Among the many education reform measures is the call for increased
technology in the classroom. To most people this means things like more
computers and Smart boards. In extreme cases it means
iPads
for all the kindergarteners. Of course hardware is only one aspect of
technology. Software is the driving force for the actual education and
there is no shortage of companies vying for that business. In some sense
it is the wild west of education, unsettled and barely regulated. It is
a field ripe for innovation and snake oil salesman.
Take this program being marketed to teachers.
Qtopia by Qwizdom
(Marketing
may be about making yourself stand out from the crowd, but the abuse of
English spelling rules in the corporate name alone should make true
educators cringe.)
The
quasi text speak of the names is a dead giveaway to this company's
product and corporate culture. They follow the fad of the young, using
gimmicky technology to distract the learner from the learning process.
Children answer questions, not because knowing how to do multiplication
will enable them to function in the world beyond the classroom, but
because it will enable them to purchase virtual items. They are rewarded
by the program (and the teacher) with being able to select her avatar,
telling the teacher how they, the students, would like her to be. In
this video, apparently the students would prefer the teacher be the
image of the sexual celebrity icon. They do not focus on her
intelligence, leadership or ability to motivate them. Granted, a digital
avatar does not exactly allow you to bestow those qualities, but it is
obvious from her discomfort in the video, that the very activity has
made her uncomfortable and forced her into a self image she does not
like.
The particular activity chosen alternates between
math facts and 20 seconds of game play. The entire time a fast paced
music track runs in the background continuously stimulating the child.
They make no bones that this uses the same features that feed gamers
obsessive tendencies. The activity chosen does not actually teach, it
assesses. Students who do not know their multiplication facts would
simply be faced with an endless stream of problems with no reward.
Studies have shown that students quickly tire of this type of activity.
These
studies
show that when the immediate reward for academic performance is
removed, the students stop participating in the learning process.
The
role of the teacher is completely transformed by this software. Note
that she does not need to know the standards to prepare her lessons. The
program can select from either state standards or national ones. It
develops the work and grades the students responses. This teacher says
she can choose portions that complement what she is already teaching,
but keep in mind this software is new. Over time it will expand to
encompass more of what the teacher teaches. There will be less of what
she does with students and more of this stuff. Is this what we want for
education - A teacher marginalized to the role of game show model who
turns the answer blocks?
Kid Electric at
The Silicon Tower suggests these guidelines when considering technology in education:
It is extremely important that we evaluate and understand the advantages of educational technology tools before spending valuable resources (time and/or money) on them. Software tools need to be purposefully selected and integrated into instruction not based on how "new", "cool", or "powerful" they are, but based on whether the technology provides an advantage in meeting an educational goal. Let
us consider some of the ramifications of jumping headfirst into using a
technology before evaluating its purpose or advantage for the
educational task:
- If the software is poorly designed, or is
brand new but untested or unproven, it may be worse than using
traditional methods or older technologies.
- If the software
is a good tool, but not the right tool for the lesson at hand, student
performance will suffer and students will learn less than if they didn't use the technology at all.
- If
the teacher is untrained, unwilling, or unable to teach and guide
students in effective use of the software, it will not be effectively
integrated.
- If using traditional methods (pens, pencils,
books, paper, verbal discussions, etc) would result in superior
performance or better learning, then it is a waste to use technology.
- If
any of the above occur, instructional time is wasted, learning is
impeded, and the reputation of using educational technology is harmed. If
low performance is perceived to occur in spite of (or even "because
of") technology, this will make it difficult to convince anyone to
invest future time, money, or effort in acquiring and using educational
technology.