Reigeluth & Joseph
pose a question that the challenges the paradigm of using technology in teaching
to using technology as a way to promote teaching and learning. The power of integrating technology into education,
not integrating by creating a class in a schedule or stand-alone exercises that
involve having students type reports or create charts or statistics using
excel, but using technology as a way to take thinking to a higher level. As a way to research topics and manage the
similarities and differences so that the cognitive load can be focused on
developing a conceptual understanding of the content at hand. Technology can
create opportunities for students to ‘own’ their education; allow them to make
the big decisions on how to develop a concept, with an educator completely
accessible to create scaffolding to challenge and further student
thinking. In 1993, Neil Postman’s states
that the purpose of education is
to
help students learn how to ignore and discard information so that they can
achieve a sense of coherence in their lives; to help students cultivate a sense
of social responsibility; to help students think critically, historically, and
humanely; to help students understand the ways in which technology shapes their
consciousness; to help students learn that their own needs sometimes are
subordinate to the needs of the group.
If you simply look at
the first goal, to learn how to ignore irrelevant information I would say the
internet poses students a greater challenge as there is more information
available to students in a moment’s notices, often in the palm of their
hand. Teaching them how to ignore
information is an essential talent needed twenty years after the article was printed. Again, on the prophetic scale, he was right
on with the opportunity to learn social responsibility with technology. Students are challenged daily with the
opportunity to bully, sext, and plagiarize.
He also saw how the use of technology could promote group learning and
developing shared meaning among members, long before many Web 2.0 tools were
even developed.
Postman also statement
that technology has “nothing whatsoever to do with the fundamental problems we
have to solve in education […] and that they are distractions. They divert the
intelligence and energy of talented people from addressing issues we need most
to confront.” Twenty years later people
would think that statement is crazy; that technology needs to be at the center
of education. I think I stand with
Postman, and have stated this in many posts and reflections before; the use of technology
for technology sake is stupid.
Technology should be used as a tool, to effectively manage the cognitive
load, so that the learner can advance their knowledge. Since this is a reflection, and not a report,
I will admit that I love Postman’s conversation with the car dealer. Especially since I’ve been told that to fix a
motor for an automatic window was in excess of $250; I never had any trouble
with the handles we used to use on old cars, and if they broke, one could fix
it with duct tape for less than $5. I
love Postman’s comments about finding the purpose behind providing students
information faster; what’s the point? If
we don’t teach students to think, it does not matter how fast we provide the
information, it will be worthless. Postman’s
position on the socialization of school was very prophetic as that is really
where students use technology today. If you take their computer or smart phone,
their worries typically start with Facebook and email, not on their limited
access to the abundant amount of information available in a flash on the
internet.
Actively integrating
technology into education will require educators who are flexible, not only in
style, but in design and evaluation of curriculum. One cannot expect this to be an overnight
overhaul of the system. It will be an
exhausting, day by day, lesson by lesson by lesson transformation, whose investment
goes well beyond budget allocation to dedication by each individual involved in
the education process from the district superintendent and curriculum director
to the teacher’s aide in the kindergarten classroom.
Works Cited
Reigeluth, C.M. & Joseph, R.
(2002). Beyond technology integration: The case for technology
transformation. Educational Technology, 42(4), 9-13.
Postman, N. (1993). Of Luddites, learning, and life. Technos
Quarterly, 2(4).
