Technology+Philosophy

Advancements in technology, when used effectively, can work to correct inequities within the classroom, school environment, and beyond. These technologies can help to bring students of differing socio-economic, racial, ethnic, religious, and ability groups together on a more level playing field. When schools can offer students appropriate assistive technologies, the student’s success will improve. This is not a new concept. Assistive technologies have been around since the dawn of time and are used daily by all members of our society. All people had their own technologies, such as the sharpened rock to skin a hide or the bow to make the kill. Then new technologies come out to replace the old. The bow was replaced by the gun, and even guns are reworked and improved upon through time. Chemicals could then be used to clean those once hand-cleaned hides, and then machines were introduced that could take over fully for the human labor. Time passes, new technologies are created and adapted, and people begin to rely on those technologies to ease the work in their lives. So as these new tools emerge, it is imperative that they are placed into the hands of those student’s whose lives could best be aided by them. As some of these tools become expectations of a field, the educational expectations and offerings need to be altered to allow for them. Twenty-first century students need the right tools to be able to survive in a twenty-first century world. One of the most important tools of the twenty-first century is the computer. It is not enough for students to be able to sit at a computer lab and type out their papers in a word processing program; students need to be able to use this multi-dimensional tool to communicate in its various forms. Whether it be communicating with someone to find out information or communicating the information found to someone else, computers allow students to connect to the world around them in a whole new and improved way. One-to-one laptop programs are what are needed to truly bridge the socio-economic gap. Students cannot be expected to purchase their own laptops at $1,000-$2,000 a piece, just as they would not be expected to purchase their science textbooks or uniforms for gym class. Even if they did provide their own laptop computer, there would still be a definite divide in the quality of machines and those who simply could not afford it at all. It is time for the public to come to the realization that laptops are the new textbooks. Maine has taken the lead with the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) and seen great success. As stated in Paula B. Gravelle’s report Early Evidence From the Field, The Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Impact on the Digital Divide (2003): As students begin to use the laptops more within their classes, they report an increase in interest in their school work and an increase in the amount of work they are doing both in and out of school. The nature of student learning in classrooms may be changing because students have the tools to pursue, organize, analyze and present information more readily at hand. (p. 4) Students are not just doing better in school; they are enjoying learning. What greater success can be achieved than students becoming invested in their own learning? It seems that technology has become the basis of the student’s social lives and as John Dewey suggests in his essay “My Pedagogic Creed” (1897) the student’s learn best when the learning takes place in a natural, social sphere similar to that which exists at home. He wrote in regard to cooking, sewing and manual training, whereas I see forms of technology instead. Dewey wrote of these subjects: I believe that they are not special studies which are to be introduced over and above a lot of others in the way of relaxation or relief, or as additional accomplishments. I believe rather that they represent, as types, fundamental forms of social activity; and that it is possible and desirable that the child's introduction into the more formal subjects of the curriculum be through the medium of these activities. (Article III- The Subject Matter of Education, para. 12) Many schools are doing just that. Teachers are weaving in traditional learning through the use of technology to improve student interest and engagement. Every teacher has a laptop to work with in order to find new and exciting lesson plans and resources. Classrooms are equipped with digital projectors or smart boards for interactive lessons and multi-media presentations. Students are given more opportunities to share what they have learned through technology based projects and presentations. Within a one-to-one laptop classroom it is possible to assign documentary film projects instead of, or in conjunction with, traditional research papers, and students can share their knowledge through keynote presentations that include images, audio, film and music. Gone are the days of boring book reports; in this day in age we see book blogs and wiki discussions. This is the technological world that the students are going to enter. These are the tools that they are going to need in order to thrive. It is important to note that technology is not just for engagement; it provides assistance that some students would not be as successful without. Resources exist for most learners needs including those with severe physical or mental disabilities. Upon entrance to the Kalikow Learning Center at the University of Maine at Farmington, one is overwhelmed with a number of resources available for loan to teachers in the community and current students. For those struggling readers, there are free resources such as the Read Please programs that read any text orally to the listener or for a reasonable price there are Start to Finish books with accompanying discs that will read along with the student while highlighting the words. There are large sized mice and keyboard sets and even some that are set up alphabetically instead of standard format. For those who cannot speak, there are devices such as the Tango or FL4SH Communicator that will speak for the student with the push of a button. Sometimes technology is less about the entertainment and more about the necessary life skills that will prepare that student for a role in society. Technology can help break through rural isolation. Students can see and connect to places previously unattainable through virtual tours, videos, websites and other technology based instruction. It is easier for students to gain information through the internet, but that is just the beginning. Students are also able to access other educational opportunities through distance learning. College students have long been taking online courses and now that opportunity is available for middle and high school students as well. Those students who want to take courses not available at their high school can take online courses for a small fee. This is a great opportunity for those students who need more challenging courses and those who cannot function within the normal classroom setting. College Board has previously offered Advanced Placement courses via the ATM system and now online courses are being added for the fall of 2008. This allows districts to share their resources and cut down on expenses. I will be taking the lead in my district as I teach an online AP English Language and Composition course next year. Although it will offer new challenges for me as well as the students, the student need for the course and the district’s need for a qualified educator have lead me in this new direction. As the demands of the institutes change, so should educational methodologies.