What is the one thing about Educational Technology you will take with you from the course?

I learned that educational technology is a vast and ever changing field. It encompasses research, tinkering with technology, teaching, evaluation, business savvy, and the ability to deal with complicated social issues. As an academic librarian I’m used to dealing with all of these issues, but it seems so much more pumped-up, more in-your-face in ed tech. I think the rapid developments in technology and the evolution of instructional approaches has made this a field of constant change that has thus amplified all of the issues in the field. Just think of all of the issues school districts have with social networking applications, or the research opportunities that pop up every time a new tool is made available. Change is the only constant in this field and one’s success in educational technology depends greatly on a willingness to experiment and to accept failure as a path to success. This is no country for old men made of granite or cherubs too timid to step up to the plate and take a few swings.

New Twist on the Digital Divide

According to Wikipedia the Digital Divide is “the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it.” This gap can be socioeconomic, physical, generational, or just about anything else a social scientist can dream up.

While the Digital Divide issue has been connected with some of our society’s greater social problems we are beginning to see new and interesting gaps in the Digital Divide as our culture adapts to new technologies. An editorial in Teacher Librarian discusses the issue of some school districts blocking access to Web 2.0 tools on school/library computers. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have been banned to prevent cyber socializing. Even highly productive tools like Google Docs, blogs, Flickr, and wikis have been banned in some school districts.

School districts should not focus their energies on preventing students from using Web 2.0 tools. Rather, they should teach students how to effectively use these applications to make work more efficient and collaboration more effective. In a sense school districts that practice the banning of Web 2.0 tools have created a gap for their students and faculty in the great Digital Divide.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

Esther, Rosenfeld. "Blocking Web 2.0 tools in schools: creating a new digital divide." Editorial. Teacher Librarian 35.3 (2008): 6.

Memo to Stevens Point School District: The Digital Divide

The Digital Divide is the gap between those with the ability to utilize technology and those who do not. These gaps can be socioeconomic, physical, generational, cultural, or a result of censorship. In order to guarantee an equal and contemporary education to students in the Stevens Point School District we must establish a plan of action that will keep our students competitive. I have outlined six recommendations that will help the Stevens Point School District stay current in the Digital Age.

Recommendation #1: Self-Study
In order to find out where the Stevens Point School District stands in the Digital Divide we must first look within. A Self-Study Task Force should be formed in order to evaluate the technological offerings of the Stevens Point School District. Some questions that should be answered are:
• What is our technological presence? How many computers do we have per pupil?
• What is our technology budget? Where does the funding come from?
• How is technology integrated into the curriculum? Are students formally taught basic Web and computing skills?
• How are teachers using technology in the classroom? Is the use of Web 2.0 tools encouraged?
• Do we have teachers qualified to teach technology skills?

A good resource to generate ideas for a self-study is What Gets Measured Gets Done: A School Library Media and Technology Program Self-Study Workbook.

A good basic guide for a technology evaluation can be found at the National School Board Association Web site: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/enu.html

Recommendation #2: Environmental Scan
The next step in this process is to form a task force that will gather information and report on the teaching and utilization of technology in school districts with similar funding. The task force should select at least 5 school districts that are leaders in teaching technology. Districts selected for the Environmental Scan should be evaluated on the same criteria used to create the Self-Study report. The reports generated by the Environmental Scan Task Force should be similar in style and format to the Self Study report so that data can be easily compared. The NSBA has a good Web resource that explains the fundamentals of an environmental scan: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/ts.html

Recommendation #3: Visiting Experts
In order to gain a new perspective on where the Stevens Point School District stands, a small group of experts should be selected to conduct an evaluation of our teaching and utilization of technology. The Stevens Point School District should form a small committee to select and host the visiting group. The visiting group should consist of leaders in the field of Educational Technology. The visiting group should be asked to report on the strengths and weaknesses of the Stevens Point School Districts’ technology program and to make recommendations for improvement.

