DISCUSSION QUESTION 2:

 

Take a 3 minute break to look at this "late breaking news broadcast."

While obviously a spoof - this broadcast does make one pause to consider. While moving full steam ahead trying to integrate technology into our educational daily lives, what will we (the world) do without these tools? Is this something we need to consider - possibly even plan for? In The Long Emergency, Kunstler posits that all advancements in civilization occurred solely because of the availability of cheap energy in the form of fossil fuel - that would be everything from abundant food supplies to the Internet - and all things between. We are shaping education to rely as much upon fossil fuel driven technologies as the rest of the world.

What does this have to do with emerging technologies in education?  You tell me. Discuss the increasing reliance on technology in education and whether this is a good thing - a bad thing - or somewhere in between.

 

Comments:

 

We had a disaster at my school the last week of school in May when both our backup server and server crashed within 24 hours of each other. All of our data that was housed locally disappeared. For most of us that meant, all lesson plans were gone forever, all letters of communication or reference information were lost, and many hours of hard work disappeared in a blink, I tried to focus everyone on the positives – change can be good, it will lead to new ways of doing things (since the old ways were lost), we all need a little refresher every now and then, …. But of course, the news was hard to take. Fortunately, the students’ data such as attendance and grades were not damaged since they were tied in to the district’s server downtown. That could have been an even worse thing.

 

We all feel lost at school on the days the internet is down. It just keeps us on our toes. Depending on the teacher, the loss of internet can be a HUGE thing or one of life’s little struggles. Switching to a paper attendance sheet can rattle many, while others are unbothered. Entering grades at a later date can anger some, while most are OK with waiting until later. The worst-case scenarios are planning an online activity on days of your evaluation and then discover there is not internet. Part of our career involves thinking on out feet and being very flexible! I think our reliance on the internet is both good and bad. One we have to adjust to as needed,

 

--Laura

 

It really helps, though, when the adminsitrator who is evaluating the teacher knows about technology glitches and can be sympathetic when that happens.  And - hopfully will know enough to really appreciate the skill of the teacher in jumping in and "going" with plan B. I think these types of things are one cause of teachers being reluctant to use technology. No one (sane, that is) enjoys looking bad.

 

--Janice

 

What a very frustrating thing it can be when your usual resources are all the sudden gone.  Thank goodness the student records weren't harmed, since that is how schools get their money.  However, you are right, part of our skill in teaching is thinking on our feet and being able to change our focus at a moments notice.  When using technology in the classroom, you will always need a backup, because inevitably something will go wrong. 

 

--Kelly

 

 

Absolutely right, Kelly. When I read Laura's example, the first thing that came to my mind was, "This wasn't a failure of technology, it was a failure of procedure." The first rule of computer use may be "Save often," but the second rule is, "Back up your own work." No one needed to lose more than a tiny fraction of their data from that crash.

 

--Marla

 

 

I can sympathize with you.  At our high school, computer teachers have labs that they need to tend to.  When the internet is down, for whatever the reason may be, some start getting uptight.  They do not have Plan B, therefore their students shut the computers down and there goes a wasted day.  No work, No Grades! Then these same teachers are complaining all month long as to why they are behind on their work.  If these teachers would only accept a little help from other teachers in their field and follow their lead, they would not have to hit the panic button.  The world does not end, at least in school, if the internet does not work. I agreed with you that “change” is good for everyone and everyone should have some kind of manual backup for these situations.

 

--Millie

 

I also had a scare at the shop; all our business is handled online and when we experienced bad weather all I could think about was "how was I going to charge people if the computer is shutting off?" In reality, I should have been getting the calculator out with the inventory list ready as my plan B. It just seems like if it can't be done the easy way, then it can't be done at all---which is not true!

 

-- Ruby

 

I found the video quite funny.  My initial thought were "Thats why my net is slow today. That guy is hogging my broadband. " On a serious note, technology has become integrated in our lives. That's not such a bad thing.  When it works, we are happy.  When it fails, we curse it out.  As a computer consultant, I have seen its affects on people.  I recall one client explaining how important the internet was to her.  "When times are tough and bills are due, the first two to get paid are the electricity and the internet. They can come and shut off my water and turn off my cable tv but they are not touching my internet service".  It may seem funny but it is true.  As we need to communicate to function, we feel lost when we can not make connections.  Many disruptive technologies encompass new ways for people and businesses to interact.  New ways of facilitating interactions for the purpose of learning will come in the future so there is no need to worry about current methods.  I am hoping for something like in "The Matrix" where they hook my brain up to a machine and download everything I need to know.

 

--Luis

 

Actually, I read that the matrix thing may never happen. Scientists are discovering that more is needed to create the synapses in the brain than just sticking the knowledge in there. But, who knows, maybe a computer will figure out how to do it and it will happen some day. I certainly understand the frustration of not having the Internet - we are scarily dependent upon it.  When/if mine is down, I keep wandering around wondering what to do.

 

--Janice

 

Luis, That sounds somewhat like me also.  The first bills that I pay each month are the cell phone, internet and rent.  I figure that I need to have a place to live and connect to the internet.  Then I need to call them if the internet does not work.  But seriously though, it seem that the more technology we hve the more addictive we are getting to technolggy.  Can you imagine if a "fire sale" -- as in live free or Die Hard -- were to happen.  What would society do other than panic?

