Edducational Technology

We’ve been talking all school year about how things have changed from the way they use to be. We have yet to talk, though, about the greatest change that has occurred in our lifetime. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969, they owed the success of their journey to a revolutionary 70 pound box called a computer. The capacity of this computer was around 2,000 words (less than a newspaper article!) with a cpu speed of around 1Mhz (modern cell phones are 400-500 times more powerful). It was truly a “modern” device and a triumph of technology.
Since then, the geometric growth of computer technology in everyday life is something that even the most forward-minded thinkers have been unable to predict. We are discovering new ways to use new technology, and one of those new uses has been and continues to be education. Technology is crucial to today’s education; the internet, software and advancing technologies have opened up new worlds to our students. But we as educators (and adults) need to step back and truly understand the implications of the explosive growth of technology.
There has been a tendency across the country in education to equate technology with computers. More computers=more technology= more learning. While it is true that computer technology does open up many possibilities, sitting a child down in front of a computer to “research” isn’t any different than throwing down an encyclopedia. Yes, there may be more information, and it may be more visually appealing, but is it engaging to the student and does it require higher order thinking skills? We may use PowerPoint presentations in our classroom- but is that fundamentally different from the chalkboard? Research on the internet and PowerPoint presentations can be very worthwhile activities, but technology can be and needs to be much more. Ten years ago, we focused on the access to content that technology provided. Today that content is everywhere. Our students, through cell phones, blogs and social networking sites have become not just consumers of content but CREATORS. While all of our English teachers are trying to figure out how to get their students to write in class, many of them are going home and writing voluntarily on a blog or website. In fact, many of our students only use paper at school. The writing is on the wall; in order to engage our students and prepare them for the future, we can’t only teach them how to access content, but rather we must teach them to filter content and use their own creativity to create new content within the context of technology. How is our school system meeting these challenges? Staff development has helped bring about a general understanding of the importance of effective use of technology. We know that access is the first step, so we have begun the purchase of mobile labs, a collection of wireless laptops that can be used in any classroom- or anywhere on the school grounds. Teachers are beginning to become content creators themselves through webpages and blogs. Ipods and PDAs are being used to enhance classroom learning and teacher education. Sophisticated software for learning is being implemented. This spring we plan a major revision to our technology plan, which will place a primary focus on instructional technology and its effective use. We also plan to implement more initiatives to provide students with content-creating opportunities, utilizing media and web 2.0 applications.
Above all, because technology is changing so fast, access is not equivalent to success ; a computer in and of itself is not the answer. Using technology to awaken young minds and create real connections in a familiar language is what we strive to be about. The 20th century was about providing access to information through technology. The 21st century will likely be about what individuals create with that knowledge. In order to prepare our students to be successful in the technological world, we must prepare them not only to click, but also to create.