Educational Issues Around
Technology
Like
any innovation, educational technology has given rise to new
issues. Below is a sampling of issues with linked resources
to explore them further.
Does educational technology help student learn?
The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the Most Current Research Has to Say - This briefing outlines what current research has discovered regarding the impact of educational technology on learning, and identifies resources for further study.
http://www.mff.org/publications/publications.taf?page=161"The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the Most Current Research Has to Say" evaluates seven recent research studies and their findings.
http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=259West Virginia Study Results - The effective use of learning technology has led directly to significant gains in math, reading and language arts skills in West Virginia, according to this study.
http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=127A Question of Effectiveness: Does Education Technology Work? - This Milken Exchange online discussion explores the effectiveness of education technology.
http://www.mff.org/edtech/discussion.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=123Research on Education Technology -This listing of articles and studies addresses what proof exists as to technology's effectiveness and impact on student achievement.
http://www.mff.org/edtech/projects.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=182Technology Counts '98: Putting School Technology to the Test
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc/tchome.htmACOT - One of the first attempts at ubiquitous computing was Apple's Classrooms of Tomorrow project. This site includes the complete library of ACOT research summaries and documents.
http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/library.htmlResearch on Anytime Anywhere Learning - For three years, ROCKMAN ET AL, an independent research organization in San Francisco, California, conducted an evaluation of Anytime Anywhere Learning programs to document how student learning and teaching change when every student and teacher has a laptop computer loaded with Microsoft Office.
http://www.microsoft.com/education/default.asp?ID=AALResearch
Ubiquitous Computing (Every student having access to a computer whenever they need it)
ACOT - One of the first attempts at ubiquitous computing was Apple's Classrooms of Tomorrow project. This site includes the complete library of ACOT documents.
http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/library.htmlTask Force on Maine Learning Technology Endowment - Information on the Governor's proposal to give laptop computers to Maine's middle school students. The site includes the final report of the task force given the job to design the initiative.
http://www.state.me.us/legis/opla/mlte.htmTechnology for Middle Schooler's - the Maine Association for Middle Level Education's (MAMLE) position papers supporting the Governor's proposal to proved Maine's middle schoolers with laptop computers.
http://www.mamleonline.org/tech1.htmlHenrico County Public Schools - This initiative will give every middle and high school student and teacher access to their own laptop computer with plans to eventually provide every teacher and student throughout the district with an iBook.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2001/may/1henrico.htmlMicrosoft's Anytime Anywhere Learning Project - Microsoft Computer's vision of a Connected Learning Community. What happens when there is a 1:1 ratio of students to computers in schools?
http://www.microsoft.com/education/default.asp?ID=LaptopLearningThe Piscataquis Community Middle School iBook Initiative - In Guilford, Maine, each middle schooler has an Apple iBook laptop.
http://www.sad4.com/news/091400.htmlThe University of Maine at Farmington's UMF EXCEL, (Excellence through Connected and Engaged Learning), constitutes a commitment to explore ways that technology can empower learners, enhance face-to-face contact and student-faculty relationships, improve pedagogy, and foster ambitious learning outcomes.
http://www.umf.maine.edu/excel/Northern Michigan University ThinkPad University Initiative.
http://www.acs.nmu.edu/laptop.htm
What Is The State of Technology In Our Schools?
What is the state of educational computing in the US? What seems to be working and what doesn't? Two reports focusing on technology in education have been published within the last few years. Teaching, Learning, and Computing: 1998 is a national survey of schools and teachers describing their best practices, teaching philosophies, and uses of technology. Technology Counts '98 examines the impact technology is having on achievement.
Effective Design for Communication
Fonts. Text styles and colors. Layout tools. Graphics, clipart, and digitial photos. Writing, in its many forms, isn't just about words any more. How does a layout help the reader find information on the page? How do the graphics help communicate the author's message? Do the layout and images make the page more attractive and inviting to the reader? Even though it looks good, does it still say something worthwhile? Today, with modern media, communication includes making visual choices, as well as, word choices.One of the challenges, of course, is that most teachers today were not taught visual design as part of written communication!
The three sites below will help you explore design for communication:
Design Issues Exploration
http://www.mcmel.org/design.htmlCreating Killer Web Sites
http://www.killersites.com/On the Cutting Edge: Searching for the Perfect Web Site - a WebQuest
http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~dlyoung/webquest/wq_training/wq_t_cuttingedge/
Keeping Kids Safe on the Internet & Legal Issues
Legal Issues Facing Schools Regarding the Internet
http://www.anovember.com/articles/legal.htmlFiltering: What You Need to Know - An article providing a rundown of the new filtering law, which outlines increased responsibilities for schools and public libraries.
