Technology In Education Online

Something that has got me thinking lately is how technology is being used today in the classroom. From student management systems to Accelerated Reader, teachers are finding the convenience of technology to beneficial. But the question must be asked, how is this benefiting students and the educational process? It is with a bit of apprehension I raise this question. I don’t want this to be an opportunity to “blame the teacher.” However, more of a reflective questioning of where we are going with technology. The idea of using testing software that comes with some of the text books has also been another technology tool teachers have felt to be beneficial. Or the rationalization that “I’m continuing to use this software because students are used to it or comfortable.” Is it the students or the teacher? Ok, not to get everyone up in arms. Granted teachers have been burdened with more and more responsibilities over the years. However, do we use the technology to reduce the workload regardless of the long term effects? Take for example Accelerated Reader (AR). Teachers will talk about the program boosting students interest in reading. However, how often had the program been used as a convenient tool to dismiss the reflection and analytical aspects of reading. It isn’t to say AR is good or bad, but more on the implementation of the program. As Sadusky and Brem indicate in their study, “The Integration of Renaissance Programs into an Urban Title I Elementary School, and its Effect on School-wide Improvement” , point out “These misconceptions are not the responsibility of any one group or aspect of the program. They are fueled by some program design elements, political pressure over accountability, and misconceptions held by parents, teachers and students. Based upon our surveys, interviews, and focus groups, we believe that the dominant model of assessment at the school is what we term the “high-stakes testing” model, which stresses summative evaluation, striving for perfect performance, little feedback and contextualization, and substantial, long-lasting consequences.” Others, such as Krashen, show that “the results presented here strongly suggest that of the four aspects of AR, access to books, time devoted to reading, tests, and rewards, only the first two are supported by research. If the focus is on competition and rewards for number of points the reading aspect becomes secondary to the need to outpoint peers or win the reward. Can the same be said of other software used in the classroom. After attending numerous conferences and walking through the vendors displays I am too often left with the sense that technology integration is lost in the process. As has been the case in some presentations that I’ve done, teachers will say to me “I don’t have time to do that” when explaining the more constructivist approach toward technology. But give them a good testing software program that complements their textbook and they are all for it! So is it convenience or integration? Perhaps again we need to focus on professional development and the lack there of. If we continually expect teachers to integrate technology then we must give them the opportunity to see how it fits into their everyday classroom. Also, if the administrative focus is on what “looks good” rather than integration then we are fighting an uphill battle. If the opportunity isn’t there to learn then we are simply spending a lot of money on a whole lot for appearances.

Having recently visited several colleges got me wondering how far, if at all, had colleges and universities moved toward a more constructivist approach toward educating students? My son is preparing to graduate from high school in June 2008. We did a tour of several schools and sat in on presentations given by school admissions counselors about the academics at each school.  What was amazing, startling, disappointing, etc.  was some colleges still taking a traditional approach in educating students.  What was especially shocking occurred while attending an information session at a liberal arts school.  When asked what the percentage of classes take a more project/inquiry based approach rather than a traditional testing approach the counselor seemed to stumble a bit with the question. She responded that there maybe a course here and there that takes a more project based approach. However, most of the courses are traditionally based.

As we walked through the library of one of the schools I was glancing at what students were working on.  A number of students seemed to be preparing for exams.  The question in my mind became are we continuing to perpetuate students to become better test takers?  If this is the case, what happens to those students that are to become future teachers?  If their methodology of learning is by memorization and regurgitation then what will be their expectations of their future students?  Will there be opportunity for future teachers to move beyond this mind set if they don’t know any other way?  It is especially disconcerting when I see a liberal arts college take a traditional approach to education.  It seems to be a dichotomy to me seeing a school call themselves a liberal arts college and at the same time taking a teaching to the test approach in educating their students.

Therefore, if this is still the approach a majority of our colleges still take, then is it not surprising that this approach has trickled down to our K to 12 school environment?

Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite is an all-in-one iPod video Conversion software. This suite includes “Cucusoft iPod Video Converter” and “Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter”. So with this iPod Video Converter suite, you can convert both DVDÂ’s and video files to your iPod video. You can enjoy your favorite DVD’s and video movies on your iPod as a portable DVD Player. Now you can get this iPod Converter Suite at a very competitive price! Recently teachers have purchased or received an iPod through a grant. The number one question has been: “How do I get a video onto my iPod?” There are two products I recommend. If you want a free program I recommend Handbrake. This program is an open source software program that is available for MacOS X, Windows, and Linux. If you need a simple program that you use on an occasional basis I would go with this program. If you need something with more features and are willing to spend a little money I would recommend Cucisoft iPod Video Converter & DVD to iPod Suite. Cucusoft iPod Video Converter Suite is an all-in-one iPod video Conversion software. This suite includes “Cucusoft iPod Video Converter” and “Cucusoft DVD to iPod Converter”. So with this iPod Video Converter suite, you can convert both DVDs and video files to your iPod video. You can enjoy your favorite DVDs and video movies on your iPod as a portable DVD Player. Now you can get this iPod Converter Suite at a very competitive price! If you would like to get a trial version of the program you can download it here: Cucusoft iPod! I’ve been using Cucusoft for a couple of years and really like the power and ease of using it. If you plan to use your iPod video I would highly recommend it. If you are ready to purchase it now, you can get it now:

What does it take for people to be active members in a learning environment?  Is there a magical answer to this question?  The reason I pose this question is due to my wondering how do you get people involved with technology integration.  For example, I’ve started to build a moodle (<a href=”http://www.techinedonline.com/moodle”>http://www.techinedonline.com/moodle</a>) with various topics being covered. I’ve noticed quite a few people coming to this site, but not a single comment, suggestions, request, etc.  So I’m left to ponder whether building such a site is a worthwhile adventure or is simply providing a repository of information enough.  I enjoy putting this site together and offering information to others.  However, it’s hard to know what direction to take with this site without knowing what peoples’ needs are or what they are looking for.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand people have other things happening in their lives and taking the time to respond is not a priority. However, this is the same dilemma I’m faced with in my work.  How do you get people to use the knowledge and resources at hand in order to better integrate technology into the classroom? Are expectations too high?  I ran into this situation a couple years ago when I introduced the concept of a discussion forum for teachers to use as a way of communicating with each other, as well as offering their own knowledge to share with others? Guess how many people participated? At first, a few people posted to the forums but those numbers quickly faded within the first couple of months.  I also setup a Tips and Tricks website for teachers. And what was the reaction? Most people stated they would just rather ask me then look at the site.  What strikes me as being somewhat baffling is that we tell our students to look for the answers rather then come to the teacher to give you the answer. Yet, we often do the same thing that we attempt to dissuade our students from doing.

Alan November, last week at the “TechForum Northeast 2007″ talked about how he had peoples’ blogs tied into his course website and still had people adding to it now even though the course ended this past spring.  I think I’ll try that within my moodle and see what happens. His thinking, which I agree with, is that people need to have some connection or feeling of ownership for it to be successful. I also liked his idea of using Skype to open up lines of communications. I’ll continue to offer skypecasts over the next few weeks (look for notices here) to see what kind of responses I get.  I’ll have more to say about last week’s conference later on.