Journal Summary #3 : No More Tech for Tech's Sake. An opinion from 2009
Cave, R. (2009, 02). No more tech for tech's sake. Scholastic Administr@tor, 8, 24-24,26.
I though it would have been interesting to read this article especially coming from 2009 when the notion of one-to-one computers were starting their popularity in Maine. The main point in this article stated that using technology is not the reason for effective teaching and that our traditional way of assessing cannot "support the existence of a link between technology use and student achievement." p.25
Cave describes his opinion why it wasn't working in 2009 with 2 points; that the way our students obtain and interact with information has completely changed result in the schools having a disconnect with their students. The second point being that schools are receiving incentives based on the amount of technology they are making available to their students which results in the illusion that they have met their goals because of technology. His biggest concern in this statement is that the schools' goals are more focused on access of technology they have rather than improving teaching and learning.
A further concern is that the ability of using technology from district to district differed drastically at that time, and in some cases still do. Then the question of how teachers were expected to use the tools and change the way they teach and how their objective seemed superficial because they included "Students will use the internet to..." or Students will write on the computer about."
It seemed that Cave felt schools and technology was disconnected in their purpose. Saying that schools are allowing students to forget the skill of retaining information and utilizing a new and easier rule of just consuming the information, calling this another tool in the teacher's bag of tricks. "Hence technology needs to support the educational goals of the district; it should not be the goal." p.26
I have continuously kept this question in mind, "How can I increase my students' knowledge by using a tool of technology?" I don't think I could replace everything I do and the way I teach art with technology. This is not to say I agree with all of Mr. Cave's opinion from 2009, I can see where the fear comes from looking back 10 years or so. I am an advocate for teaching students how to practice penmanship, spell and how to write. To me, those skills can't be replaced, there will always be a need for those basic skills. I know I must sound like a dinosaur here but there was once a time when having the ability to write was a luxury. In my experience the goal of technology isn't to replace the teacher/student relationship but to enhance how a student can gather information and more recently how they can use technology to show what they have learned though practice, problem solving, inquiry and experimenting with new ideas.
I though it would have been interesting to read this article especially coming from 2009 when the notion of one-to-one computers were starting their popularity in Maine. The main point in this article stated that using technology is not the reason for effective teaching and that our traditional way of assessing cannot "support the existence of a link between technology use and student achievement." p.25
Cave describes his opinion why it wasn't working in 2009 with 2 points; that the way our students obtain and interact with information has completely changed result in the schools having a disconnect with their students. The second point being that schools are receiving incentives based on the amount of technology they are making available to their students which results in the illusion that they have met their goals because of technology. His biggest concern in this statement is that the schools' goals are more focused on access of technology they have rather than improving teaching and learning.
A further concern is that the ability of using technology from district to district differed drastically at that time, and in some cases still do. Then the question of how teachers were expected to use the tools and change the way they teach and how their objective seemed superficial because they included "Students will use the internet to..." or Students will write on the computer about."
It seemed that Cave felt schools and technology was disconnected in their purpose. Saying that schools are allowing students to forget the skill of retaining information and utilizing a new and easier rule of just consuming the information, calling this another tool in the teacher's bag of tricks. "Hence technology needs to support the educational goals of the district; it should not be the goal." p.26
I have continuously kept this question in mind, "How can I increase my students' knowledge by using a tool of technology?" I don't think I could replace everything I do and the way I teach art with technology. This is not to say I agree with all of Mr. Cave's opinion from 2009, I can see where the fear comes from looking back 10 years or so. I am an advocate for teaching students how to practice penmanship, spell and how to write. To me, those skills can't be replaced, there will always be a need for those basic skills. I know I must sound like a dinosaur here but there was once a time when having the ability to write was a luxury. In my experience the goal of technology isn't to replace the teacher/student relationship but to enhance how a student can gather information and more recently how they can use technology to show what they have learned though practice, problem solving, inquiry and experimenting with new ideas.
I like how you say that the technology must enhance the learning, not replace what you've already done. That's a question I try to ask myself before I use a new tool. I'm curious if Cave would still have the same opinions now or if things have even changed for the Maine school districts over the last decade.
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