98. When a Teacher Quits Learning

I might step on some toes with this posting.  But I think it needs to be said.  When teachers at any level -- elementary, secondary, college, post-graduate -- decide that they don't do technology (either because they feel they can't or because they simply won't) what does this communicate to our students?

One of Taylor University's educational goals is to help students become "lifelong learners".  I would venture that most institutions of higher education have this goal stated somewhere in their literature.  If we as educators steer clear of the very arena where much of the progress is being made today, i.e. technological tools, how can we claim to be models of lifelong learning?

I quote again from Will Richardson's book:

"Whereas students are open to the ways of new technologies, schools by and large are not.  Howard Rheingold, author of Smart Mobs, says, 'I make a basic distinction (one that I think is widening) between education and schooling: people, especially young people, continue to learn -- and to adopt new media -- but institutions, and those who run them, are much slower to change their ways" (Rheingold, 2004). All of this paints the picture of an educational system that is out of touch with the ways its students learn."

"The good news, however, is that the tools discussed in this book have just as much chance of closing this gap as widening it.  The reason is because by their very nature, they are relatively easy for anyone ... to employ in the classroom."

Ten years ago the technology tools were admittedly difficult to use.  Scanners were expensive and quirky. One had to master HTML to post content to the web.  But the landscape has changed.  A good scanner costs $90 and can be accessed directly from Word or PowerPoint.  Content can now be easily posted to the web through tools such as Blackboard or a blog.  Easy-to-use tools are readily available to facilitate classroom engagement (TurningPoint) or to help students master factual content (StudyMate) or to help students collaborate on group projects (Campus Pack Teams LX or Writely).

Yes, it takes a level of commitment to learn to use these technologies.  Most of us are not "digital natives", to use the term coined by Marc Prensky.  We are "digital immigrants" who, no matter how hard we work at it, will always retain something of an accent.  But, in the same way that Filipinos appreciated me trying to speak to them in Tagalog, today's students will appreciate any effort we make to communicate with them using their digital tools.  And in the process we will model for them what it means to be a lifelong learner.

Comments

[Andy Rowell]

Yes but . . .

Not all technology is good and I think some people smell the fact that this new technology (whatever it is) is not going to improve their life (or their teaching).

Neil Postman, the late great non-Christian prophet of technology, said the question to ask of technology is:
"What problem am I trying to solve?" If the fans of that technology cannot give us a satisfactory answer, then it is probably a technology that we can ignore. That is wisdom.

Postman for example complained that power windows on cars didn't "solve" a significant problem. "What was wrong with rolling up the windows and you didn't have to have the car on?" Postman asked. :-)

Many of us waste lots of time exploring new technologies and our quality of life suffers in the process. There is something to 1-on-1 conversations with people or having dinner with people that beats all technologies.

Bottom line for me:
We need to talk with one another about what technologies are truly significant and helpful. Those of us who are experimenters and pioneers like Gary and I need to shoot straight and be honest about the real benefits of a few technologies.

We also need to be honest about the technologies that we have tried that do not significantly improve life and teaching.

Let's have good 1 on 1 conversations in person about that.

[Philip Kay]

Andy,

I hear your point, but it is also interesting how a specific technology for one individual solves no problems, but for another it is a great advantage.

To use the power window example: sure now I can't roll my window when the power is off, but as a parent of small children, I as a driver now have control over the window rolling in the back seat. For their protection and comfort, I can have the window up or down without pulling the car over. That technology solved a problem for me.

I think the key is the conversation on technology's use. We need to be open to how technology can help not only ourselves, but those around us. Being open to that possibility is important, and I think that's where it gets frustrating when people (teachers perhaps specifically) fail to see the opportunity that technology brings to connect with students.

I'm really enjoying this blog because Gary is poking around the technology and is not just saying, "Wow, this is cool!" He's looking at ways to encourage a connection with students (who use the technology readily) in order to facilitate learning. Great stuff, Gary.

[Jeff Cramer]

I think it is very important to never talk about educational technology without also talking about pedagogy. Using technology in the classroom will never help anyone learn unless the class is designed with objectives in mind. If there is a technology available that helps students meet those objectives (either more effectively, or more efficiently) then we should be using it. What I don't want to see is the use of technology just because it fits the latest fad...i.e. I don't see podcasts going anywhere these days.
We should also be very careful about what we are allowing our students to do. One of my favorite tech (wary of tech) heros is Jacques Ellul, right up there with Neil Postman! I think they would like to know if, for example, using writely actually is a good way to collaborate with a group of people while writing something. On Taylor's campus I can't imagine having students using writely when they all live less than a hundred yards from each other. Perhaps using writely while sitting in the same room together might be a better alternative?
I'm rambling here, but I guess for me I can't justify any technology unless I can answer the question, "What problem is being solved by using this technology?"
BTW for anyone that doesn't know me, my area is educational technology...and I do believe there are many technologies that can aid in our classroom learning objectives. Let's just be able to justify them to ourselves and our students.

