Having read "Articles in Favor", I'm relieved and excited to report that my belief in educational technology has been invigorated. As stated in a previous post, I believe content is king. However, I also believe books are better than stone tablets, and digital tablets are far better than stone tablets.
Examining 25 Years of Technology in U.S. Education did virtually nothing to persuade me that new technology will aid the US educational system any more than old technology (such as the Laser Disc) did. There is much comment on the lack of access to computers for the average American student, but little comment on why this deficiency is important. In reading this article I was reminded of an excellent line from Stephen Levin's book A Gradual Awakening in which the author states "...enlightenment isn't enlightenment, enlightenment is a word". But, in this case, one must say "technology isn't technology, technology is a word". And technology alone is certainly not education. So, what is the important component here?
How Does Technology Influence Student Learning? was the most illuminating and persuading argument I read (given the fact that numerous studies where referenced). Again and again the article stresses "First and foremost, research reminds us that technology generally improves performance when the application directly supports the curriculum standards being addressed." In other words, when technology is used to amplify good content, and is part of a system that also includes quality assessment, it (technology) does make a difference. The Waldorf method employs virtually no "technology", but the curriculum is highly effective, and greatly sought after-- even by techno-guru parents who want (and can afford) the best education for their children. The guiding light of this reading is that curriculum must be well developed, teachers must be effective, and only then can technology be deployed to further stimulate these other, more primary pieces of the puzzle of education.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Conclusions About Technology Use, Part I: Cons
I've made my way through all of the required reading under the category "Articles Opposed", and I have to admit that my opinion falls, perhaps marginally, on this side of the tech divide. I simply do not believe technology will save our educational system, or transform students (or our body politic in general) into "global citizens" who are information savvy, and highly literate. To achieve these goals (info savvy/literacy) learners must want to develop holistically, and not just technologically.
Here are the main points that caught my attention in the reading. I've included the URLs (which Dr. Luck provided us initially) for easy reference:
Conclusions about tech use: Cons--
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/03/the-frontier-of-classroom-technology/a-misguided-use-of-money
1) Reforming education in the U.S. often includes seeking new technology to improve teaching and learning. Instead of buying the latest gadgets, however, our schools would do better to provide students with critical technological awareness, achievable at little cost.
2) We rarely consider the negative implications for acquiring the newest “smart” board or providing tablets for every student.
3) Ironically, we buy into the consumerism inherent in technology (Gadget 2.0 pales against Gadget 3.0) without taking full account of the tremendous financial investments diverted to technology.
4) Technology is a tool to assist learning. School closets and storage facilities across the U.S., though, are filled with cables, monitors and hardware costing millions of dollars that are now useless.
5) Reading a young adult novel on a Kindle or an iPad, or in paperback form, proves irrelevant if children do not want to read or struggle to comprehend the text.
6) Schools should not be blinded by the latest trends and the inflated costs of new technologies.
7) ...we should empower teachers...
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
1) In a nutshell: schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning.
2) Silicon Valley titans and White House appointees — say digital devices let students learn at their own pace, teach skills needed in a modern economy and hold the attention of a generation weaned on gadgets.
3) Many studies have found that technology has helped individual classrooms, schools or districts. For instance, researchers found that writing scores improved for eighth-graders in Maine after they were all issued laptops in 2002. The same researchers, from the University of Southern Maine, found that math performance picked up among seventh- and eighth-graders after teachers in the state were trained in using the laptops to teach.
4) ...how to draw broader inferences from such case studies, which can have serious limitations. For instance, in the Maine math study, it is hard to separate the effect of the laptops from the effect of the teacher training.
5) And often the smaller studies produce conflicting results. Some classroom studies show that math scores rise among students using instructional software, while others show that scores actually fall.
6) “Rather than being a cure-all or silver bullet, one-to-one laptop programs may simply amplify what’s already occurring — for better or worse,” wrote Bryan Goodwin, spokesman for Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning , a nonpartisan group that did the study..."
7) Larry Cuban, an education professor emeritus at Stanford University, said the research did not justify big investments by districts.
8) "...computers play an important role in helping students get their ideas down more easily, edit their work so they can see instant improvement, and share it with the class."
9) But the research, what little there is of it, does not establish a clear link between computer-inspired engagement and learning, said Randy Yerrick, associate dean of educational technology at the University of Buffalo.
