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Electronic Technologies in Teaching and Learning
Malcolm Salier
CEO Tasmanian Secondary Assessment Board
- Introduction
- The Value of Computers in Teaching and Learning
- Other Effects of Technology Rich Classrooms
- Summary
Introduction
During 1996 the author's task was to investigate and report to government on the use of electronic technologies in teaching and learning. Specifically, as a Senior Superintendent in Education, Mr Salier was asked to report requirements to keep Tasmania in the forefront of using technology in the classroom. The findings reported here are the culmination of a year of his research and visits to Australian States/Territories and to the United States.
Unlike other attempts at fundamental educational reform which have not endured, the introduction of electronic technology, if used in appropriate ways, changes teaching and learning dramatically and permanently. So much so that industries, educational consultants, school systems and Governments are now deliberately using the introduction of technology rich classrooms as a vehicle to `leverage' change to teaching methodology[1].
In Australia as well as the rest of the world, large sums of money are being invested in the introduction of technology. In Australia, States and Territories are committing themselves to providing schools with local area networks, Internet connections and to achieving student/computer ratios of 5:1. In doing this we are entitled to ask "What have computers to offer students and teachers and what will be the impact of such high levels of technology in the classroom?"
The Value of Computers in Teaching and Learning
Computers may be used in a variety of ways, some of which lead to valuable outcomes and some that do not. The research quoted here assumes computers are being used in appropriate ways to enhance student learning. The author is not talking about teaching about computers but using them as a tool to aid teaching and learning all elements of the curriculum.
Increasing the level of usage of computers in classrooms will:
- provide for essential computer literacy skills that will be required for students living in the 21st century;
- lead to improvement in student social skills, motivation, behaviour and attendance;
- enhance students' ability to learn how to learn and become self directed learners;
- improve student outcomes in all learning areas K-12; and
- lead to greater educational gains for less able students.
Equipping Students for the 21st Century
"If schools are expected to prepare today's students for life in the 21st century as successful, contributing members of a changing, information based global society, then technology must become an integral part of the curriculum, the physical environment and of teaching and learning. If schools are expected to produce an internationally competitive workforce then the use of the technology is essential to that mission."2
Technological literacy has thus become one of the new basics and a fundamental part of everyone's education. In a modern technological society `technological competency' is as important as literacy or numeracy. It is now a basic skill and must be recognised as such.
Electronic technologies are revolutionising the ways in which people work, play, learn, communicate and care for their health. They affect how business manufactures and distributes goods and services, how Governments operate and how schools educate young people.
Fluck[3] found that 42% of southern Tasmania secondary students had computers in their homes at least as powerful as those they used at school. Some 37 percent of US households have computers. The Australian[4] indicates that 34% of the computers in Australia are in the home while only 14% are in schools. Although the number of households connected to networks remains relatively small, it is growing rapidly. Computer networks are fast becoming the means for delivering all kinds of text, data, video, audio and graphical information.
Improvements in Social Skills
Research[5] shows that, when computers become available on demand, students:
- become more highly motivated and self directed;
- exhibit improved behaviour and attendance patterns;
- develop collaborative and cooperative skills; and
- become more socially aware and confident.
Regular use of computers for learning and teaching has also been shown to develop a range of student competencies. For example when students use technology in educationally challenging ways they learn to:
- communicate effectively about complex processes;
- recognise their area of expertise and share their expertise confidently;
- work effectively in teams and collaborate with others; and
- develop a positive orientation to the future.
Self Directed and Lifelong Learners
More than the ability to use the latest technology is at stake. Increasingly, employers say that the workplace of the future will require self directed learners who are independent, flexible, innovative, and able to solve complex problems. Also political and cultural life will, more than ever, require people to be able to find, sift, sort, and analyse vast amounts of information from diverse sources by using modern electronic technologies.
In the words of Frank Withrow[6], director of learning technologies for the Council of Chief State School Officers in the USA:
"In 1850, it took about 50 years to double the world's knowledge base, today, it takes only a little more than a year. The way we store, retrieve and use information is vastly different in the Information Age. We no longer need `knowers' we need `learners'".
Research[7] shows that computers can enhance student learning and play a major role in increasing motivation and supporting self-directed learning by allowing students to become independent learners and self-starters.
Researchers also point to the ability of computers to provide more relevant tasks based on challenging problems in more realistic contexts.[8] The ability of computers to provide a variety of different contexts is also well documented.
Improvement in Student Outcomes
Extensive research has been carried out on the effect of computers on student outcomes. This research shows that when computers are introduced into the classroom teaching strategies usually change. Although it is a moot point, improved student outcomes which are observed may be attributable the fact that teachers change the way they teach when a high level of technology is introduced rather than to the use of computers per se.
Capabilities and competencies lie at the heart of how students learn and go on learning throughout their lives. Electronic technologies are a most effective tool for developing personal, linguistic, rational, creative and kinaesthetic capabilities[9] in children. They are also an excellent tool for assisting in the development of general competencies such as collecting, analysing and organising information, communicating ideas and information, planning and organising activities, working with others and in teams, using mathematical ideas and techniques, solving problems, understanding technology and cultural understanding[10].
