Comments on: Technology and Education: We need to better integrate the two, and fast!

By: Mike Boylan

Mike Boylan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:51:54 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Kevin. That website looks neat. My favorite for flashcards is Quizlet.

By: Mike Boylan

Mike Boylan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:51:54 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Kevin. That website looks neat. My favorite for flashcards is Quizlet.

By: Kevin Flo

Kevin Flo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:23:03 +0000

I agree. The pace of technological develompent is much faster than the pace of educational development. If children are technologically sound to a certain extent, it will definitely enhance their growth. I would thank my teacher Jack Simmer for his amazing support to help merge technology and education. I do a lot of my studying through the net by flashcards etc... The most interesting site that I came across is www.funnelbrain.com

By: Richard Platts

Richard Platts — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:44:30 +0000

Of course you're right Mike, I've said for years that the observable reality of 'technology' education is just more and more equipment thrown into the mix, with little really changing in the way that kids learn. Like you and Scott agee, many practicing teachers are struggling to keep up with basic technology skills, many of them are proud of those Powerpoints as a step forward (while many of their colleagues still reuses the same crumbling overheads) - I agree with Scott that new teachers or pre-service teachers aren't in much better shape. Most of them take just one 'technology' course. The course I took was so basic that it covered MS Word, among other productivity tools (really, in grad school??)

What you are really looking for isn't about technology and integration into teaching and learning, but you are looking for an entirely new paradigm for what learning is in US public schools. Schooling is a deeply seated cultural issue, but we can see it being pushed to a breaking point with policy pressures and shifts in the way that everyone consumes information changes (old media -> new media)

I think that a measure of patience (along with a health dose of impatience and irritation) For someone like you and me, who consumes new information (and participates in a discussion) so comfortably in this sphere, it is easy to imagine that everyone is comfortable here. Without any hard figures in front of me, I'd hazard a guess that we are in a much smaller minority than we might expect. It's a time of transition -- we can see it coming, but there are so many things holding us back from true integration. . .

By: Mike Boylan

Mike Boylan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Scott, in your first paragraph you say, “Mike, remember many of the current educators have not had formal training on how to successfully use technology and 21st century learning in their classrooms.” That's true. So, one of the things I'm suggesting is that some of that money be spent on professional PD trainers such as Pat from Apple. Or, expanding the role of student cohorts to provide not only weekly visits, but more after school workshops as well. Unfortunately the schedule isn't as flexible in the K-12 environment as it is at the Uni level. There'd be far more time for advancement at the uni level.

As far as what we're doing, I think both you and I have made considerable contributions to the paradigm shift, at least on a local level. Other districts looked to ours for a model of a student leadership team – getting the kids involved. It's really revolutionary, and I was so glad to be a part of it.

As far as creators vs consumers go, according to Forrester research's social technographic profile, a whopping 46% of kids ages 18-24 in the US are content creators, 50% are critics, 38% are collectors, and an even larger 85% are joiners. In other words, people are really shifting away from being a member of solely the consumer or spectator profile – people my age, at least. Are we all still fishing in lake Google? Of course we are. We all do independent research and browsing. Are we teaching each other to fish? I think so, but it seems to be the teachers who are hesitant to embrace a collaborative environment – you (and many FC teachers) being an exception, of course.

By: Scott Hand

Scott Hand — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:55:41 +0000

Technology is a way of learning as well. A way to gather, process, organize, and evaluate learning. Use of the available tools can help these inquiry areas. Mike, remember many of the current educators have not had formal training on how to successfully use technology and 21st century learning in their classrooms. Much of their formal education and subsequent pedagogy has been based on the traditional model. Since this wave is tidal, it takes a lot of time, effort, study, and planning to incorporate – and this might start with some basic implementation. It will grow as education becomes more adaptive and responsive to the current climate. Even the education professionals currently studying or just finishing their university studies are ill-equipped to tackle this rapidly evolving praxis. This is a shortcoming of the university education – where one class on instructional technologies is quite insufficient and much of the induction to the professional is based on classical rhetoric.

The integration is coming. And yes, the traditional paradigms are waning. Notable disruptors include Open Education and Creative Commons who are pushing the antiquated notions of sagacious pinpoints of knowledge repositories and dispensers (teachers) out the window and molding the facilitator educator to guide, challenge, and inspire learning.

The question now is: What are you (we) doing to reform education? In an environment where education is open, are we simply consumers or creators of it? 2.0 creates and shares, 1.0 consumes. I think a majority of technology use by the end-user is still 1.0. I surf, I learn. Mike, are we all still just fishing in Lake Google or teaching each other to fish and adding stock to the pond?