10) There are times in Kyrene when the technology seems to allow students to disengage from learning: They are left at computers to perform a task but wind up playing around, suggesting, as some researchers have found, that computers can distract and not instruct.
source URL: http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/03/22/computers-help-children-learn-computer-skills-but-what-else/?scp=1&sq=computer%2520education&st=cse
1) "Children who won a voucher had significantly lower school grades in Math, English and Romanian but significantly higher scores in a test of computer skills..."
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
1) But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.
2) Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.
3) “If I worked at Miramax and made good, artsy, rated R movies, I wouldn’t want my kids to see them until they were 17.”
4) Some education experts say that the push to equip classrooms with computers is unwarranted because studies do not clearly show that this leads to better test scores or other measurable gains.
5) Absent clear evidence, the debate comes down to subjectivity, parental choice and a difference of opinion over a single world: engagement.
6) Advocates for equipping schools with technology say computers can hold students’ attention and, in fact, that young people who have been weaned on electronic devices will not tune in without them.
7) “If schools have access to the tools and can afford them, but are not using the tools, they are cheating our children,” Ms. Flynn said.
8) Paul Thomas, a former teacher and an associate professor of education at Furman University, who has written 12 books about public educational methods, disagreed, saying that “a spare approach to technology in the classroom will always benefit learning.”
9) ...“Teaching is a human experience,” he said. “Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.”
10) And where advocates for stocking classrooms with technology say children need computer time to compete in the modern world, Waldorf parents counter: what’s the rush, given how easy it is to pick up those skills?
11)...“It’s supereasy. It’s like learning to use toothpaste,” Mr. Eagle said. “At Google and all these places, we make technology as brain-dead easy to use as possible. There’s no reason why kids can’t figure it out when they get older.”
12) “Besides, if you learn to write on paper, you can still write if water spills on the computer or the power goes out.”
Here are the main points that caught my attention in the reading. I've included the URLs (which Dr. Luck provided us initially) for easy reference:
Conclusions about tech use: Cons--
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/03/the-frontier-of-classroom-technology/a-misguided-use-of-money
1) Reforming education in the U.S. often includes seeking new technology to improve teaching and learning. Instead of buying the latest gadgets, however, our schools would do better to provide students with critical technological awareness, achievable at little cost.
2) We rarely consider the negative implications for acquiring the newest “smart” board or providing tablets for every student.
3) Ironically, we buy into the consumerism inherent in technology (Gadget 2.0 pales against Gadget 3.0) without taking full account of the tremendous financial investments diverted to technology.
4) Technology is a tool to assist learning. School closets and storage facilities across the U.S., though, are filled with cables, monitors and hardware costing millions of dollars that are now useless.
5) Reading a young adult novel on a Kindle or an iPad, or in paperback form, proves irrelevant if children do not want to read or struggle to comprehend the text.
6) Schools should not be blinded by the latest trends and the inflated costs of new technologies.
7) ...we should empower teachers...
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
1) In a nutshell: schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning.
2) Silicon Valley titans and White House appointees — say digital devices let students learn at their own pace, teach skills needed in a modern economy and hold the attention of a generation weaned on gadgets.
3) Many studies have found that technology has helped individual classrooms, schools or districts. For instance, researchers found that writing scores improved for eighth-graders in Maine after they were all issued laptops in 2002. The same researchers, from the University of Southern Maine, found that math performance picked up among seventh- and eighth-graders after teachers in the state were trained in using the laptops to teach.
4) ...how to draw broader inferences from such case studies, which can have serious limitations. For instance, in the Maine math study, it is hard to separate the effect of the laptops from the effect of the teacher training.
5) And often the smaller studies produce conflicting results. Some classroom studies show that math scores rise among students using instructional software, while others show that scores actually fall.
6) “Rather than being a cure-all or silver bullet, one-to-one laptop programs may simply amplify what’s already occurring — for better or worse,” wrote Bryan Goodwin, spokesman for Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning , a nonpartisan group that did the study..."
7) Larry Cuban, an education professor emeritus at Stanford University, said the research did not justify big investments by districts.
8) "...computers play an important role in helping students get their ideas down more easily, edit their work so they can see instant improvement, and share it with the class."
9) But the research, what little there is of it, does not establish a clear link between computer-inspired engagement and learning, said Randy Yerrick, associate dean of educational technology at the University of Buffalo.
10) There are times in Kyrene when the technology seems to allow students to disengage from learning: They are left at computers to perform a task but wind up playing around, suggesting, as some researchers have found, that computers can distract and not instruct.
source URL: http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/03/22/computers-help-children-learn-computer-skills-but-what-else/?scp=1&sq=computer%2520education&st=cse
1) "Children who won a voucher had significantly lower school grades in Math, English and Romanian but significantly higher scores in a test of computer skills..."
source URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
1) But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.
2) Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.
3) “If I worked at Miramax and made good, artsy, rated R movies, I wouldn’t want my kids to see them until they were 17.”
4) Some education experts say that the push to equip classrooms with computers is unwarranted because studies do not clearly show that this leads to better test scores or other measurable gains.
5) Absent clear evidence, the debate comes down to subjectivity, parental choice and a difference of opinion over a single world: engagement.
6) Advocates for equipping schools with technology say computers can hold students’ attention and, in fact, that young people who have been weaned on electronic devices will not tune in without them.
7) “If schools have access to the tools and can afford them, but are not using the tools, they are cheating our children,” Ms. Flynn said.
8) Paul Thomas, a former teacher and an associate professor of education at Furman University, who has written 12 books about public educational methods, disagreed, saying that “a spare approach to technology in the classroom will always benefit learning.”
9) ...“Teaching is a human experience,” he said. “Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.”
10) And where advocates for stocking classrooms with technology say children need computer time to compete in the modern world, Waldorf parents counter: what’s the rush, given how easy it is to pick up those skills?
11)...“It’s supereasy. It’s like learning to use toothpaste,” Mr. Eagle said. “At Google and all these places, we make technology as brain-dead easy to use as possible. There’s no reason why kids can’t figure it out when they get older.”
12) “Besides, if you learn to write on paper, you can still write if water spills on the computer or the power goes out.”
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
So far, so what?
The reading I've worked through so far has impressed upon me how little access to technology exists in the average classroom, and I agree with this observation. I'm not currently a teacher, but during the periods in which I have been an educator access to computers was appallingly limited. For instance, in a class of 13 students with whom I worked, there was 1 very old computer. It had no internet connection. So, this "technology" was basically a big paperweight that glowed. And even if I had found educational software that would run on the machine, I had no idea how I would keep the other students occupied while 2 or 3 at a time worked with the computer. It's difficult to keep up momentum and concentration when students are playing musical chairs with the ONE computer in the room.
This problem of _access_ is one I've been contemplating ever since I started the IT program at APSU. The students I want to eventually work with are in economically depressed places. That means the big question is "what does technology mean in these places?" In other words, I'm not going to have access to 15 iPads at my classroom in Nepal, or my classroom in south Nashville for that matter. So, how do I get enough "tools" (computers, digital cameras, etc.) to reasonably service a class of 15-20 or more people? Or, do I have to rethink what the word "technology" means relative to my place and resources?
One approach would be that only I utilize technology to augment my lessons. For instance, if I have internet access, I could use my PC and Google Maps, YouTube, Animaps, etc with an LCD projector that I purchase and maintain myself. And, instead of structuring the class so that students are directly using technology, they instead are benefiting from my access and ability to make content more interesting. Because, let's face it-- content is still king. It's about communicating the "big ideas".
This problem of _access_ is one I've been contemplating ever since I started the IT program at APSU. The students I want to eventually work with are in economically depressed places. That means the big question is "what does technology mean in these places?" In other words, I'm not going to have access to 15 iPads at my classroom in Nepal, or my classroom in south Nashville for that matter. So, how do I get enough "tools" (computers, digital cameras, etc.) to reasonably service a class of 15-20 or more people? Or, do I have to rethink what the word "technology" means relative to my place and resources?
One approach would be that only I utilize technology to augment my lessons. For instance, if I have internet access, I could use my PC and Google Maps, YouTube, Animaps, etc with an LCD projector that I purchase and maintain myself. And, instead of structuring the class so that students are directly using technology, they instead are benefiting from my access and ability to make content more interesting. Because, let's face it-- content is still king. It's about communicating the "big ideas".
Response to "current use"
I'm currently in the process of sorting out all of my "readers", "binders", blogs and required reading. I'm asking myself how in the heck I'm supposed to keep track of all these different sites while also having enough time left over to actually develop rich, meaningful content. When it comes to technology, I can see (from my current perspective as I run from the avalanche of sites) why many people/educators avoid [it] like the plague; if I spent enough time to keep my web presence up to date I'd get nothing else accomplished.
But, I'm going to keep leaning in to the task, and see how far I can push my capacity for multitasking.
But, I'm going to keep leaning in to the task, and see how far I can push my capacity for multitasking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)