NECC - Debate about the use of Technology in Education Reform

Does Technology Enhance or Detract from School Improvement Efforts? [Concurrent Session at the NECC 2005 conference in Philadephia, Pa.] - http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2005/program/search_results_details.php?sessionid=7480354
David Freitas, Indiana University South Bend with Janet Buckenmeyer
Description of session: Two educators will debate the effect of technology on school improvement. Based on reality, relevant research, and best practices, conventional wisdom will be challenged.

To access the full handout, go to: http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/NECC2005/KEY_7480354/Freitas_buckenmeyerNECC2005.pdf

According to Freitas and Buckenmeyer (2005), they reveal the following point / counterpoint about the future of technology in education:

Issue 4: The Future
Point
Technology integration is another educational fad. It’s an initiative doomed for failure. When student achievement stagnates or declines, a lack of technology support will likely be blamed. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, fortunately no excuses are acceptable.

Counterpoint
It must be acknowledged that a similar argument was made concerning other technologies, most recently and notably television. Some “research” studies at that time referred to this new invention as insignificant. Proponents, however, envisioned the education’s future through this new media. They argued that since the teacher in the box (television) was every bit as good as the teacher in the classroom, teachers could be replaced with the televised teacher at significant cost savings. Fortunately, this theory quickly short circuited. Few can argue the fact that the effects of computer and related technologies are pervasive and far-reaching. Such technologies are rapidly changing and affect every area in which we live, work, and play. Our graduates are expected to be comfortable and proficient with technology. If schools don’t prepare students to enter the workforce, aren’t they ignoring an important societal expectation? Accountability is one of the cornerstones of the No Child Left Behind Act. Now, the rising student achievement rates of every school, or lack thereof, is publicly shared. Success and failure will be analyzed. What role did technology play? This examination will likely yield more evidence of the link between technology and student achievement. (Feritas & Buckenmeyer, 2005, pp. 11-12)

Lara's Comments
First of all, the budget for next year sent by President Bush completely wiped away all funding for the EETT portion of the No Child Left Behind Act. Unless Congress puts money back in to fund educational technology, then educational technology advocates will declare that failure will be inevitable. Money is not everything, but it is necessary when upgrading school districts to be part of the digital world that is already in place outside of schools.

I would take this even further to state that educational technology when infused responsibly in to the curriculum and productivity of schools will not only help to meet the societal expectation, but also transform the depth of learning. Throughout the NECC 2005 conference, it is evident that educational technology is not about the business of bringing in gadgets that are fads, it is about empowering people - students, faculty, staff, parents, community members - to reach out to the macro and micro world in which they are a part. Weinberger (2005) in his keynote presentation at NECC 2005 addresses just this issue. He asserts that the individual's role in society is greatly expanded by the use of technology such as blogging, podcasting, etc. Evidence of this is seen through the dramatic example of Dan Rather of CBS News who was called on the carpet by a blogger. Individuals can now speak to a vast audience instead of just the confines of their community. Weinberger (2005) goes further to say that knowledge itself has been transformed (for more information, access Weinberger's site at http://www.hyperorg.com/).Today's students will be faced with a world that is more complex than the one that we currently reign within. Educational technology allows students in school now to move past the memorization of rote materials such as the periodic table and in to the ways that those elements can interact in a purposeful way to create something new and wonderful. Educational Technology is society's greatest hope for reaching towards the empowerment of all memebers of society to reach their fullest potential.

Lara

References

Freitas, D., & Buckenmeyer, J. (2005). Does Technology Enhance or Detract from School Improvement Efforts? Retreived June 29, 2005, from http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/NECC2005/KEY_7480354/Freitas_buckenmeyerNECC2005.pdf.

Weinberger, D. (2005). The New Shape of Knowledge. [Webcast of keynote presentation at the National Educational Technology Conference (NECC) 2005 in Philadelphia, Pa.]. Retreived June 29, 2005, from http://www.kidzonline.org/necc/agenda.html.