[Joe]

I think the main thing that is taught by using a lot of new technology is that new technology is really cool. That may or may not be case, depending upon the technology, the course material, and the educational goal. One problem in the present university climate is that the technology voice has almost unlimited access to resources and to proclaiming its gospel. When other voices object, they are stereotyped as backwards looking, lazy, or not cool.

[Jay Hochstetler]

I have appreciated Gary's journey and his willingness to take us along without extra charge. I can benefit from the time he is taking to explore these technology issues.

I always was a technology junkie, until the past few years. During the recent years, I have found myself too busy to explore many new technologies and I have also become a little complacent about them. I need to know how I can use these new technologies to solve a specific problem. And the specific problem is one that has been around for years: how do we as teachers really engage our students and draw them into the subject matter? How do we get them involved and not just passive receptors of our discourses?

I am really looking forward to finding out how I can do better...I am just hoping I can find the time to really do it right!

[Angie]

As a former middle school teacher and an adjunct professor here at Taylor Fall 2001 - Spring 2006, I just wanted to share a theme that I constantly stressed for my students: technology is a tool. It can be a very effective and engaging tool, but it won't compensate for lackluster lesson planning. Rather, it can enhance a good lesson. Different students learn in different ways, and if you can find a way to truly engage some using a particular tool, go for it! I remember in 1995, the middle school where I taught had a technology class for every teacher one afternoon each week, and we tried to use new things with our classes throughout the semester. We were to take one thing from one of the inservices and find a way it could be incorporated with a lesson we were already going to teach, *enhancing* the lesson. This was the first time I ever used PowerPoint, the first time I created a graph with data in Excel... and these tasks helped improve my lessons, for me and for my students. Things like this would be old hat for these students a decade later, but this is a technical generation, and practical ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum really can help make a lesson connect with a student who is a Millennial+.

As an adjunct professor for 5 years, teaching "Computers in Educational Settings," it was fascinating to watch as not only technology changed, but as the student population changed along with it. In Fall 2001, students had never heard of wireless connectivity of computers (neither had most folks), and I first heard of blogs three years ago (at least by name - I had seen web journals before then). If students had a computer in their dorm rooms (I think about 80% had their own computers, but likely less), they had desktop machines. Today, that number would near 99%, a majority of students bring laptops/notebooks with wireless connectivity, and cell phones are just plain normal (not that most work in Upland).

So we need to come to terms with the fact that generations do change - dramatically. This doesn't mean that information itself changes, but as the learners change, teachers will need to adapt so that the information still strikes a chord with today's students.

Thanks for giving us food for thought, Gary!

[Phil Kay]

Joe,

I'm a technology guy by trade but came to it by way of being a Registrar first. Just to give the background of where I'm coming from.

I found your point "One problem in the present university climate is that the technology voice has almost unlimited access to resources and to proclaiming its gospel" to be very interesting. I think it helps prove a point.

I don't have 'unlimited resources' at my disposal. In fact, I make due with spending as little as possible by utilizing free software and technology wherever I can. What's interesting though, is that I can use that free software to get a message out that people hear.

Gary has created a blog (at no cost) and has created an atmosphere of learning. The irony is interesting, we're discussing the merits of technology using the very technology in the discussion. Those of us that are reluctant to use technology (I don't own a cell phone or a blackberry), still need to see how others use it and how can it bring about opportunities not otherwise afforded us.

I'm in Toronto and I love the fact that I can have this discussion with Taylor professors. What the technology loses is the ability to depict tone. Emoticons don't quite do it. Telephone conversations can't even quite cover it. That's the next big hurdle for true discussion in an online world.

[Matsu]

Gary, good blog post. I have seen some of the same attitudes that you challenge us to guard against... like the attitude that "I don't have to learn anything new."

Two follow-up thoughts I wish to share. First, not all learning takes place in the classroom. Technology, if used well, can provide opportunities for instruction and learning outside of the classroom. In fact, learning collaborative technologies, like blogs and wikis might help a faculty member engage in discussion with students either on the faculty member's blog or the student's blog.

Finally, I have seen I.T. professionals (in higher education) fall into the trap of assuming that others (faculty, staff or students) won't or can't learn, so they suggest it's not worth using some new technology. I have had to remind people that one of the basic assumptions of higher education is that people can learn new things. So, it cuts both ways. We (I.T. professionals) should not underestimate what people can learn and at the same time, we should all actively work towards being what we challenge others to be -- life long learners.

Thanks for a challenging post to make us consider our own behavior and attitudes.