agent in Nebraska high school journalism programs?
As part of the change agent function, it is useful to identify strong influences to the stake holders. In this case, the stake holders are those who have a vested interest in the decision to be made, the teachers and students, among others. As part of this survey, journalism teachers were asked to identify who has been influential in helping to gain technology in the classroom. Multiple responses were allowed with a special response to be indicated with the source who was most influential. Nearly 80 percent (43 of 55) of the respondents indicated that the gain in technology was at least partly self-initiated. More than half (29 of 55) indicated that their school's technology coordinator was at least partly responsible as well. Then, if following Rogers’ (1995) definition of a change agent, all the groups listed in Table 3: Potential Change Agents are functioning to aid in bringing technology to the Nebraska journalism classroom.
Table 3: Potential Change Agents
Self-initiated
78 %
Technology Coordinator
53 %
Other faculty members within the building
40 %
Administration
31 %
Printing Companies/Yearbook Representatives
31 %
Students
29 %
Other Journalism Advisers
15 %
Other Product Vendors
5 %
Parents
4 %
Alumni
4 %
Department Chair
2 %
Co-workers from prior occupations
2 %
The agent noted most frequently as the most influential was self, that that not only are the
journalism teachers the primary stakeholder, but also the primary change agent as well.
Summary of Major Findings
Technology is available in Nebraska high school journalism classrooms. Computers and printers are available in all classrooms and Internet access is available in 95 percent of the classrooms. Other technologies that have diffused, by Rogers' standards, are VCR’s, overhead projectors, CDRom players and video cameras. Other widespread technologies were flatbed scanners, cable television, digital cameras, Zip or Jaz drive storage devices and computer projection equipment. Those schools yet to adopt these are in the late majority category. As for computer systems, nearly 66 percent (36 of 55) of the schools are on the Macintosh system and approximately 33 percent (18 of 55) use an IBM or compatible system. Desktop publishing software used by most (92 percent) of the journalism programs in the state of Nebraska is Adobe Pagemaker. The majority also used Microsoft Word, Adobe PhotoShop and Internet browsers. School size and school location were not significant indicators for the availability of technological innovations as many innovations were found in equal proportion at the largest and smallest schools. A few innovations did have positive correlations with regard to school size, such as negative scanners, zip drives and CDRom burners. The larger the school, the more likely it was to have these innovations available. A negative correlation was found with the color printer innovation. The larger the school, the less likely it was to have a color printer. The location of the school was also a significant factor with regard to availability of some innovations. Urban and suburban schools were more likely to have all innovations except digital cameras and color printers.
Most respondents in this survey (84 percent) indicated that they agree that technology makes them a better teacher. Nearly the same number (86 percent) are comfortable using technology in the classroom. Respondents often clarified their perceptions in the open-ended response portion of the questionnaire and expressed their frustration that technology was both a time-saver and a time-waster in their classroom. Technology may make the publication adviser’s job a bit more efficient and automated, but the time it takes to learn that level of technology expertise is often overwhelming. Demographic variables only slightly effect the Nebraska journalism teacher’s perceptions of technology. Advisers in their 40s seem to be the least comfortable demonstrating effective technology use and also the least certain that the administration understands their technology needs in the classroom. The gender and education level of the adviser were not a significant factor in this analysis but the size of the school did seem to be statistically significant because the advisers in larger schools perceived their relationship with technology to be more positive.
In order to gain technology in the classroom, advisers indicated a wide variety of responses. Five key strategic elements were identified in the open-ended responses:
1) Prove the value of the innovation/technology; 2) Be vocal about the need to adopt the innovation/technology; 3) Be persistent; 4) Involve students in the process; and 5) Actively search for outside/additional funding. It is obvious that the same strategy is not going to work for everyone, but these methods would not seem to hinder the technology acquisition in any journalism classroom. In many organizations, the diffusion of innovations happens because of effective change agents. Of the high school journalism advisers of Nebraska, 78 percent feel that they are the change agents themselves, thus their position automatically puts them in the function and role of bringing about change for their own benefit and the benefit of their students, if they deem it necessary.
Open Ended Responses
In the end, 85 percent (51 of 60) of all respondents made at least one notation on the final four survey questions asking for open ended responses. Five surveys were returned after the data set had been established but most of the original open ended responses have been included here.
41. What successful strategies have you employed to help bring technology to your students?
• Prove the value of your technology to the administration. The journalism students and I produce all the programs for athletics and the student body and the community have been satisfied with the visual changes brought about with technology. (1 Class C1 adviser of 16 years)
• Fundraising! (10 Class B adviser of 28 years)
• I simply showed the administration an example of a yearbook that was created by paste up boards and one designed on the computer using PageMaker. The comparison spoke for itself.