A great deal of research indicates that the use of computers in the classroom leads to an increase in performance in learning areas. In basic skills some studies[11] indicate that an improvement of 80% for reading and 90% for mathematics is possible, especially for low ability students. According to a 1995 review of more than 130 recent academic studies[12] using technology to support teaching improved student outcomes in the use of language, mathematics, social science, and science.
A summary of over 500 studies has been carried out to answer questions about the effectiveness of computer-based instruction. The following conclusions[13] emerge:
- students usually learn more in classes in which they receive computer-based instruction;
- students learn their lessons in less time with computer-based instruction;
- students also like their classes more when they receive computer
help in them;
and - students develop more positive attitudes toward computers when they receive help from them in school.
Research[14] also shows that, when computers become available on demand and are used in appropriate ways students:
- write more, more effectively, and more fluently;
- finish units of study more quickly than previously;
- explore and represent information dynamically and in many forms.
Educational Gains for Less Able Students
Research consistently finds that the use of computers is able to improve educational outcomes of less able students more than for more gifted ones. This appears to be due to several factors including the ability to provide more individualised tasks, the capacity for computers to allow students to work at their own pace and the capacity computers
Other Effects of Technology Rich Classrooms
Change in the Use of Knowledge
The most significant change to the role of teachers and that will impact heavily on curriculum and assessment agencies is the way that subject specific knowledge will be perceived. No longer will the teacher be the font of all knowledge. No longer will students be required to acquire a fixed and predefined quota of knowledge. Knowledge will become a commodity to be acquired when it is needed. With the explosion in the volume of knowledge and the every day ability to access vast stores of knowledge the real skills for students will become accessing, organising, interpreting and applying knowledge.
Typically, with the introduction of technology teachers move from being instructors and deliverers of knowledge to being coaches, mentors and guides in the learning process. Whether technology per se leads to changed student outcomes is a moot point. The fact is that the presence of computers has allowed the change in teaching methodology leading to those outcomes.
Increased Communication Skills
Possibly the greatest opportunity for students and teachers is the opportunity to use the communications potential of the new technology to enhance learning and teaching. Schools are now beginning to realise that technology offers the opportunity for:
- students to contact `experts' in almost any field;
- students to communicate with students in other classes anywhere in the world;
- students to study specially prepared units of work from elsewhere;
- establishing co-operative classrooms constituted from students throughout the world;
- co-operative foreign language learning with native speakers;
- participation in globally based special projects;
- formation of special interest groups; and
- a wide range of other innovative activities.
Summary
The longer term implications of the changes which the introduction of technology rich classrooms have not yet been realised by many teachers, school authorities, curriculum and assessment authorities. What is already coming is a fundamental change to the role of the teacher and the way in which knowledge is accessed. Along with this there will need to be a fundamental rethink about the structure of the curriculum and how it will be assessed. This rethink will lead to greater emphasis on more generic competencies, particularly those involved with information handling and communication.
Footnotes
[1] For example, 3-COM in California and Bolt Beranek and Newman in Massachusetts.
2 Global Access: Educational Technology, Instructional and Information Technology Office of the Associate Superintendent for Global Access Technology, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland on Internet http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/publishingservices/global_access.html
[3] Fluck, A, Master's Thesis, University of Tasmania, 1995
[4] Australian October 28-9 1995 page 8
[5] David, J.L. "Changing the Conversation About Teaching, Learning and Technology - A report on 10 Years of ACOT Research, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project, Apple Education 1996.
[6] Withrow, F, Internet http://www2.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/103195/info542_11.html
[7] David, J.L. "Changing the Conversation About Teaching, Learning and Technology - A report on 10 Years of ACOT Research, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project, Apple Education 1996
[8] Benton Foundation "Realizing (sic) the Benefits" KickStart Initiative on Internet http://www.benton.org/KickStart/kick.realizing.html
[9] Defined as `Capabilities' in Our Children - the Future, Tasmanian Department of Education and the Arts, 1991.
[10] Key Competencies as outlined by Mayer E., et al Report of the Committee to advise the AEC and MOVEET, Sep 1992
[11] Guerrero, J.F et al Honing in on the Target, Who Among the Educationally Disadvantaged Benefits Most from What CBI (Computer Based Instruction), Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 1990
[12] Bailo, Ellen R, and Jay Sivin Kachla Effectiveness of Technology in Schools between 1990 and 1994, Washington Software Publishers Assn, 1995.
[13] Kulik, James A., "Meta-Analytic Studies of Findings on Computer-based Instruction," in E. L. Baker, and H. F. O'Neil, Jr. (eds.), Technology Assessment in Education and Training, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence, Erlbaum, 1994.
[14] David, J.L. "Changing the Conversation About Teaching, Learning and Technology - A report on 10 Years of ACOT Research", Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project, Apple Education 1996.