Over the past few years a significant change in direction, a
reversal in fact, has happened in the field of EdTech. I’m speaking about the trend to make learning
ABOUT Technology an important part of the curriculum.
To fully understand this
development, a bit of EdTech history is needed.
In its very first phase, EdTech was established by a very small group of restless innovators; teachers who became aware of the emergence of personal computers, their availability to the general public and to schools, and who decided to experiment with using them in th4 context of their classroom teaching.
In its very first phase, EdTech was established by a very small group of restless innovators; teachers who became aware of the emergence of personal computers, their availability to the general public and to schools, and who decided to experiment with using them in th4 context of their classroom teaching.
They made a big splash; computers were a major novelty back
in the early 1980s and anyone involved with them was sort of instantly
considered something of an innovator celebrity; this was certainly true of
teachers.
Close on the heels of bring a few personal computers into
the classroom, these teachers began to wrestle with the “What can we do with
them?” issue, which was thoroughly related to the “How do I justify using a
computer in my teaching?” issue. Bear in mind there was no software that was
specifically intended for use in teaching and learning in the very beginning;
that would take a few years to emerge. But clearly, there were applications for
the computers. For instance, students could transcribe their handwritten work
to a word processed document, something that was infinitely clearly,
astoundingly easier to edit and revise than the handwritten version, and they
could print out as many copies of something that looked vaguely professional as
the wanted… Eureka, Student Publishing!
In math, too, common business applications like the spread
sheet had immediate application to traditional classwork. After a short while,
computer using teachers had identified and shared among themselves a body of
such solid applications and what resulted was an understanding among those who
cared about it, that students could learn WITH technology. However, there was also a competing stand of
thought during this period, that students should learn ABOUT the technology
itself.
“Hey, computers are important in the world right? So we should be teaching kids about computers: how the work, how to program them, how people use them in the real world, etc!”
This went on for a good while. I remember how once, one a learning junket to San Diego, as the head of Instructional Technology for the NYC schools, I was taken to see an exceptional Computer Class at one of the very best schools in that city. I was shocked when the teacher handed me a copy of the syllabus that was posted on the wall and taped to the desktop next to every computer in his lab. It was a sequence of lessons on such topics as "how computers work."Basic file management, Keyboarding, Word Processing, Spread Sheets, eMail, PowerPoint, and on and on. There was no attempt, whatsoever, to INTEGRATE those skills into the curriculum that the rest of the school was teaching and learning!
For a good while this split in orientation of what to do with school computers and what was worthwhile having students learn and do with them continued. Eventually, the field agreed that the overarching true value of technology in our schools was technology’s power to support students in learning across the curriculum. In other words, Learning WITH Technology, NOT Learning ABOUT Technology. And, of course, classes and programs to learn about the technology itself persisted (in small measure), although they were conceived to be part of Career and Technical Education or as an enriching, broadening ‘minor’ or ‘interest’ subject, like Art and Music. By consensus, it was conceded that Technology Across the Curriculum would be the field’s principal thrust.
“Hey, computers are important in the world right? So we should be teaching kids about computers: how the work, how to program them, how people use them in the real world, etc!”
This went on for a good while. I remember how once, one a learning junket to San Diego, as the head of Instructional Technology for the NYC schools, I was taken to see an exceptional Computer Class at one of the very best schools in that city. I was shocked when the teacher handed me a copy of the syllabus that was posted on the wall and taped to the desktop next to every computer in his lab. It was a sequence of lessons on such topics as "how computers work."Basic file management, Keyboarding, Word Processing, Spread Sheets, eMail, PowerPoint, and on and on. There was no attempt, whatsoever, to INTEGRATE those skills into the curriculum that the rest of the school was teaching and learning!
For a good while this split in orientation of what to do with school computers and what was worthwhile having students learn and do with them continued. Eventually, the field agreed that the overarching true value of technology in our schools was technology’s power to support students in learning across the curriculum. In other words, Learning WITH Technology, NOT Learning ABOUT Technology. And, of course, classes and programs to learn about the technology itself persisted (in small measure), although they were conceived to be part of Career and Technical Education or as an enriching, broadening ‘minor’ or ‘interest’ subject, like Art and Music. By consensus, it was conceded that Technology Across the Curriculum would be the field’s principal thrust.
FAST FORWARD 3 decades and onward: the
trend described above has begun to reverse with the emergence of several
strands of instructional thrust in which learning about technology is the focus, among them:
- Coding (for all)
- Computer Science
- Maker-based Learning
- Student Robotics
- Coding (for all)
- Computer Science
- Maker-based Learning
- Student Robotics
I)
CODING for ALLA good overview article on this movement:
Coding for All - Harvard Magazine
With schools more eager to welcome coding in the classroom, some advocates now push to make it a public-education priority. In her 2014 book Connected ...
