Mediacy Articles – Volume 17, No. 2
A computer on the desk of every student is thought by some to be the ultimate implementation of technology in schools. For some teachers, however, the thought of having to learn one more thing, especially at the complexity level of computers, is a source of stress.
The use of computers for education is a topic wrought with unrealistic expectations. It is a topic of concern to both teachers and parents. Teachers must ensure their students are receiving the best education possible and increasingly regard computer use as an essential avenue toward that goal. Parents, likewise, want to ensure that their children receive adequate and appropriate access to computers both at school and at home. High expectations exist in regard to the potential of computers in education. But how they should be used and what the educational outcomes should be is widely interpreted.
Computers began appearing in our schools, essentially, in the late '70s or early '80s. This means that computers have been around for most, if not all, of the lives of our students. For adults, on the other hand, computers are still a novelty and often worrisome. Recall the arrival of the automated banking machine. Remember the aggravation of standing behind the person utterly in awe of the machine, convinced they could lose their savings if they pressed the wrong sequence of buttons. Remember thinking that you could have taken out a second mortgage in the time the unfortunate technophobe completed the painfully explicit instructions appearing on the monitor. Line-ups due to this phenomenon have not quite disappeared but for the most part, people have become accustomed to the technology or have simply opted for their preferred mode of financial transaction which involves dealing with a human teller.
In education, the awe and fear of the computer is ever-present with adults. Children do not seem to share those emotions. For them, technology is a normal part of life and always has been. In the average child's home, there is a computer that is used for at least one thing besides a word processor.
The home computer may or may not be a source of interest, depending on what the children are permitted to do with it. But technology, with children, is not feared nor is it a preoccupation. It is valued when it accomplishes a goal; if it entertains; if it constructs; if it is connected to something real; if it connects in some way to other people. A computer, like a referee in hockey, does its job best when you hardly notice it. It becomes transparent when focussing on the task for which it is being used to complete.
Some may believe that the mere presence of a personal computer in the home or in the classroom results in better educational performance by students. We may even include the top 10 scholastic software picks. For people who believe in the quick and easy route to computerized education, there is some bad news.
A computer, on its own, cannot teach, manage students, make curriculum decisions, promote exploration or enrichment, overcome learning disabilities, overcome physical disabilities, improve communication, build social skills, individualize learning or revolutionize the way in which children learn. These are all global learning goals that we have always pursued.
The computer, in some instances, may be incorporated as a tool in activities that move incrementally toward these learning outcomes but cannot provide the primary pathway. That is the job of teachers, peers and family. It is unrealistic to presume that there are computer software packages capable of independently providing learning of anything meaningful. Meaningful learning occurs when a student connects with the environment or society. Certainly the computer can be involved in the process but only as an instrument, in conjunction with other instruments, controlled by students, teachers and parents. All instruments of learning are secondary to the learning activity and often can be replaced by other devices to accomplish the same tasks. Clearly, some tools are more appropriate than others for each situation.
Reprinted from The Computer Paper Ontario Edition April '94