How will digital technology impact schools?
May 26, 2017 3:55 AM Subscribe
I'm really interested in how educational technology will transform schools - help me find out more about this!
As a self-motivated adult learner, I've learnt a lot over the last 10 years using MOOC-style online resources. It's pretty clear to me that, given time, they will completely transform adult/college education. However, I'm really curious as to what impact digital technology should have on education for kids, who are not always so motivated.
We've all heard of Sal Kahn's 'flipped classroom' idea, and school's where all the kids have been given an iPad. Where are the resources where I can see these theories being tested out and refined in practice? I've seen some debate on this, but not as much as I would like, and not a lot seemingly informed by actual evidence/experimentation.
My wife is a high school teacher, and apart from the addition of a few Youtube videos she pretty much teaches in the same way that someone would have done 10/30/80 years ago. Is that right, or should she be embracing all new digital tools?
I'm not looking for an answer on this, but some interesting resources to help me access the debate. In particular:
- books
- podcasts
- people to follow on twitter
- videos
- blogs
Thanks!
As a self-motivated adult learner, I've learnt a lot over the last 10 years using MOOC-style online resources. It's pretty clear to me that, given time, they will completely transform adult/college education. However, I'm really curious as to what impact digital technology should have on education for kids, who are not always so motivated.
We've all heard of Sal Kahn's 'flipped classroom' idea, and school's where all the kids have been given an iPad. Where are the resources where I can see these theories being tested out and refined in practice? I've seen some debate on this, but not as much as I would like, and not a lot seemingly informed by actual evidence/experimentation.
My wife is a high school teacher, and apart from the addition of a few Youtube videos she pretty much teaches in the same way that someone would have done 10/30/80 years ago. Is that right, or should she be embracing all new digital tools?
I'm not looking for an answer on this, but some interesting resources to help me access the debate. In particular:
- books
- podcasts
- people to follow on twitter
- videos
- blogs
Thanks!
Educational Technology blog - "The Educational Technology blog has been published daily since 2002. It is intended to provide a scholarly chronicle of the development of the technology, pedagogy and practice of using technology to enhance learning at all levels of education in the U.S. and elsewhere."
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:53 AM on May 26, 2017
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:53 AM on May 26, 2017
Andrew Douch is an Australian teacher who blogs about technology in education. His key quote is "you don't have to be very good with technology to do very good things with technology".
An interesting take on the time required for technology: https://andrewdouch.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/teacher-i-dont-have-time-to-use-technology-in-my-teaching/
(I did a professional development day run by him a few years ago.)
posted by freethefeet at 5:53 AM on May 26, 2017
An interesting take on the time required for technology: https://andrewdouch.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/teacher-i-dont-have-time-to-use-technology-in-my-teaching/
(I did a professional development day run by him a few years ago.)
posted by freethefeet at 5:53 AM on May 26, 2017
"How will digital technology impact schools?"
Much less then you expect. And people who believe that a "robot" or "online learning" will replace traditional schools (at least high schools etc.) has never taught a class in a high school.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 6:08 AM on May 26, 2017
Much less then you expect. And people who believe that a "robot" or "online learning" will replace traditional schools (at least high schools etc.) has never taught a class in a high school.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 6:08 AM on May 26, 2017
The End of College; for an overview, you can listen to a Fresh Air interview
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:18 AM on May 26, 2017
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:18 AM on May 26, 2017
Hello, I am an instructional technologist.
I'd really encourage you to seek out research in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Educational improvement programs are notoriously ill-researched and many, many people who should absolutely know better just talk out of their asses an alarming amount of the time.
"How will digital technology impact schools?"
Much less then you expect.
I agree with this. Especially with so much of it being implemented so poorly (and in super shady partnerships with for-profit corporations), it's two steps forward, one and a half steps back most of the time.
Keep in mind as well that not all student populations are the same. A lot of the pilot programs that you will find being talked about are carried out in high-socioeconomic-status schools. Whatever effects, if any, that are measured in those classrooms may or may not carry over to different student demographics.
I think your wife should teach in whatever way gets her results in the form of student learning and achievement. Just the use of YouTube videos by themselves represents a massive step up from the way it used to be (I remember when I was teaching high school English and wanted to show my students portions of the excellent documentary series The Story of English and I had to go to the nearest academic library, order the tapes on inter-library loan, wait for them to come in, bring them up to the school and use a video editing station to create a copy tape that just had the bits that I wanted to show. That series is on YouTube now and I could just bookmark the bits I wanted to show.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:30 AM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'd really encourage you to seek out research in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Educational improvement programs are notoriously ill-researched and many, many people who should absolutely know better just talk out of their asses an alarming amount of the time.
"How will digital technology impact schools?"
Much less then you expect.