Note: some of what’s considered “Coding” actually has to do with programming (writing instructions for a computer) that is accomplished not truly by writing code, but by using alternatives, like object (or icon) based programming, block programming, etc.
Coding for All - Harvard Magazine
https://harvardmagazine.com/2015/03/coding-for-all
With schools more eager to welcome coding in the classroom, some advocates now push to make it a public-education priority. In her 2014 book Connected ...Note: some of what’s considered “Coding” actually has to do with programming (writing instructions for a computer) that is accomplished not truly by writing code, but by using alternatives, like object (or icon) based programming, block programming, etc.
http://www.klientsolutech.com/why-is-programming-important/
A general article; not specific to education |
https://hourofcode.com/us
|
https://www.theedadvocate.org/why-learning-to-code-is-so-important-for-children/
|
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/12/apple-ceo-tim-cook-learning-to-code-is-so-important.html
|
https://www.tynker.com/blog/articles/ideas-and-tips/10-reasons-kids-should-learn-to-code/
|
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/07/year-of-code-dan-crow-songkick
Why every child should learn to code |
https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/please-dont-learn-to-code/
Dissenting opinion! |
II) Computer Science… Many now consider Computer Science a must learn element to be added to the curriculum for all...
A Gallup report on the state of Computer Science in our schools... https://news.gallup.com/reports/196379/trends-state-computer-science-schools.aspx
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https://marketbrief.edweek.org/the-startup-blog/early-early-teach-computer-science/
|
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https://k12cs.org/pre-k/
|
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http://www.computingkids.com/
|
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https://cds.nyu.edu/children-taught-computer-science/
|
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https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/02/teaching-computer-science-without-computers/517548/
|
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https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-op-0208-computer-education-20180207-story.html
All kids should have a computer science education |
-
III) Student Robotics
Student Robotics has been around for decades. However, it has in recent years made its way into the general, daytime instructional program in subject classes. I reported on a number of good examples of this half a dozen years back in the book Getting Started with LEGO Robotics and recently in a post on my Classroom Robotics blog http://classroomrobotics.blogspot.com/2018/09/great-advice-from-lego-education-master.html
By the way, Robotics, as a subject is a broad based STEM theme. However the use of technology is largely in programming (coding or its alternative, object (icon) based programming) the computer to direct the robot in its behaviors.
IV) Maker-based Learning
Not strictly speaking an area of technology education, Making address students’ needs to explore, create, build, etc. and the cognitive impact of these as well as their connections to the standard curriculum. Nevertheless, some of the very most popular resources and materials employed in this area technology items, including:
- 3D Printers (and other computerized fabricator devices) (e.g. https://www.makerbot.com/ )
- Student Robotics, like LEGO Robotics (e.g. Mindstorms, EV3, etc. https://education.lego.com/en-us/shop/mindstorms%20ev3 )
- Little Bits (electronics, circuitry, etc. )
*(article) Resources for Maker Education
An excellent, very comprehensive article on Maker Education for Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/article/maker-education-resources
III) Student Robotics
Student Robotics has been around for decades. However, it has in recent years made its way into the general, daytime instructional program in subject classes. I reported on a number of good examples of this half a dozen years back in the book Getting Started with LEGO Robotics and recently in a post on my Classroom Robotics blog http://classroomrobotics.blogspot.com/2018/09/great-advice-from-lego-education-master.html
By the way, Robotics, as a subject is a broad based STEM theme. However the use of technology is largely in programming (coding or its alternative, object (icon) based programming) the computer to direct the robot in its behaviors.
IV) Maker-based Learning
Not strictly speaking an area of technology education, Making address students’ needs to explore, create, build, etc. and the cognitive impact of these as well as their connections to the standard curriculum. Nevertheless, some of the very most popular resources and materials employed in this area technology items, including:
- 3D Printers (and other computerized fabricator devices) (e.g. https://www.makerbot.com/ )
- Student Robotics, like LEGO Robotics (e.g. Mindstorms, EV3, etc. https://education.lego.com/en-us/shop/mindstorms%20ev3 )
- Little Bits (electronics, circuitry, etc. )
*(article) Resources for Maker Education
An excellent, very comprehensive article on Maker Education for Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/article/maker-education-resources
Do you agree that this trend is a good thing?
Do you see evidence of it, personally?
What more about this would you like to know?
This material was created by Mark Gura and should be considered as copyrighted 2018
Do you see evidence of it, personally?
What more about this would you like to know?
This material was created by Mark Gura and should be considered as copyrighted 2018