• Due to competition with yearbook companies, I have had success in obtaining incentives for my business. For example, this year I signed a 3-year contract in exchange for a $400 check that I will use to purchase an additional camera. (11 Class C1 adviser of 6 years)
• I complained, screamed, and bemoaned our situation. Then I threatened to quit or move back to my major content area (social sciences). (13 Class A adviser of 3 years)
• The best strategy is to have successful students... Several of my students have been recognized and gotten publicity for the school. We also visited many businesses to see technology at work. (15 Class A adviser of 18 years)
• We wrote a grant and received 2 laptop computers for student use and I attended a seminar and received a Sony Macvica digital camera. (17 Class C1 adviser of 23 years)
• Most students come highly motivated to use technology and I learn a lot from them. (27 Class A adviser of 6 years)
• Working with others in the building using technology and bringing the technology coordinator Tootsie Rolls! (33 Class D1 adviser of 11 years)
• I'm a member of a challenge grant project...it's a huge help. (35 Class C1 adviser of 7 years)
• I don't have to do much. The students come to me with a technology background and motivation to learn more. (37 Class A adviser of 20 years)
• Talking with parents and school board members. (38 Class D1 adviser of 3 years)
To be perfectly honest, the most success I've enjoyed is when I have administrator’s kids in the program. They see the value then, especially as their kids are affected. (39 Class A adviser of 23 years)
• Applying for grant money has allowed me to expand with technology (42 Class D2 adviser of 12 years)
• Persistence - inflated journalism budgets. Revenue from yearbook sales and advertising. (46 Class A adviser of 19 years)
• I haven't really brought technology to my students. Much has to be self-taught (there was no training provided for using the flatbed scanner, for example). I have to gain the expertise on my own time and the availability of time is limited. (47 Class B adviser of 18 years)
• Obviously, I push for purchase of equipment. If we have any money left at the end of a year, it goes back into the program in the form of a camera, computer, etc. (48 Class A adviser of 29 years)
• 1) Applying for money through special district or building funds. Some money is easy to get and goes to those who apply.
2) Keeping journalism program in the black means money to spend on technology. Careful money management is essential.
3) Producing quality products (newspapers and yearbooks) gives administration a reason to support you financially. Poor product=less money. (50 Class A adviser of 7 years)
• I order what [yearbook] company suggests; usually clears okay with administration when it's within reason. (52 Class D1 adviser of 2 years)
• We used research of college programs and businesses to show administration why our students needed access to improved technology, especially the Macintosh platform. We also demonstrated the technology to encourage them to buy it. (56 Class A adviser of 14 years)
• 1) Participation in a techno-magnet school.
2) Fund-raising
3) Budget expenses
4) Grant participation (57 Class A Adviser of 32 years)
• 7th grade exploratory course (5-week rotations) Students learn basic PageMaker. I teach first 6 students; then, they become the teachers for second 6. (59 Class B adviser of 6 years)
42. What advice would you give beginning journalism teachers with regard to technology?
• It doesn't matter what platform you're working with -- if you have the right software, you can build better hardware. Check the discount hardware stores, re-cyclers, etc. (1 Class C1 adviser of 16 years)
• Learn it! It will help in the long run. (3 Class B adviser of 4 years)
• Learn the programs! Attend summer camp with your kids! (4 Class B adviser of 21 years)
• Attend workshops to keep up with technology and get help books. Access your rep from the publishing company (5 Class D1 adviser of 5 years).
• Ask for help! (6 Class C1 adviser of 20 years)
• I don't have to teach these kids anything about technology. They know much more than I care to know. I would encourage beginning journalism teachers not to get into this profession if they care about good writing. It's all about technology now and nothing about discovery of fact and truth. (7 Class C1 adviser of 3 years)
• Accept the idea that your students may know more than you do-- and learn from and with them. (8 Class B adviser of 10 years)
• Take classes and workshops. Metro [community college] is a good place to start. (10 Class B adviser of 28 years)
• Stay on top of it! (11 Class C1 adviser of 6 years)
• Learn it early - It's hard to keep up. (12 Class C1 adviser of 21 years)
• If technology isn't there, don't take the job. Get all promises from administration in writing. Number of computer stations is vital. Class size (especially in intro classes) either lets you teach appropriately or not. 35 in intro classes does not allow you to teach technology. (13 Class A adviser of 3 years)
• Absolutely learn PageMaker or Quark and PhotoShop before you take the job.