I agree with this. Especially with so much of it being implemented so poorly (and in super shady partnerships with for-profit corporations), it's two steps forward, one and a half steps back most of the time.
Keep in mind as well that not all student populations are the same. A lot of the pilot programs that you will find being talked about are carried out in high-socioeconomic-status schools. Whatever effects, if any, that are measured in those classrooms may or may not carry over to different student demographics.
I think your wife should teach in whatever way gets her results in the form of student learning and achievement. Just the use of YouTube videos by themselves represents a massive step up from the way it used to be (I remember when I was teaching high school English and wanted to show my students portions of the excellent documentary series The Story of English and I had to go to the nearest academic library, order the tapes on inter-library loan, wait for them to come in, bring them up to the school and use a video editing station to create a copy tape that just had the bits that I wanted to show. That series is on YouTube now and I could just bookmark the bits I wanted to show.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:30 AM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Basically, an enormous rip off of surveillance, data harvesting, hardware sales, false promises, strongarming of brand loyalty out of children, and other feel good liberal tech snake oil. It's a monetizing and undermining of public ed that is already well underway, and that Silicon Valley companies are already furiously beating one another over the head over. The NYT's recent How Google Took Over the Classroom is one good window on this.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:01 AM on May 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by ryanshepard at 7:01 AM on May 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Co-signing the recommendation for Audrey Watters' Hack Education.
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:26 PM on May 26, 2017
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:26 PM on May 26, 2017
The classroom has been changed a lot by the same technologies that have affected life outside the classroom. Film strips have been replaced by PowerPoint and video. the mimeograph machine has been replaced by the photocopier. Blackboard have been replaced by whiteboards. Email and on-line group sites have facilitated communication between student and teacher.
Science classes, especially physics, have been changed by electronic measurement and control devices. In biology classes, dissections can be done on computers (boo!) accommodating the anti-dissection crowd.
There have also been changes in what needs to be taught. Books with tables of logarithms have been replaced by calculators, saving about a week of instruction time. Whole topics (e.g. elliptic integrals) which were important for calculating results by hand have been abandoned.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:30 PM on May 26, 2017
Science classes, especially physics, have been changed by electronic measurement and control devices. In biology classes, dissections can be done on computers (boo!) accommodating the anti-dissection crowd.
There have also been changes in what needs to be taught. Books with tables of logarithms have been replaced by calculators, saving about a week of instruction time. Whole topics (e.g. elliptic integrals) which were important for calculating results by hand have been abandoned.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:30 PM on May 26, 2017
Best answer: Also this book just came out
Disruptive Fixation: School Reform and the Pitfalls of Techno-Idealism
posted by spamandkimchi at 2:47 PM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Disruptive Fixation: School Reform and the Pitfalls of Techno-Idealism
posted by spamandkimchi at 2:47 PM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Digital technology will certainly impact schooling from the educators' side (multimedia, apps, tablets, etc.), but it will impact schooling far, far more from the students' side, as their attention is further and further pulled by the entertainment/socializing/information/communication devices in their pockets.
No tech has affected education as much as the cell phone in recent years, and as almost any teacher will tell you, its impact has been terrible.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:24 AM on May 27, 2017
No tech has affected education as much as the cell phone in recent years, and as almost any teacher will tell you, its impact has been terrible.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:24 AM on May 27, 2017
Some things to consider while learning about more recent digital technology in the classroom: are the systems and solutions proposed by technologists, or teachers? As others have noted, some technological solutions seem to benefit the corporations more than the classrooms, or at least end up being a solution in search of a problem.
Then there's the practical implementation and support aspects: even if a great tool is available and affordable, if it isn't 1) rolled out well, 2) supported in the classroom, 3) worked into classroom plans, and 4) isn't retained long enough to become another part of the normal classroom, the best tool of any sort will fail to improve the classroom.
And going back a few more steps, these tools aren't too helpful when the teacher can't manage the classroom, or isn't interested in utilizing the tools to their full potential.
Classroom improvements can come from many fronts, and while technology can be attractive, it's only part of the larger education system. Just like new curriculum, new tools need to be integrated in at all levels of the school, from the education down and the classrooms up.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:57 PM on May 29, 2017
Then there's the practical implementation and support aspects: even if a great tool is available and affordable, if it isn't 1) rolled out well, 2) supported in the classroom, 3) worked into classroom plans, and 4) isn't retained long enough to become another part of the normal classroom, the best tool of any sort will fail to improve the classroom.
And going back a few more steps, these tools aren't too helpful when the teacher can't manage the classroom, or isn't interested in utilizing the tools to their full potential.
Classroom improvements can come from many fronts, and while technology can be attractive, it's only part of the larger education system. Just like new curriculum, new tools need to be integrated in at all levels of the school, from the education down and the classrooms up.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:57 PM on May 29, 2017
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posted by kariebookish at 4:04 AM on May 26, 2017