In the Classroom: Technology

In 2002 Google launched it's Google Books project that sought to answer a simple but important question: "how long would it take to digitally scan every book in the world?" Years later they're still working at it, but educators and education administration alike were thrilled by the prospect that so much information can be at our children's fingertips in even the most remote areas.

Digital libraries and technology in general are touted as the wave of the future in education, but the question Matt Richtel of the New York Times asks is will technology really change the classroom? He recently wrote an article titled In Classroom of Future, Stagnat Scores that examined why, in classrooms completely outfitted with the latest technology, are test scores still stuck at the same levels they've always been?

Richtel seems to answer his own question. Innovative and engaging teachers who put that technology to good use produce creative and intelligent kids. The Quick & the Ed explains this well:

"In another vignette a teacher projects a true or false question onto a large screen: “Jefferson Davis was the commander of the Union Army.” Students used clickers to give their answers and, just like on a game show set, a computer instantly compiled the results. It was an electronic show of hands. This is the kind of right-or-wrong question that only calls on students to regurgitate what they know. Whatever the  response methodology, the question wouldn’t lead to a rich discussion in which students had to defend their answers with historical evidence. A better question would be to ask students to discuss why Davis, who was trained at West Point, fought bravely in the Mexican American War, was a U.S. Senator and served as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, was loyal to the Confederacy. They could research the answer on line—on their own or as a class."

Richard Lee of The Quick & the Ed goes on to ask the followup questions regarding technology in the classroom:

"Q. How does it change the role of the teacher? Q. Does the technology make it easier for teachers to understand students’ thinking? Where they need extra help? Q. Does it make it easier for students to learn from one another, perhaps using social media? Q. Does it help students learn basic material more quickly so that more class time can be devoted to in-depth discussions and applications of knowledge to solve problems? Q. Does it extend learning effectively beyond the classroom?" 

Ultimately, though technology in the classroom is a very exciting prospect, we must not forget the importance of a good teacher to make good use of it.