November 2005 — School Perspective
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The Rise and Fall of Educational Technology: Did We Miss the Point?
How Do We Fix It?
Many good programs exist, and good things are happening
in the educational technology field. But in many ways, we
have lost our way. We need to return to fundamental questions
about the use of technology in education. If we spent
as much time thinking about learning as we do about security
and budgets, we could improve our programs.
Encourage the use of media. We live in a media-centric world. Students learn how to read a book, but rarely learn how to “read” a video. They are easily manipulated by video and animation and have much to learn about it. Students can make a movie or a cartoon about any topic, including those that take a great deal of research about topics that appear on high-stakes testing. Encourage the use of a wide range of media: magazines, newspapers, Internet, etc. Promote media development as a means to an end, not an end.
Bring academic computing back into teacher discussions. If you are an educational technologist, try to break the habit of always discussing security, or the “next big thing.” Try to address each teacher’s needs individually. Pay attention to academic successes and discuss them with others. Most educational technologists are very curious about and interested in the way people learn. So is everyone else.
Help students develop tools for students. In student-centered environments, the role of reporting is elevated since students share ideas they have investigated individually or in groups. Encourage teachers to think expansively about reporting, and to go beyond “book report” styles. Students can develop help pages or manuals that teach others about what they have created or what they understand well. Sharing student work with other classes and grades on an intranet or the Web can encourage students to take extra effort in finishing their projects. Think of ways to tap into this student knowledge base and build an infrastructure to support it.
Don’t think about how. When developing a plan for technology in the school, try not to focus on technology and its implementation, but on end results. You may find that you have the tools to implement your plan, but need dollars for training, or need to free up teachers for training. You want to educate students, prepare them for the future, and improve their test scores. Now you are thinking like an educator!
Expand the dialog. In addition to increasing the number of discussions about academic computing, technologists need to help administrators understand what various technologists do. Pass on articles about various job functions to administrators, highlight relevant sections, and help administrators understand the difference between academic computing and technical support. Until educational leadership courses and district-level school programs are enhanced to better prepare administrators, support from in-house tech staff is crucial.
In the end…Building learning tools may be more important than talking about them. Creating may be an ideal way not only to learn about things, but to envision what they may become.
Sebastian Foti is a Fulbright Scholar working for the University of Florida Alliance, promoting collaboration between Florida’s educational institutions, teachers, and students.
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