 

-- Janie 

 

I have to admit, when I saw live free or die hard, Warlock was so like me.  We have had the power go out several times this year and everytime I kick myself for not buying a generator.  I need my Tivo and Internet.  Pay the ransom and give me back my internet.  I thought I read somewhere that they were building a second internet.  If it doesn't exist then it should. 

 

-- Luis

 

Luis, I don't know, with the SMART CHIP being used in computers, who's to say it won't happen? There was an article in one of my WIRED magazines about a man who was paralyzed that had a microchip implanted in his brain. He communicates to the computer thru his thoughts. I don't know if this is the same guy or not, but here is a similar article http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/47191.php. Maybe now we could think about paying our bills and it would happen online! Just don't think too much about it, you may cause on overdraft. Or what if your brain crashed? You know, like from a brain freeze from drinking a cold slush to fast. I tell you what, I won't be running microsoft vista in this head.

 

 

-- Jason

 

LOL - but scary, very scary!!

 

-- Janice

 

Jason, let me guess your brain would be running MAC OS X Leopard.  It would be nice to communicate with machines through thought.  I could send an email without typing.  On a side note, what do you think if we used a SMART CHIP to save all our memories?  Then we could put that chip in another body.  We could live forever. 

 

-- Luis

 

My older son (12 years) often searches You Tube for runescape spoofs, which he sees as funny.  However, he saw this clip with me and nearly panicked!  How could this happen?  What will I do all summer?  I can see where his generation (if they have computers at home) would feel real lost.  It will be interesting to see how dependent future generations get.  I laugh at my mother-in-law who still wants to pay her bills in person.  I recently started paying one or two bills online.  I wonder what my future daughters-in-law will laugh at me for.

 

--Laura

 

It is amazing how angry people get when their internet service is interupted....I'm guilty as well.  So many people are becoming more and more reliant upon these conveniences.  Phone book, who needs that I have the internet!  Pay a bill in person?  That's crazy talk!!  Many people prefer to do all their communication through email, I know I do.  I'm not big on talking on the phone.  It's the one technology that I never got that in to.  You can take my cell service, but please give me my internet.   

 

--Kelly

 

I am also guilty of that.  I pay all of my bills online except for one.  It is just easier than having to go to each place and pay them in person with the cost of gas these days.  At least, I know that I am not that bad, a friend of mine pays all of her bills on line, shops for clothes, shoes, purses and buy all of her christmas presents online.  I can not do that YET!

 

-- Janie

 

I thought this video could become reality because we are so dependent on technology.  It seems that everything that we do, we have to use some sort of technology.  But, as soon as there is not electricity and we are unable to use technolgoy then we tend to panic. I like being able to use my technological gadgets when I want to.  Since technology will only incease in the future, our computers will be faster and smaller in size.

 

-- Janie

 

 

Millie,

I totally agree.  When technology doesn't work, it is a crisis.  When your wimba didn't work, we all felt your pain.  For me, it was like your computer was having a medical emergency and I wanted to be there to perform CPR (mouth to mouse).  Computers are becoming a natural extension of ourselves.  If you watch Star Trek, we are becoming more Borg like.

 

--Luis

 

 

I often hear adults say: "We have to use computers in the schools as much as possible, to prepare children for their future roles in the workplace," without any evidence that the assumptions underlying these statements are true. Such statements might be "common sense," but they might also be "common ignorance." Essentially, dogma like this is centered on the fears of the parents, rather than the needs of the children.

 

The "Alliance for Childhood" believes that introducing children to too much technology at too young an age can even be harmful. Summaries of their research can be found here (http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/). They make some excellent points: computer use among children can contribute to eyestrain, repetitive stress injury and obesity (an epidemic problem in the United States). In addition, computer use is isolationist, and does not promote healthy moral and social development. And the critiques I have read of their position online invariably start, "Yes, but..." as if to say that the Alliance is correct, but that the health of our children is a secondary concern.

 

The wii may change the lack of exercise when "hooked" up. Sort of like DDR has. I know if there was a holodeck around right now, I would feel safer sending a child to play in that then outside in the world exposed to...well, whatever.  Sad to say - but in many  places, the world is not a very safe place for kids. Has the alliance addressed that, yet? Of course there would be all sorts of problems with that, too. Can you imagine what it would be like to be immersed in the Looney Toons instead of just watching them? 

 

-- Janice

 

I am not sure I really understand what you are saying here. Are you really suggesting that unless the Alliance can solve all of America's social problems, they shouldn't take a stand on technology? I disagree.