Keep in touch with experienced j-advisers. Back up everything and don't assume students know everything about technology. Keep a notebook of any troubleshooting solutions you've learned. (14 Class A adviser of 27 years)
• Get the parents on your side. For me, the constant chatter in the principal's ear has made a big difference. Also, I suggest going in with a specific plan with ways the technology will benefit students and explaining the hardships you are working under (15 Class A adviser of 18 years)
• Don't think that having lots of technology is a substitute for good writing skills or careful editing. Be careful of letting quality product decline because you spend so much time with technology doing cool stuff. (16 Class C1 adviser of 12 years.)
• Be patient - learn as much as you can from your students. Recruit students with good computer skills - they can help train classmates. (17 Class C1 adviser of 23 years)
• Learn the company's program shortcuts. Use only company materials. (18 Class C adviser of 15 years)
• Stick with it...it does get easier! Organize and delegate! (19 Class B adviser of 6 years)
• Abandon all outdated processing as soon as possible. But, keep in mind that practical delivery of new products doesn't always keep up with a vendor's promises. (20 Class B adviser of 3 years)
• Go to workshops that are provided and let your students go along. They catch on fast. (25 Class C adviser of 3 years)
• Look at good quality publications. A lot of what is being produced by high schools in Nebraska is garbage. (26 Class D2 adviser of 18 years)
• 1 - Let the kids show you. 2- Use your lunch period to play with technology. 3- Call other advisers for help. 4 - Find the most techno-savvy person on staff and become his/her friend. 5- Do not be afraid of technology. 6 - Technology changes pretty fast, so search out the computer kids who will spend all night "researching" in the name of fun. (27 Class A adviser of 6 years)
• Learn it! Like it! (28 Class D1 adviser of 34 years)
• Use it! I am a teacher that had some technology experience, but no journalism...but I was able to do the work. (30 Class C1 adviser of 1 year)
• Seek out those who are comfortable with it, throw away the manuals and attend periodic workshops. (32 Class A adviser of 14 years)
• Take the time before you start the year to really work with the programs and printers you will be using. (33 Class D1 adviser of 11 years)
• Find a knowledgeable student and make them a staff member (34 Class D adviser)
• Desktop publishing is the "wave." Take a workshop about your software before trying to use it. Learn with your students (35 Class C1 adviser of 7 years)
• Learn it! Keep up! It changes constantly! (36 Class C1 adviser of 21 years)
• Find a good word processing program and desktop publisher. Get a zip drive. (37 Class A adviser of 20 years)
• Get it as soon as possible and utilize it. (38 Class D1 adviser of 3 years)
• Get into it--get your kids into it and let them run wild. They make great teachers and they embrace technology. (39 Class A adviser of 23 years)
• Take as many workshop opportunities as possible (40 Class A adviser of 8 years)
• The more the better! (41 Class D adviser of 6 years)
• Get a lot of training. (42 Class D2 adviser of 12 years)
• Use it to save time! (43 Class B adviser of 11 years)
• You must teach technology - especially the technology used by professionals. If you don't, you are hurting your students! (44 Class B adviser of 3 years)
• Take many classes! Expect to spend hours learning on your own time. (45 Class D adviser of 2 years)
• Have patience. If the school is willing to give you new hardware, be sure you're capable of purchasing the updated software - so it will be compatible. Don't be frustrated with not having the time to learn and teach students the new programs - especially graphics. Allow students to self-learn and attend workshops to gain mastery. (46 Class A adviser of 19 years)
• Technology in regard to journalism is changing at a rapid pace. Students are coming into the classroom now with a wide variety of expertise in technology. Use their knowledge to enhance your own. Try to keep pace. (47 Class B adviser of 18 years)
• Acquaint yourself with what is being used in the world of journalism. Kids should and do ask questions concerning technology because it is common in so many households. You're doing your students a disservice if you aren't up to speed. (48 Class A adviser of 29 years)
• 1) At first, use what you know. Managing publications are hard enough without adding lots of new software and hardware to your worries.
2) Backup important files regularly but especially near deadlines.
