Technology as a Tool for Instruction
We're all familiar with
the extravagant promises of technology: It will
make our students smarter -- and it will do it faster and cheaper than ever before. Moreover, the promise suggests, this miracle will occur almost by osmosis. We need only place a computer in a room, stand back, and watch the magic take place. If only life were that simple and learning that easy!
make our students smarter -- and it will do it faster and cheaper than ever before. Moreover, the promise suggests, this miracle will occur almost by osmosis. We need only place a computer in a room, stand back, and watch the magic take place. If only life were that simple and learning that easy!
Those of us who remember the 1980s, when computers were
first making their way into our classrooms, probably also remember a great deal
of bad software. As educators, we were unfamiliar with the technology and
uncertain about its possibilities. So we stepped back and let software
developers, hardware vendors, and other technicians define not only what we
could buy but also how those products would be used. In many ways, the
technology drove the educational process. And guess what? It didn't work very
well!
Now, we've entered an era in which technology is no longer
an intimidating novelty. Its use in business and industry is both accepted and
expected. And pressure abounds -- from the federal government, from local
school boards, and certainly from the popular press -- for educators to get on
board and see to it that students become technologically skilled.
But is mere technological skill enough?
Two points should be considered.
- TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL
- Technology is a tool that can change the nature of learning.
First and foremost, educators want students to learn. It is
certainly not enough to tell educators that they need to use the boxes and
wires that have invaded their schools simply because they are expensive or
because students need to know how to use the latest widget. If it's clear that
technological tools will help them achieve that goal, educators will use those
tools.