Invention Becomes the Mother of Necessity: Technology in the Classroom

There is a great deal of continued emphasis on technology as a tool for improving education. Even former Secretary of Education William Bennett is getting into the act, by creating an online K-12 school through the Internet. Internet-based schools could provide new choices to families, and compete against the monopoly of public education. A leading authority in this field, Sean Duffy of the Pennsylvania-based Commonwealth Foundation, believes in order to survive these schools “must be flexible, responsive, and fixated on cutting-edge quality.” The 21st century marriage of technology and educational freedom does hold much promise.

Most, if not all public schools have Internet access. Bond issues are being passed and taxes increased to purchase computers and retrofit classrooms, and everywhere multimedia is being touted as a necessity for the modern classroom. A poll taken of U.S. teachers revealed that they believe computer skills are more essential than the study of biology, chemistry, physics, history, and writers such as Hemingway, Plato, and Shakespeare.

In February of 1996, President Bill Clinton announced plans to invest $2 billion dollars in an effort to connect classrooms to the Internet. Tennessee Governor Sundquist quickly supported that objective, and wanted our state to be the first to have every classroom wired for use. Never mind that many of our children could not read at a proficient level at the time in Tennessee or even across the nation. When so-called “modern technology” first appeared on the political landscape, E-learning took precedence over other needed education reforms and these reforms will now be more expensive to taxpayers to enact. Advanced technology, expensive at the time has become inexpensive in today’s market. This trade-off was never considered.

Researchers have started to debate whether productivity growth in the business community is due to an increase in the rate of technological change or otherwise can be explained by other non-technological factors. The role that technology and computers can play in education is also not well understood. Observing the current rush to incorporate or add additional computers into our schools, more than a few critics are beginning to ask just how has this enhanced actual student performance. Critics argue still too many teachers are unprepared or ill equipped to fully utilize technology. They also believe that too much time spent on computers can dull the imagination and creativity.

In 1995 Richard Lookatch, an educational psychologist with the Agency for Instructional Technology, suggested research that shows an increase in learning as a result of computers in the classroom is generally flawed. Variables such as information content and instructional strategies are seldom accounted for, and when they are, differences in learning disappear.

Before supporting the acquisition of computers for the classroom or other technological breakthroughs, parents and taxpayers should ask how they would improve academic performance. Much of what is being attempted is being done just because we have the machines. Invention, in this case, becomes the mother of necessity. The critics who disparage the notion of computers being incorporated into our classrooms are justified, if significant progress is not measured and student achievement is not improved.

Understanding how technology is used in the classroom makes it easier to recognize how its effectiveness has been limited. Most classroom teachers have little or no specialized computer training, and software may take many hours to master, especially to a degree at which they can be taught to others. In addition, once the software packages are introduced to the student, locating useable information can be a monumental task in itself. The process of locating the information becomes the learning activity, rather than the knowledge of the subject being taught. Internet searches can be complex and frustrating, and there is little uniformity.

Obtaining estimates of the money spent by schools statewide for technology is difficult because expenditures for technology are not always included as a separate line item. However, local and state governments in Tennessee have spent millions if not more on technological initiatives. This includes such things as the connecting classrooms to the Internet, and audio/video teleconferencing capabilities. Federal monies are also used to promote technology as well.

It is important to remember, however, that beyond these expenditures, local districts are also grappling for ways to access technology. Initially at least, most tax dollars were not earmarked for actual computer equipment; but dedicated to building fiber-optic networks and retrofitting classrooms for the added burdens to the air conditioning and electrical systems. Many systems bought rather than leased computer equipment. These computers had to be replaced with every new advance in technology, as they quickly became outdated.

In a 1997 Atlantic Monthly article Todd Oppenheimer states: “There is no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve teaching and learning, yet school districts are cutting programs - music, art, physical education – that enrich children's lives to make room for this dubious nostrum.” Oppenheimer describes how American educators seem easily duped with claims from technology. First there were educational films, then in-class radio and television, followed by programmed instruction on teaching machines, and finally computers. Oppenheimer suggests none of these technological innovations have lived up to their billings.

Oppenheimer takes all of the arguments offered in favor of computerizing instruction and shows how the research is contradictory, misleading, or of questionable generalizability to the real classroom or real world. For example, one claim is that early and intensive computer training is required to make tomorrow's work force competitive in an increasingly high tech world. The evidence is that while most jobs will require some computer usage the necessary skills can be picked up “in a summer” counters Mr. Oppenheimer.

New and innovative technologies can be a wonderful tool to meeting human needs. It is possible that future research will justify increases in the utilization of technology in our schools. Are we there yet? I do not think so. The goal must remain to make significant progress in student achievement. Rather than seeing an achievement gap shrinking, some technology may actually serve to separate students further apart. A new class system may emerge, those who understand and use technology and those who do not. If a child cannot read or reads at such a low level to be functionally illiterate, technology matters very little. Technology as a tool to improve education will