Recommendation #4: Comparison Report (SWOT Analysis)
After the completion of the Self-Study, Environmental Scan, and Visiting Group reports data from each report should be compared. A task force should be assigned to compare the data from each report and identify strengths and weaknesses in the teaching and utilization of technology in the Stevens Point School District. Wikipedia has a highly detailed explination of a SWOT analysis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis

Recommendation #5: Strategic Plan
Once strengths and weaknesses are identified a plan must be established in order to address problems and enhance strengths. A task force should be assigned with creating a list of specific goals and objectives that will address the weaknesses and compliment the strengths found in the Comparison Report. Each goal an objective should be assigned a deadline for successful completion and/or implementation. The overall completion of the Strategic Plan should be 5 years from the start of implementation. The Northwest Educational Technology Consortium has an excellent presentation that will help you get started on strategic planning: http://www.netc.org/planning/

Recommendation #6: Evaluation
In order to track the progress of the Strategic Plan two evaluations must be conducted. The first evaluation should occur at about 2 ½ years of implementation of the Strategic Plan. The last evaluation should occur at the end of the Strategic Plan. An evaluation committee should be formed to track the progress of the Strategic Plan and to revise goals and objectives as trends shift in educational technology. The National School Board Association provides some basic guidelines for evaluating a stratigic plan: http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/atp.html

As technology becomes more integral part of our culture it is extremely important to ensure that the students of the Stevens Point School District are as tech savvy as those in the most competitive school districts in the country. If steps are taken every 5 years to evaluate, compare, identify, and address strengths and weaknesses in our technological plan, the Stevens Point School District will remain competitive and quickly bridge gaps in the Digital Divide.

Trends

Educational Technology and the New Teaching Paradigm:

An interesting trend in education and Educational Technology is the shift from the traditional lecture style of teaching to a newer model that emphasizes project-based learning. In this new paradigm the instructor acts as a guide and facilitator; motivating students, challenging them with interesting problems, and guiding them towards an enlightened path. The prepared lecture is dropped and the instructor uses his expertise to enable students to solve problems or to gather and process information. In EDTECH 571 we are currently participating in this new teaching paradigm.

In his article Changing Paradigms, Marc Prensky explains how this new model engages the new generation of students more effectively than the traditional model. Prensky also believes that technology is vital to the success of the new paradigm and that technology will be easily and seamlessly integrated into the new model. Unfortunately the Prensky article is not available online but you can certainly get it through the library.

Prensky, Marc. "Changing Paradigms." Educational Technology: the Magazine for Managers of Change in Education July-August 2007: 64.

http://www.marcprensky.com/

Web 2.0 and Education:

It seems like talk about Web 2.0 and its potential in all levels of education is really heating up. Over the past few years education, library, and higher education journal and magazine articles have been calling for educators to integrate Web 2.0 tools into instruction. At the FETC 2008 conference Chris Dede (professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard) spoke about the future of education, the importance of using Web 2.0 tools in instruction, and establishing a more collaborative teaching paradigm. You can read a report on his speech at: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/21907

Though there is a great call to arms for educators skilled in Web 2.0 applications it seems like there is little direction for most teachers who practice more traditional methods of instruction. Dede acknowledges this point in his speech. If a trend towards a new collaborative, Web 2.0, instruction model is to take root educational institutions need to aggressively establish programs that will assist teachers and administrators in developing courses that foster collaborative learning and Web2.0 tools.

Definition Post/ Response to Reiser Articles

Reiser and Instructional Design



Reiser emphasizes the importance of instructional design as a major branch of Educational Technology. Through historical accounts he points out that in order for technology to be successfully utilized in a teaching and learning environment careful thought must be put into the role a particular technology plays. Reiser documents this well in Part 1: A History of Instructional Media when he discusses the use of television as an instructional technology fizzling out in the 1960’s as a result of uninspired, uncreative use.


I very strongly agree with Reiser’s argument. Companies like SMART technologies spend time and treasure developing and testing cutting-edge technologies for classroom use. While many of the tools offered by SMART and similar companies have potential for enhancing teaching and learning they are often ignored by teachers. In my own experience dozens of professors and librarians have admitted to me that they shy away from technologies like the SMART Board or Synchroneyes because it takes too much work to incorporate these tools into their lesson plans.

Educators must be willing to accept that with new technologies come new teaching techniques. Instructional designers are necessary to help teachers develop creative and effective ways to integrate cutting-edge technologies into the curriculum as well as their daily lesson plans.


Original Definition:

Educational Technology is the study and practice of developing and utilizing technology to enhance teaching and learning.


Revised Definition:
Educational Technology is the study and practice of creating, developing, evaluating, and managing technology that gives educators the opportunity to enhance teaching and learning. Educational technology also includes the implementation, design , and evaluation of the utilization of technology in education.