 

--Marla

 

Definitely not - all issues should be explored so that we may be able to come up with solutions. My comment is more of a reflection of my ambiguity toward technology than anything else. It is all so cool - BUT... We need to think carefully about how dependent we do become on technology. The other day I saw someone walking around with that little bluetooth receiver on her ear - and I thought - like Luis' comment above - how Borg like we are becoming. Then, with the computer chips in the brain that Jason was talking about - well, if we can download to them - can't they upload to us? Shades of the Terminator - I wonder?  On the other hand, the world of collaboration that all this connectivity opens up is phenomenal. The instant ability to access so much information - is just so - well, cool. Yet, with every argument for technology, I can find an argument against. So, I waffle sometimes/often/daily??? I was just curious if the Alliance had come up with any solutions or suggestions for making playtime safer for children. I know I was anxious when my son was a toddler 20 years ago - and the world today has not become any safer for kids these days. So, I can see why parents may prefer wii to the great outdoors.

 

-- Janice

 

Most of the books I have been reading about video games and especially the millenial generation debunks the whole computers not being being healthy for moral and social development. Because of this new age of technology, social development has just changed from what we are used to. In video games such as World of Warcraft, you have all ages and genders socially connected through a game. James Paul Gee writes a lot about the influence of social networks on the learning of children, especially in games. He claims games has a better grasp on this than do most educational institutions that can actually deter children from seeking out social groups that could aid in education. Read his book, What Video Games Have to Teach Us Abouth Literacy and Learning. It's awesome! The millenial generation is not only the most technical generation that has existed, they are the most connected. Through IM, Myspace, Notebook and the likes, these are simply new forms of social development. And before someone pulls out the mature violence factors in games, the ESA reports that "Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2006 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10+" for Everyone 10+."

 

-- Jason

 

 

 

 

When you take into account the fact that computers need to be replaced every four years or so (in order to enable them to run the latest software), they are perhaps the single most expensive tool a school can purchase for its students. By way of comparison, Sorobon (http://soroban.com/index_eng.html) is the most popular math-centered tutoring program in Japan. The word "soroban" means "abacus," and here a child can get one at a "100 yen store" for less than a dollar. In fact, I recently toured a top "math and science" high school in Okinawa and did not see a single computer in any classroom.

 

This is not to say that I oppose teaching children computer skills. My five-year old daughter uses the computer on a regular basis, and it appears to be a tool that helps her learn. But is it better than the Kumon books she uses daily? I doubt it. And there are things that pencil and paper can do that a computer can't, like improve her handwriting. People's fear for their children's future is understandable, but they focus on computer technology as a "magic pill" to make their kids smarter. There is no such thing.

 

It's my opinion that the approach to technology in the schools today is primarily a cosmetic solution to a systemic problem. It's like giving a dying person a facelift. There are very real problems with our educational institutions, and even with our philisophical and psychological approaches to education in the United States. Teaching children to use computers is probably a good thing, but it is not going to make these problems go away.

 

--Marla Kimmel

 

No, it sure isn't.  I think that the hope in technology is that it will change the face of education. So far, except in isolated instances with a few innovative teachers, things in education are largely the same. Instead of writing the notes on the board, we are writing the notes on the Smart Board - in other words, using technology to teach the same way we always have. As you described, Marla, "a cosmetic solution to a systemic problem." Frustrating, to be sure. But, so far, I am not ready to  give up.

 

--Janice

 

 

Marla, you are correct, the use of technology in many schools seems to be an attempt to "cosmetically" cover educational blemishes. I really get inspired by the folks at MIT and wish more schools had the type of funding they have to explore the innovative ideas of technology for education. MIT also has instructors and students passionate about what they do, and that makes a big difference too. I think it would be great if schools would share some of these great ideas or technology to help out, at least, neighboring schools. That way you have educational institutions working together, sort of mentoring others along into technology. I just touched based with the gentleman that oversaw the team that put together the college video game called Econ 201 (http://econ201.uncg.edu/dcl/econ201/). It was an 18 month project that just seems incredible.

 

 

-- Jason

 

We looked at children's health issues in another class I had this summer.  I think the question is still open if there will be long-term damage or not. The Alliance didn't have a lot of current health research anymore and was moving on to other concerns.

 

--Laura

 

 

Laura, I wouldn't say that the Alliance for Childhood is going in a new direction. They are focusing now on re-integrating play into the curriculum (because technology training has pushed it aside). I'd imagine that the Alliance realized that people have such an ego attachment to their technology that they aren't able to entertain even a well-reasoned critique of it. I think this is true of any field: people with a "shaky" sense of identity become knowledgeable in a field, and their specialized knowledge gives them the illusion that they are somehow above "ordinary" people (i.e., they attribute their superior skills to having superior intelligence). This is especially true of computer-savvy people, who often speak of people who don't share their particular attachment as if they had missed a stage of human evolution. In any case, I'm certain the Alliance's critique of technology fell upon deaf ears, and so they decided it was better to highlight the positive aspects of play, instead.

 

--Marla

 

 

Technology integrated lessons should be well thought out; it's more than just putting a computer in front of a child.  We have also discussed in other classes the right timing to introduce technology to kids.  I've heard as early as 2, and I've also heard the negative effects mentioned above by Janice.  I have a 2 year old, and I just don't see her immersed on a computer doing lessons just yet.  Marla made a good point about the paper and pencil teaching things that computers can't; particulary handwriting skills (coordination). I know that my daughter is practicing these skills on our walls for now; perhaps I should get her a palm pilot??

 

--Ruby