3) Listen to students. Many use or have technology at home. Let them show you. They're much more willing to try and figure it out sometimes than I am. (50 Class A adviser of 7 years)
• Learn as quickly as possible and get help from whoever you can to survive. (52 Class D1 adviser of 2 years)
• Get as much information as you can. Ask for everything, because you may only get 1/2 of it. (54 Class B adviser of 13 years)
• Compose a wish list and propose it every year. Be sure you know enough about the requested technology to defend your proposal. Invite "decision makers" to your room during production times or during lessons and let them see your struggle without the requested technology. (56 Class A adviser of 14 years)
• In all seriousness, learn how to use & evaluate necessary software and hardware in summer and off-time and then, most importantly, surround yourself with student experts who pass on its use because if you are doing your job, you won’t have time to instruct. Something will suffer–you are not a techno-media instructor. (57 Class A adviser of 32 years)
• Attend one or two-day classes for credit. Attend yearbook publisher’s workshops. (59 Class B adviser of 6 years)
43. Do you have other comments about this topic that would be of interest to other journalism teachers?
• The kids adapt so easily - they have time to sit down and work things out. I have 150 English students plus journalism each day. I need someone one-on-one who will walk me through the programs, not just show me. (4 Class B adviser of 21 years)
• We need to utilize new technology in our classes to prepare our students for a rapidly changing work and school environment. (10 Class B adviser of 28 years)
• Technology is great, but understand it will take lots of your time day and night. Always Back Up. (14 Class A adviser of 27 years)
• Technology doesn't = good writers. (21 Class B adviser of 19 years)
• No journalism teacher ever has enough good, fast computers that aren't crashing on deadline day! (27 Class A adviser of 6 years)
• Technology is a means that can provide an end...too much of our time is focused on its utilization, not enough time spent on asking "why?" Too many folks consider technology a god and never question its presence and use in education. (32 Class A adviser of 14 years)
• Journalism in a small school is always approached in a different manner - both in attitude and content. (33 Class D1 adviser of 11 years)
• We have many computers and types of software available however it is being used by others during the journalism hour leaving us with one computer to both a newspaper and annual and to maintain our online presence. (34 Class D adviser)
• Simply put, I cannot do what my students do on a computer. I don't get the time to be on the units like they do. I desperately want to be able to do more, but it's hard to be the one in charge and find time during the day to learn the thousands of things you are expected to know. I feel frustrated! (36 Class C1 adviser of 21 years)
• I know the interest is not high, but colleges and universities don't offer much specifically for high school advisers. UNL is a perfect example. (39 Class A adviser of 23 years)
• Lack of equipment and money is a concern. Schools want a first class product with third rate equipment. (40 Class A adviser of 8 years)
• It would be nice to have a central Nebraska (UNK) location where journalism teachers could attend "job-alike" workshops and training. (42 Class D2 adviser of 12 years)
Demand that students learn/know the basics of writing, design and photography before they become dependent on the technology to do everything for them. (46 Class A adviser of 19 years)
• Your most important job is journalism instruction and publications advising, it is not media/technology instruction. That’s another class in the curriculum, and if it doesn’t exist, find students who want to specialize in it and you’ll be the evaluator/adviser which you were hired to be. (57 Class A adviser of 32 years)
• There is a real need for graduate credit classes in technology use — pagemaker, quark and photoshop. (59 Class B adviser of 6 years)
44. Is there anything else not covered in this survey that should be noted?
• It was enjoyable compared to some I've done. (39 Class A adviser of 23 years)
• It would be interesting to note how well-respected journalism programs are at individual schools. When I started here, journalism was the school's dumping ground for students who had nowhere to go. It has now evolved into a program for the elite. Students who are academically or behaviorally deficient are not allowed in the journalism program. (11 Class C1 adviser of 6 years)
• Background: Our school is small. I have 6 preps. I am a English major. The students in my class often qualify for state competition but we are not a well-equipped classroom. We still cut and paste our school newspaper on 8 1/2 by 11 paper and run on a copier. We do use PageMaker for yearbook and we've learned a great deal, but we have a long ways to go. I'd be very interested to see the possibilities that technology offers as I only know the tip of the iceberg. (9 Class D adviser of 10 years)
• This is my last year as a journalism adviser. I'm going back to teaching English. I spend so much time dilly-dallying with computers now that I have no time to teach writing, a skill much more time-honored than this computer fad. (7 Class C1 adviser of 3 years)
• The lack of programs/funds outside of individual school district resources to provide the journalism department with needed technology, especially since most journalism departments are at the bottom of the high school food chain. (44 Class B adviser of 3 years)
• Photography, pagination, graphics, advertising, marketing and sales, accounting and budgeting, etc…. how many hats can a journalism teacher successfully wear if the peripherals have become more important (time and energy) than the printed word itself? An effective instructor must delegate the peripherals and trust in the system and process she puts into place. You can’t teach photography, graphics, pagination unless its done one-on-one and that’s insane. Everything else will suffer. Those must be taught in other classes unless you find student instructors who are part of your current staff. A good teacher is more a manager/facilitator than an instructor of the peripherals. Teaching "journalism" is a full-time job. (57 Class A adviser of 32 years)
• NHSPA needs to provide more educational/informational sessions for journalism teachers. (59 Class B adviser of 6 years
