For tomorrow we will have a text-based discussion on chapters 2 and 3 in the Collins and Halverson book, Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology. So please read pages 9-48 in advance of class and I ask that you mark up the text with lines or passages that really resonated with you.
In the interim, please comment below with a quick reflection on the following prompt:
Collins and Halverson detail cogent arguments why schools MUST change to include new technologies and why they WILL NOT due to institutional resistance. Based upon these arguments, are you a technology optimist or a technology skeptic? Or a combination of each? Why? Explain...
The technology enthusiast view posits that computer-based environments will result in a revolution in schooling of the same magnitude as the socio-cultural and subsequent educational outcomes of the Industrial Revolution. The enthusiast view envisions schools that would look and function like technology-rich workplaces. Within such a construct, students/learners would work collaboratively on (for them) educationally meaningful tasks and projects using computer based tools.
ReplyDeleteThe readings outlined how tech ed. enthusiasts agree with John Dewey’s theories that learners ideally should be actively engaged in a learning situation, in a sharing situation rather than a competitive learning environment.
The technology critics argue that there is a long history of resistsnce to change in our educational systems. The “factory model” of schools are well established and arguably entrenched in our society, with long-tested “technologies” such paper & pencil, pens, and chalkboards. Naysayers of positive educational technology models argue that for many years the computer and related technologies may be integrated in the educational process as “another tool”, but not initially or soon as a core learning paradigm change.
Other considerations posited by ed. tech. critics include the (argued) cost issues when there is a dramatic change in an educational system that strongly embraces new technologies at the core of learning processes and activities. Critics even argue that the “authority” of teachers will be diminished if computers and related technologies become central to the learning process and environments.
I do believe that the ed. tech critics posit a number of valid arguments. However, I also believe that our entire global integrated societies are being (as the ed. enthusiasts argue) profoundly transformed at virtually all levels by technological advances. I would also argue that, for better or worse, our schools are microcosms of the general societies that they exist and function in. As such, I am optimistic that the unfolding of changes in the delivery of our educational systems will ultimately parallel the sweeping societal and changes driven by technological advances.
Based upon these arguments I am a technology optimist. I believe technology in school systems is necessary to bridge the gap between the American education system and our society of today. Our education system is far behind where it should be and in order to build the necessary skills in students, technology in our classrooms is a must.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main points that Collins and Halverson detail is the need for interaction, which technology can be a major tool to help many teachers. As they state, “interaction allows learners to see the consequences of their actions”. This is very important when teaching students, because it makes the student engaged in what they are learning. As opposed to 19th century forms of technology, such as paper and pencils, and books; the use of digital games, video games, applications, websites, and other forms of multimedia provide students with an “out of the box” thinking strategy, and cognitive development.