Blog #3 - Which scenario is the future?

In response to -
Larry Cuban, Stanford University, “Public School Teachers Using Machines in the Next Decade,” October 1994, NTIS No. 95-172243.

Larry Cuban in his report “Public School Teachers Using Machines in the Next Decade,” predicted that the future of computers in schools would fit into one of three categories. First, he described a technology enthusiast’s world of computers where each student would be in charge of their own learning. This would happen immediately as opposed to changing slowly over time. Teachers would merely be coaches to help students decide what to study. In this world many of the current classroom models that have been in place for over a century would be thrown out in order to embrace an entirely new way of learning.
I see several issues in this imaginary future. First of all, I think schools have always implemented changes slowly. This is partly due to the way the system is structured, and even more to do with the fact that parents and the public want their students to be educated in the same way they were. Changes in public schools come slowly. The other reason I think this scenario is not ready for the public school system is the idea of entirely student driven schools. While I believe that school should be directed at students interests and that students need to have a personal investment in what they are learning, I think there are too many students who still need direction and quite a bit of encouragement in order to succeed. Many students would be overwhelmed with the new responsibility of not only learning, but also deciding what to learn and leading the learning process by themselves. This is a change that needs to be occur over time, not be implemented immediately.
The second scenario that Cuban described was slightly less optimistic, but much more practical. He described a scenario where changes are made over time not only in the way we use technology in the classroom, but in the entire way we have schools structured. He sees more progress occurring in elementary schools than in high schools because of the way they are structured and the difference in outside influences. These would be “hybrid” schools where some learning is student driven, and some is more traditionally teacher taught. This model seems to be both hopeful and plausible. I don’t think we should ignore the way schools have been set up for centuries. Nor do I think we should shy away from our schools evolving into more technological and student driven learning centers.
The third scenario that Cuban described is the one that I feel we are mostly stuck in today. It is a “preservationist’s” school. These schools stick to what is familiar and what has always been done. They do make use of technology, but they do so by making the technology fit into the structure already there. This is what I believe is occurring in most schools. With all the concentration on passing standardized tests and national standards, few teachers are interested in trying new innovative methods in their classrooms (Cuban, 1994, p. 160).
I think either of the two latter proposals is quite possible in the schools, although in the last 13 years since this article was written I would say we are still on the “preservationist’s” path. I am happy that there seem to be continued conversations about how best to implement technology in schools. Technology and other current factors are also forcing us to examine how classrooms are set up and our current ideas about teaching and learning. Hopefully, these conversations will lead to new innovative ideas and reforms in the classroom.

Technology in the Classroom

In Response to Teachers’ Views of Computers as Catalysts for Changes in Their Teaching Practice
by Sara L. Dexter, Ronald E. Anderson, and Henry Jay Becker

Is technology the huge catalyst for change in education that it has been painted out to be? I believe that it is not the only factor, but has indeed been a major influence on the learning process. We can’t deny that knowledge has a whole new meaning. Technology has changed the world, but has it changed the classroom? At this point most changes are small and inconsistent. If we want the classrooms to change, we have to look at teachers as the catalyst for change. If teachers aren’t aware of or are unfamiliar with the technology available, they will not be able to implement it in their classrooms.

Teachers come into schools that have established a set of norms for their teaching. They may be handed a curriculum, and will certainly be required to teach to the Oregon Standards. There is still plenty of room for teachers to choose how they want to teach and effective teachers will make use of all the tools that are available. They can adapt their lessons over time until they find a successful method. Even once they have fine-tuned their lessons, they should be ready to make changes with the times. When new research leads to a better understanding of the way students learn and new technology changes the way we think about knowledge, teachers should not be afraid to try out new teaching styles.

Technology should be used to provide active learning opportunities for students. Teachers need to know what technology is available and how to best implement the technology in their lessons. As a teacher I will embrace the technology already existing in my school and try to research new programs and technology that will challenge my students to make learning discoveries.

In class students always ask the question “Why are we learning this? I need to ask myself the same question, each and every day that I teach. What will my students do with the information I am teaching? It doesn’t matter how well a student does on an assessment, if the following year they’ve forgotten what they learned the previous. I cannot afford to teach to the test. I can’t only be looking at short-term results, how well my students are learning the material I am teaching. I have to be thinking about how well they are going to retain this information in the future, if they are learning how to solve problems, and how they will build on their knowledge. I have to look towards the future and ask myself where my students will be when they graduate high school, not simply if they are going to pass my next test.

On every test I would like to ask my students the question, “why do you need to know this?” Students should know why concepts are important and how they relate to their life. If they don’t, they will not remember it a month later. If students are unable to answer this question, then I have not been doing my job.

Some learning is straight memorization. But if a student memorizes without a purpose, without knowing why, the brain will throw out the information as “useless” instead of storing it in whatever part of the brain keeps things for later use. I need to help students understand how they take in and process information and how to organize it both internally and externally.

It is not merely technology that is changing the classroom. We are preparing students to enter a different world than we were 10 years ago. We are also discovering more every day about the way the brain works, about how we process information, and about how we learn. All of these changes must work their way into the classroom and it is the teachers who must bring them there.

Blog Assignment #1

In Response to:
Ensuring Equality of Educational Opportunity in the Digital Age by Timothy E. Morse

Creating equality in our schools has never been easy. Students come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic levels, and family lifestyles. The task of giving an equal education to all students in an increasingly diverse society has gotten even more difficult in recent years. There is now one more factor to consider when attempting to give equal opportunities to all students: technology.

No one would argue how important technology has become in recent years. Computers and other technological advances have added efficiency to the work place, made research easier, and created international collaborations and networks. They have changed the entire way we learn and share information. If we want our young people to be prepared for the huge leaps that have been made in computer technology, we have to give them the tools they need. This must be done in the schools.

There are two aspects to creating equality in regards to technology. First, all students must have equal access. Second, they must learn to use this technology and become comfortable with it.

If teachers want to be able to integrate technology into their lessons, they too must be comfortable using it. They should be trained in the technology itself (how to use the programs,) and in how to incorporate the technology into the lesson plan. The biggest challenges that teachers will face is knowing how to integrate computers into their content area, having access to specific software, and having enough computers for their students to use during class.

Sittin' in Ed Tech

Here I am in Education Technology writing my first blog. I'm an official EdTechWeBlogger now. That's EdChlogger for short. Tune in next week, same time same place.