Technology in the Classroom: When is Enough, Enough?

      It could be said that when it comes to technology I am a little behind the times.  A more accurate statement would be I am not even trying to keep up.  I have my computer, a cell phone and DVR as well as a few other odds and ends, but on the whole I rarely ever use the few gadgets and devices I own to their fullest potential.  For instance, I own a Kindle Fire, but have never actually used it.   I could be enjoying all kinds of perks from the comfort of my sofa, but instead I plug along on my trusty old desk-top computer from the confines of my broken down desk chair until my derriere falls asleep and I just can't feel my legs anymore.   It isn't that I dread learning something new or that I have a problem with technology; it is actually more of an attitude that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and I also hate wasting my energy learning something new when I already have something that solves my problems and suits my needs, but this is in my personal life.

     What about in the classroom?  Today's classrooms are a far cry from the old days when the students followed along while the teacher read aloud from a weighted text book, or just sat patiently, trying not to fall asleep while the teacher painstakingly scribbled out their thoughts and meanings with alabaster chalk on dusty old slate chalkboards.  These days, most classrooms don't even have chalkboards and textbooks are swiftly being replaced by E-books.  One interesting topic to this regard is the 'Technology Integration Matrix' or TIM.   The graphic they use to describe this system or "matrix" is pretty straightforward and states that there are five main attributes which are: Active; Collaborative; Constructive; Authentic; and last but not least, Goal Directed.  According to the website, the meanings of these attributes are as follows:

1. Active: The Active attribute makes the distinction between lessons in which students passively receive information and lessons in which students discover, process, and apply their learning.  
2. Collaborative: The Collaborative attribute describes the degree to which technology is used to facilitate, enable, or enhance students' opportunities to work with peers and outside experts.
3.  Constructive: The Constructive attribute describes learner-centered instruction that allows students to use technology tools to connect new information to their prior knowledge.
4.  Authentic: The Authentic attribute involves using technology to link learning activities to the world beyond the instructional setting. 
5. Goal Directed: The Goal-Directed attribute describes the ways in which technology is used to set goals, plan activities, monitor progress, and evaluate results.

Of course, this is a super simplified explanation and if interested, you may want to check out the website yourself at The Technology Integration Matrix website  produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology College of Education, University of South Florida at http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.php. It's a nice website and the idea is very well presented. 

     The more I learn about how technology is being integrated into classroom management systems, the more I am wondering how my own teaching style will make use of all the new theories, ideas, and innovations for the modern classroom.  It has been at least twenty years since my own kids were in school and this was well before the days of the internet.  It is certainly a far cry from the days when I was sitting in a classroom staring at the back of my teachers head and wondering how long it would be till lunch.  Cutting edge technology back then was found in pocket calculators and if you managed to afford a solar calculator you had something very special.  I don't really want to discuss the actual gadgetry for this post though, because what I am pondering is "why" I will use technology, not "what" type of technology I will use.  I think the gadgets will present themselves as the need arises, but to choose the correct devices we have to figure out what our goals or outcomes should be.  To figure all of that out, it is my humble opinion that we have to start by identifying where we stand on the integration of this technology to our own personal educational belief systems and teaching styles.  I am only just realizing how "old school" my thinking really is and it is going to be a hard thing to give up quite a few of my traditional favorites, such as pen and paper, and hard cover books.  I won't miss seeing kids heavily burdened by cumbersome book bags strapped to their backs though.   I suppose with every thing I let go of, there will be at least one reward.  Such is the way of life.

     Technology goes back a long way, all the way back to the time of rocks and sticks being used as innovative communication devices.  If you didn't like someone you could take a rock and bonk them on the head to deliver the message and if you wanted to describe some cool thing you found, you could draw a picture of it in the dirt with a stick.  We usually think of technology as a thing of the future, but even a lowly graphite pencil was once a cutting edge device.  The following TED video is pretty interesting and describes what I mean far better than I could:

To figure out where we are headed, it is usually best to know from whence we came, which is why I wanted to quickly discuss how far we have come.  I also feel that while innovations and inventions are good, we can't really turn our backs on everything we know because a whole lot of it is very effective.

     In an article found on Edutopia.com called 'Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many: There's a place for tech in every classroom' it says:

Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online.

I agree with this, certainly, but only as part of the equation.  The thing we have to be wary of is leaning too hard on devices and losing our ability for doing tactile work and for critical thinking in an organic and primitive way.  In other words, we have to make sure we don't get our heads so far up in the "Cloud" that we can no longer think for ourselves.  What if some major cataclysmic event happens, such as a solar flare and we no longer have access to this internet we have all become so dependent on?  My entire teaching style and attitude about education is a practical one.  Even the wealthiest socialite can suddenly find themselves penniless and without means.  Modern humans need practical skills and the ability to use their hands and minds in a very real sense, because even if our heads are in the virtual Cloud for a majority of our lives, there is a very real, very organic life going on all around us and we cannot forget that there are things in the woods that WILL eat us.  To my way of thinking, we should use caution with technology and make sure that students aren't completely relying on electronics and the internet to do all of their living for them.  These things should enhance our lives, but not define them and I feel we are dangerously close to the latter.

So, that is why if I had to pick an attribute of the TIM, I would have to say namely I would be an Active/Infusion style teacher, as shown in the following section of the matrix:

My reason for my choice is relatively straightforward: I think that technology and the ability to be up to date in technological skills and aptitudes is important.  I also think that if a certain type of technology, such as a Kindle or the Internet can make life easier, it's a good thing, but when it comes to students, we can't allow them to turn to the machines and devices for every project or lesson.  They do get intellectual stimulation via the internet and by watching videos or whatever the case may be, but watching a video of river rafting will never replace actually feeling the spray of the water on your face and feeling your tummy turn as you feel the waves drop underneath you.  We have to make sure as teachers, that we never allow the Cloud to replace life and life experience otherwise, the education we are passing out will only be a virtual one.

Victoria



References:


Edutopia Staff. (2014, March, 17).  Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many: There's a place for tech in every classroom. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction

Fish, M. (2011, Dec., 15).  Technology Integration – What does it really mean?. (Illustration #1) Retrieved from http://www.coetail.com/marypkfish/2011/12/15/technology-integration-what-does-it-really-mean/

Florida Center for for Instructional Technology College of Education. (2011).  The Technology
Integration Matrix. University of South Florida, Retrieved from: http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.php

Tedx Talks. (2012, Nov. 21).  A different way to think about technology in education: Greg Toppo at TEDxAshburn. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction