Last class we had one of the better discussions of the semester. I didn’t think the subject of technology in the classroom would spark a spirited discussion. It’s usually politically correct to say that the more technology the better. Computers, the Internet, video conferencing, all aid the student, makes the class more engaged, and makes a student’s whole persona improve! How could anyone possibly disagree? A word wall in class highlighted diverse learners, multimodal, and visual. These are all things that come to mind immediately.
But in class the point was raised that prior to all the bells and whistles of technology students actually did learn! The fact that there was technology in the classroom didn’t necessarily mean it would be an automatic boost in learning. I think that the discussion probably could have gone on for another 20 minutes
Prior to teaching I had worked for IBM as an IT consultant. On my very first interaction with customers, the CIO asked our Marketing Rep why his company should spend millions of dollars in technology upgrades. The Marketing Rep responded, “You can’t afford not to!”
I thought that was awfully cliché even back then, not to mention evasive. It was a legitimate discussion item in class. The point then as well as now is that it’s very difficult to predict the success. It depends on the implementation, the skill of the user, the way it’s introduced, the “buy in”.
Think about the first time you used a computer, a VCR, or a Video camera. Was it frustrating? Were the rewards immediate? Could you afford not to do it?
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2 comments:
Thanks, Paul. Probably a good thing that I wasn't in class on Thursday. For me, technology in many ways has been an issue defined by issues of gender and control, or power, as our reading has talked about issues of race and control, and income and control.
Technology can give people a tool to control and direct and reflect on their own learning, if they are allowed to.
Here's my long answer to your question.
The first time I "used" a computer in class was in a graduate political science class. It was highly frustrating. We had limited access to "dial into the mainframe;" it was very difficult for a neophyte to figure out—particularly because there were a few of the men in the class who dominated the whole transaction by virtue of their knowledge. Flash forward to when I was working for a bank credit analysis department and we got our first PCs - black screens, green letters, and again the department IT guy very much in control.
Then, the bank put me on the board of the Downtown Baltimore Children's Center. Director Nancy Kramer, a 59-something early childhood teacher, was using a little Mac Classic to prepare the organization’s correspondence in Word, financial statements in Excel, newsletter in Quark Express, and parent and donor database in Filemaker Pro. I was inspired and bought a Mac LC (in 1992). As I started to read the manual, my 6-year-old daughter said: "No, Mommy, you just click around and learn that way." (She had an Apple IIe in her classroom.)
Ever since, and my daughter is now 23, just about everything I have earned about technology, I have learned from women. At another bank-related job in Philadelphia, the woman I worked for and I discovered the internet and begged a committee of male bosses in vain to start a Web site. Returning to education, at Friends School Haverford, computer teacher Marcia Blackman showed me how to teach computers to children. She effortlessly ran the all-Mac, 22-station computer lab. She inspired me to learn how to put up a Web page for FSH, and (10 years ago) we taught fifth and sixth graders to create their own Web pages on scientists using Adobe Pagemill.
Moving to Garrison, New York, and serving on the school board, I have seen our talented female technology teachers do excellent work and I have seen our mostly-female teaching staff ask for and embrace SMARTBoards.
My new Garrison friend Janet started her own blog, Friends Are My Artform. She's moved to Austin but she hooked me on the blogosphere and I write my own for my preschool parents.
My daughter is living in Australia now and we video chat a few times a week thanks to the camera phones built into our Macs. Yes, I am a huge fan of Apple computers (and people brought up with PCs will roll their eyes) because of their ease of use, their early graphical user interface, their freedom from viruses, and the sense of control, perhaps power, that I have felt when I have learned a new piece of software or made a new connection on the Web.
To circle back, Paul, I think that your Marketing Rep was probably right when he told the company that they couldn't afford not to invest in technology, cliche though that is. Technology is a huge factor in how competitive companies are in the marketplace, although that's another topic. School districts, or more appropriately New York State, should be investing in technology more equitably to help all students take more control of their lives and destinies.
Cheers, Anita
I think it is still possible to teach today in a technology-free classroom, but it certainly is not how I intend to go about teaching mathematics. The tools and resources can enrich what we do in so many ways, plus students have an inherent interest in it which can provide a hook to get them interested in the content. Vive la Technology!
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