I think that we have a major failing
to understand what exactly technology is and what it means to us as educators,
as well as what it means to our society at large. I keep seeing discussions of
technology as if it were an extraneous element that is being forced in to the curriculum.
The very definition of technology should impede this reading of tech’s place in
our schools. Merriam-Webster’s definitions are:
1a : the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area : engineering 2 <medical technology>b : a
capability given by the practical application
of knowledge <a car's fuel-saving technology>
2: a manner of accomplishing a task
especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge <new technologies for
information storage>
3: the
specialized aspects of a particular field of endeavor<educational technology>
When you look at these definitions,
what you see are references to practicality and ways of
doing things. The definition doesn’t include “any of the variety of electronics
or social-media websites available or popular at the moment”. Books are
technology. Pens are technology. Whiteboards are technology. Masking tape is
technology. Each has a specific use, and when that proscribed use is deviated
from, the result may-or-may not adhere to expectations. Books are for transmitting masses
of information that have been vetted and appropriately edited and revised.
Books are not for teaching. Books are not for punishing. Books are not for
hitting. Just so, this “technology” of which we speak—and let’s be clear, we
mean computers, smartphones, and websites—have specific uses that are apparent
when you really step back and look at them. The smartphone is for communication
and information dissemination/retrieval. It is not a teacher. The computer has
some of the same uses as the smartphone--lacking the convenience, but making up
for that with versatility and the ability to produce texts which resemble books
in their clarity, quality, and format (a format which has served our species
long enough that it may have caused changes in the way that we think and accrue
information). Websites are also extremely versatile, and their practical use is
usually overt and easy to understand.
What I’m getting at is that I am
extremely troubled by statements such as this one found in Kenneth Henson's Curriculum Planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform: “Close attention must be paid to possible disadvantages
and shortcomings inherent in technology as well as to its merits” (84). The
treatment of “technology” (electronics) as a foreign entity that is being
crammed sideways into curriculum denotes a lack of facility with the technology
that should preclude its use in classes. If a teacher doesn't understand the tech, or using the tech doesn't make sense in the situation,
you shouldn’t even bother because it’s just a political shtick, rather than
useful. Moreover, plenty of teachers also misuse technologies such as books,
worksheets, three-ring binders and hole-punches, just because they think that a
student who is busy doing something is a student who is learning. That same
thought-process is now not only being applied to electronic technologies, but
is being encouraged just so it can be said that “tech is being used in this ‘21st
Century School.’” Our job, as teachers, is to prepare our students for the
future by proficiently disseminating raw knowledge and helping our students to
process it efficiently and effectively so that they will be better prepared to
lead a life in which they find happiness and meaning. Our job is not to jam the
administration’s Website-of-the-Moment awkwardly into our lesson plans,
exposing ourselves as fraudulent in our abilities as designers of curriculum, or as disinterested advocates for our students.
All technology is designed for a
specific use, and though it may sometimes work in alternate situations,
attempting to force a specific electronic technology’s use in an ill-suited
situation makes sense as much as using a Glock as a hammer.
Henson, K. (2010). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.
technology. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hacker
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