Sometimes I have asked myself about the usefulness or the meaning of discussing about some matters that seemed like, it doesn't matter how much you ramble on them you just don't get anywhere, and I really got that same feeling wondering about the use of technology in education, nonetheless I still need the urge of expressing my own ideas, my own opinions regarding this matter, mostly when I see that it approaches, or confirm or challenge my own ideas about it.
To do that I will use two articles that are in very opposite directions regarding the use of technology for educational purposes, the first one is Beyond Technology Integration: the case of technology transformation (by Roberto Joseph, Educational Technology, July-August 2002), and the other one is Of Luddites, Learning and Life (By Neil Postman, Technos Quarterly, Winter 1993, Vol.2, No.4), first I will explain briefly, addressing their main statements, and ideas, and basically what are they all about, after that I will express my own points of agreement and disagreement with both articles, and then I will offer a brief conclusion that can reveal my own reflections while gathering from the previously mentioned articles.
On Beyond Technology Integration, Mr Joseph starts citing Kuhn by saying that “When a new technology enter any field of practice it is to help the current methods in those fields” and that “with time, resources and investment people discover new methods thanks to those new technologies, resulting in a quantum improvement in those same fields”, then talks about how technology haven't been strong in k-12 education in the States, that there has been a push from the Department of Education (we are in 2002 here) to integrate technology in education and mainly focusing how technology can support the way teaching is currently done in schools.
Then it comes one the main premises of the article, pointing out what he calls “key markers”, which are characteristic trends that represent different times, making an example between the industrial age and it's key markers (standardization, compliance, conformity, parts oriented, bureaucratic organization, etc.) against the information age key markers (customization, initiative, diversity, process oriented,team based organization, etc.), saying that our current educational system reflects most of the industrial age key markers, taking them into the school system and life. Markers like standardization, conformity and lack of initiative, where important before but, now we have new educational needs and he asks if technology can help us transform our teaching and learning methods to meet those new needs.
But how can we transform a system like this one?, well, Joseph puts here different things that must be done in order to achieve that goal, things like for example, change the intention of integrating technology in our current methods, and instead, transform and create new methods through the use of technology; a focus into a more individual type of learning, less standardized, using the latest improvements in technology, like portability, wireless networks, more space and processing power, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, electronic performance support systems and voice and optical recognition; that along the help from: fellow learners, parents, the community and organizations, a more guide like teacher – student relationship and the concept of “on the job” training and learning for certain matters.
The Second Article: Of Luddites, Learning and Life, by Neil Postman is definitely more lined towards a less enthusiastic view of technology in general and specially in education, claiming that “computer are distractions that are captured the imagination of many educators”.
The main points of his article are that: with all kinds of technology is that they give something but they also take something, they are a “Faustian deal”, also that the problem of education in the States it's not related to computers, technology or faster ways to get information, and cites the thousands of billboards, newspapers, periodicals, radio stations and video tape (now dvd and blue ray) rental stores, the hundreds of TV stations (and I may add the millions of web sites available), Postman says that “Information has become a form of garbage. It comes indiscriminately, directed at no one in particular, disconnected from usefulness. We are swamped by information, have no control over it, and don't know what to do with it.” and because of the persistence in faster ways of information some educators are forgetting the real purpose of the schools.
And what is the “real purpose of schools?, is not so much about teaching factual matters to kids, as Postman says “Schools are not now and in fact have never been largely about getting information to children. That has been on the schools' agenda, of course, but has always been way down on the list.” Al least not as to teach kids how to behave in groups, it's not really about individualized learning, it's about been part of the community, how and when to talk, to eat, to flush even. But it's not just that, it has another purpose and it's to give sense and meaning to the past, present and future through what he call narrative, such as the origins of the United States from a revolution, the view of the States as a place where people who wanted to be free went and they found peace and sustenance, or how hard work is the path to a fulfilled life. The problem says Postman is that since neither the teachers, the children or their parents believes in that anymore, the school becomes a place of detention instead of a place of attention.
So can technology or faster information solve that kind of problems, well.., not, for Postman, there is something else that the entire society is lacking, and that is reflected in the schools, “If a nuclear holocaust should occur some place in the world, it will not happen because of insufficient information; if children are starving in Somalia, it's not because of insufficient information; if crime terrorizes our cities, marriages are breaking up, mental disorders are increasing, and children are being abused, none of this happens because of a lack of information. These things happen because we lack something else. It is the “something else” that is now the business of schools.”
Alright, after these not so short explanations of the aforementioned articles, I think I can honestly say that I agreed with both and disagreed with both, but in which parts?, well of the first article I can identify with the idea of a school as a place that is lacking the sense of what are the students needing in the “real world”, more and more, workplaces, companies, even industries are looking for people who can have initiative, reflexes, multitasking abilities, that knows how to work in groups, and are creative and critic, that knows how to deal with unforeseen troubles and manage people.
And are our schools teaching that to the kids?, definitely not, usually our kids are costumed to listen, be quiet, shut up and do what they are told. I for the most part agree with the key markers comparison and also how can technology help in transforming that situation.
What I really don't buy is that technology is the path to reach that transformation, also for me is very difficult to see that much investment in educational technology in a country who is not from the first world, like mine for example, there we are struggling to get the government to give the annual amount the constitution orders for education, and to aspire that they will give portable and powerful technology systems with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and voice & optical recognition is hard to believe, and I really aspire a educational transformation with the help of technology and with rational budgets.
Another thing is that a more detailed explanation of a more individualized school is needed, I think that the fellow learners (peer to peer), parent and community help in the learning process is viable but only to a certain degree, even though I do support the idea of on the job like training and a different type of student- teacher relationship.
Now on the second article, first, I noticed that while both articles are on extremely different sides of the spectrum, somehow both agreed on the standardization nature of the current school system, and even though the “protect our children” motto from Postman wasn't very convincing for me, I agreed in that not all problems are going to be solved with computers or technology in general, those (I think) are tools that can help us to achieve a specific goal, or to reduce the time needed to do something, while at the same time it can just not help us much at all, I can even mention the case of some “High school” students I had while imparting the Moral & Civics course in my home country who, could easily use computers, chat, use social networks, and Wikipedia but most weren't able to critically and logically organize a simple paper of 5 or 6 pages and if they did it where poorly constructed.
Regarding the use of narrative as a way to inspire children, um, well, I can agree with that to a certain degree, as I have seen the “who cares” attitude of most kids towards the stories that forged our nation (I'm talking about my own country here, but I think it applies to U.S too), or any sense of Patriotism, also I'm not so sure about if that (the lack of narrative) is the “something else” that Postman says we are lacking, I think that part needs some more explanation from the author.
To conclude this post I have to say that these articles put me in “reflection mode” for a quite while, and looking back to what I said in the beginning about the sense of discussing these matters, I think now that, is worth it, because this will put teachers in a critical position about it and, this only benefits their students, and while the main theme is the use of technology in education, this also help us rethink the way we teach, how much are our students learning, and what can we do to improve it.
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