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/200103/newsextra.html
Should Schools Use Technology?
Oppenheimer, T. (1997). "The Computer Delusion." Atlantic Monthly. July - In this article the author questioned the public investment in computers in schools.
http://www2.theAtlantic.com/issues/97jul/computer.htmComputer Delusion or Media Delusion -- which is it? The intent of this discussion board is to bring the perspective of student, teacher, researcher, city planner and policy expert into play with that of the author, Todd Oppenheimer and thus offer readers a richer, broader outlook on the issue.
http://www.mff.org/edtech/discussion.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=102Survey Shows Widespread Enthusiasm for High Technology - What do Americans say about their technology? This NPR/Kaiser Foundation survey found out. This site is also the gateway to articles about the survey's results.
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/poll/technology/index.htmlComputer Technology And Instructional Reform - Teaching, Learning and Computing is the results of a 1998 of schools and teachers.
http://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/html/tlc_home.htmlAre Computers Bad for Kids? - An interview with Jane Healy, author of Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds &emdash; for Better and Worse.
http://www.familyeducation.com/article/0%2C1120%2C24-3935%2C00.htmlAnother interview with Jane Healy - Warning: The mind you save by not buying that whiz-bang computer could be your own child's! That is Jane Healy's message for parents and educators today.
http://www.technos.net/journal/volume8/4healy.htmIn what ways can technology empower students?
Some educators say that technology gives kids power. They have complete control over the machine and it gives them enormous direct access to information. In fact, schools are no longer the primary providers of information to children. So, what's the potential for all this power? Two authors have written extensively on the subject: Dan Tapscott, author of Growing Up Digital, and Seymour Papert, author of The Connected Family. Read Tapscott's "The Net Generation and the School" and Papert's "Child Power" (instead of reading the paper, watch the RealTime videos of his speech, if your computer will let you!). What do these articles tell you about the impact of technology on kids and how kids are different today than when we were growing up?Generation www.Y Teaching with Technology - The foundation for Generation www.Y is the extensive involvement of students as collaborative partners with their teachers, their school, their school district, and the local community to assist in restructuring education through instructional and telecommunications technologies.
http://www.genyes.org/genwwwy/
What is the Future of the Book?
One difference between print documents and electronic documents is that you read print documents in the order that the author designed (linear). Electronic documents, with the use of hot links, allow the reader to peruse the information she is most interested in and the order she wants (nonlinear). Try this activity to see the difference:Roger Schank is a cognitive scientist and a computer scientist. His book, Engines for Education (http://www.ils.nwu.edu/~e_for_e/) explores the questions, "How do people learn?" "How do schools misunderstand learning?" and "What kinds of educational programs fit into the learning process?" He has published the book on the web, as well as in paper form. First, go to the the web site and explore the book by following the questions which interest you at the end of each snippet. Do this for at least 15 or 20 pages. Now, go to the contents page in the web site. Start reading at "The Future of the Book" (http://www.ils.nwu.edu/~e_for_e/nodes/NODE-270-pg.html) and follow the "Next story" path. Now, go back to "The Future of the Book" again and explore using the questions at the end of each page. Compare your two experiences - reading following your own questions and reading following the author's selected sequence. How do your own feelings and observations compare with Schank's ideas about the future of the book.
An ebook is a book you can buy in digital form. ebooks are available as whole books or you may select just the pages or chapters you want. You can search for and view the contents of our ebooks in just a few seconds.
eBooks.com is a digital bookstore
http://www.ebooks.com/Adobe eBooks Central - Many eBooks are in pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader) format. Adobe maintains an extensive site about eBooks.
http://www.adobe.com/epaper/ebooks/main.htmlClayCrystal is a source for a variety of creative arts in digital form, including a variety of eBooks.
http://www.claycrystal.com/bkstitle.htmSome initiatives publish books on the Internet.
The WWW Virtual Library
http://vlib.org/Overview.htmlThe Online Books Page
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/Questia is a new commercial venture to make texts available online.
http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp
Technology in Teacher Education
The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project has educational technology standards for both students and for teachers. NCATE recognizes the NETS standards when reviewing colleges of education.
http://cnets.iste.org/Will New Teachers Be Prepared To Teach In A Digital Age? - A National Survey on Information Technology in Teacher Education.
http://www.mff.org/publications/publications.taf?page=154Virtual Teaching in Higher Education
http://www.csun.edu/sociology/virtexp.htm
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Created by Mike Muir
Last updated:
August 20, 2001
The Maine Association for Middle Level Education
is a Partner in this project.
