Has technology changed schools?Technology has long been a part of life in schools. From chalkboards to duplicating machines to filmstrip projectors and videodisc players, a stream of technological innovations has made its way into the classroom. Although technology does influence schools, historically it has had only modest impact on education. How does television affect children?While television holds great educational promise, with high-quality programming such as Sesame Street, much of television fare is, at best, unproductive and, at worst, damaging. The worldview presented through the TV lens is quite distorted, leaving viewers with an image of a society populated mostly by males, with few young children, and replete with ethnic and racial stereotypes. Violence, racism, and sexism on television send negative messages to children. Advertising, often targeted at young viewers, adversely influences children's behavior, including their diets and spending habits. While viewing television at home creates one set of questions, bringing television into the classroom raises other issues. How much television, and what kind of television, is worth class time? The growth of cable channels, such as C-SPAN, A and E, and The History Channel, offers new media learning opportunities. The growth of video libraries provides additional resources. The introduction of Channel One, a for-profit enterprise that brings current events and commercials into classrooms, raises questions about the role of commercial television in public schools. Why is computer technology difficult to implement in schools?The latest technological innovation in education has been computers and Internet access. But implementation has been expensive. The costs of computer hardware and software purchases and the expense of wiring schools for Internet access have eaten into school budgets. By 2000, virtually all schools were connected to the Internet, although schools in poorer communities have fewer classrooms connected. Training teachers to use computers has also been challenging. While some teachers adapt easily to the new technology, others resist, and some suffer from technophobia, a fear of technology. Teachers go through several stages of"computer evolution," from entry level to invention, where they explore new and exciting computer uses. Contrast teacher fears with the computer knowledge and skills that many students bring to school, and a technological age gap is obvious. Some teachers still have a healthy distrust of whether computers will in fact make a difference. How can teachers effectively use computers and the Internet?There are numerous educational applications of computers and the Internet, but these applications should be considered in light of our knowledge of effective teaching. Technology should be implemented with a clear purpose and in an appropriate context. Hardware, software, and websites can tie into many of the effective teaching strategies discussed in this text, including multiple intelligences, problem-based and cooperative learning, and direct and deep teaching, to name but a few. Virtual field trips take students around the world, online learning activities can create fascinating learning communities, simulations add increased realism, personal tutors diagnose learning needs, and distance learning brings education directly into the home, suggesting only a few of the advantages technology offers educators. Assistive or adaptive technology helps special needs students succeed in school. Technology raises some serious concerns for teachers, including monitoring the material that comes in on the Internet, avoiding some of the health risks of computers, and teaching students to detect and mediate the stereotypes and violence that are so much a part of software and Internet resources. In what ways does global education refocus the curriculum?Global education investigates world topics that span national borders, including such issues as conflict reduction and ecology. Global education is a growing curricular phenomenon, thanks in part to the Internet. Websites now available to students focus on international issues from child labor and animal migration to confronting intolerance and racism. How is teaching redefined in the virtual high school?The Virtual High School demonstrates the potential of technology to alter the way students learn and the way teachers teach. It enables students from around the nation, and around the world, to register for courses not available in their local high schools, and for teachers to teach a wider variety of courses. Through the use of the Internet, e-mail, and other technological tools, students and teachers in different geographic areas can work together in the same class. Virtual teaching uses many effective teaching practices, yet it is quite different from traditional classroom instruction. Virtual teaching offers tomorrow's teachers another type of instructional career, a role that may increase in the years ahead. Does technology exacerbate racial, class, geographic, and gender divisions?Technology has not been an equal opportunity educational resource. Inequity continues to be a major problem as race, gender, and economic status influence access to computers and the Internet. Wealthier Americans, especially Asian and white males, are the most likely to use computers in school, and the most likely to realize salary benefits from that involvement after graduation. Rural America lags behind in getting connected to the Internet. On the world scene, non-English speaking nations, as well as poorer nations, also trail behind in technological connections and educational innovations in this computer age. |