Regular updates and musings on curriculum and technology in the Salisbury Township School District in Allentown, PA.
Technology-in-Education Debate
The Economist is hosting a debate around this proposition: The continuing introduction of new technologies and new media adds little to the quality of most education.
The sharing of ideas around this topic is timely considering we are in the process of demonstrating how technology use in the classroom can change the way we teach and learn. If you would like to see what others around the world have to say about this topic, click through on the link below. You can “vote” and comment on the site, or you can join the discussion on this blog.
(3) Comments • (1) Trackbacks • Permalink
Next entry: Site: Writing Fix
Previous entry: Megaconference Jr. Call for Proposals
Comments
It really boggles my mind when corporate America and/or the media--which I have difficulty not believing is filtered and controlled--proposes that engagement of students in global transparent learning with authentic audiences has no impact on students’ learning (and teaching--but they have not come that far in their recognition of the process yet...). So, what the proposition on the debates suggests is this: that engaging students in a global videoconference with a service project done in conjunction with a school in the midwest, then presented globally at Megaconference Jr.--from which students created digital research papers--all this teaching--prime word here--teaching done by students (who of course learned as well)--is not enhanced by technology in education??? Since you cannot do a trackback in a blog comment (yet), here’s the link to my current blog which invites comment http://www.salisbury21.org/blog/index.php/rj/can_you_guess_what_this_is/. And as soon as I can figure out how to add my students to my changingconnections blogs, this just might be their first post.
This debate continues and yet the irony is that no where else in 21st century America is the effectiveness of technology even questioned. Business, medical offices, hospitals, etc. all rely on technology to become more efficient and produce better results. And yet, there is this continuing thought that unless we corral 20 plus students into a room with one adult doing most of the talking we are not delivering the appropriate instruction. Perhaps the dialogue should not be is technology effective in classrooms, but rather what are the different ways we should be implementing it into education.
You are absolutely correct, Barbara, and raise points that I had not considered. Definitely your question is the right one. Still, media tendency reluctantly avoids the educational paradigm shift, and the question I ask is why. Is there a fear factor connected to the recognition that the shift has already happened, in varying degrees. Is print news obsolete if we can add a dozen news widgets to netvibes for 24/7 feeds. As we continue as a community of teachers and learners, integrating best practices, technology, and content with 21st century delivery, I keep wondering why the effectiveness issue continues. So, back to Barbara’s question: how do we implement technology in education.
Beth Breiner’s templates for the Technology segment of our last Act 80 had one tool that 1) integrates technology, 2) creates a data analysis tool, 3) utilizes Reading Apprenticeship/Academic Literacy strategies, 4) can serve as a PSSA test prep enhancer, and 5) delivers all of this in any discipline at any level. If you want an easy first step that covers a large chunk State Standards as well, I highly recommend you begin here. P.S. It works extremely effectively in a wiki format, where individuals and/or groups of students can make their learning transparent + 24/7.