The Impact of Technology on PK-16 Ed

The Impact of Technology in K-16 Education


Bobby Norman
Northern Arizona University
[e-mail]

Abstract

         As we have moved into the 21st century, the impact of technology in education can be felt through many different avenues. Simply limiting viewpoints to teachers and students is not a true representation of the full impact technology is having. While it is a good place to start, one must also reflect on the impact it has on educational psychologists, parents, and instructional designers as well. The goal of this paper is to briefly describe some of the implications of integrating technology for all of these groups and how each group’s practices have a direct effect on technology and learning, all the while recognizing that the examples mentioned are in no way exhaustive.
         While the field of education is still observing and trying to understand direct correlations technology has in the classroom, the present players including psychologists, teachers, students and instructional multimedia designers have had to alter the way in which the approach educational thinking due to technology’s involvement. It is this seeking of growth and adaptation that is effecting learning and teaching in the PK-16 classroom. 

Technology’s Impact on Educational Psychologists 
         Throughout the history of education, there have been fundamental shifts in what the expectations are in a classroom. One major reason for these shifts is the evolution of the beliefs of how humans learn. For the last century or so, the debate on which approach to learning is accurate has been a topic of much debate. The way humans are thought to learn can be labeled “learning theories”. Though there seem to be an infinite numbers of approaches and interpretations, there are major categories of learning theories that have had a substantial impact in education.
As technology evolves and offers new prospects for learning, it is imperative to consider many learning perspectives to ensure optimal use of technology in teaching and learning (qtd. in Deubel 96). One such theory is Behaviorism; the belief that humans learn by way of responding to stimuli, resulting in thoughts and understanding that is controlled by external reality. In contrast to behaviorism, social learning theories describe learning as through observation, occurring without a change in behavior. Yet another set of theories can be described as “cognitive learning”. Within this broad label, as is true with both behaviorism and social learning theories, there are many branches of thought. One such branch is constructionism, which may be thought of as “learning by doing”; a belief that humans generate their own learning through hands on experiences. Constructionism is often confused with constructivism.  It is the latter that has had the most profound impact in education in the last twenty to thirty years.  One main idea of constructivism is that children actively take part in constructing their knowledge, rather than just taking in concepts presented to them by teachers (Lunenburg 1998). 
Where the impact lays with technology for educational psychologists, in particular those psychologists that subscribe to cognitive learning theories, is the intersection of the nature of technology and these beliefs in how humans learn. Integrating technology into classrooms is an opportunity to foster and enhance the self-constructing knowledge thought to exist in cognitive learning theories given technology’s ability to provide differentiation and constructivist strategies. Technology therefore becomes an important aspect of classroom culture to investigate. An important idea to consider with this is the belief that technology, by itself, while a wonderful venue to implement constructivist ideas, is not tied to any one learning theory; rather, the way it is used in the classroom is of the utmost importance.  Teacher beliefs in how children learn are therefore seen as front and center. “Evidence suggests that success is not solely the result of effective technologies; rather, success may be partly dependent on teachers having sophisticated epistemologies” (qtd. in Howard, Mcgee, Schwartz, and Purcell 2000).
Technology’s Impact on Teachers
         It is very common to see teachers today using technology for all types of personal things, including record-keeping, retrieving lesson plans, creating study guides, and communicating with parents (Judson 2006).  It is also common to see a teacher that has a wealth of technology in their classrooms and not utilize it; or if they do, use it in such a way that does not reflect their epistemologies.
                   It is possible that a poor attitude toward technology or a fear
                   of using technology causes teachers to implement lessons
                   that are different from their non-technology lessons. So an
                   issue emerges of whether or not teachers use technology
                   in a way that is aligned with their beliefs about learning or
                   if their attitudes toward technology are superseding these
                   beliefs about quality instruction (Judson).

         It is very possible for a teacher to hold a constructivist approach to learning, while using technology in a fashion that does not follow the beliefs of that approach. The problem, very often seems to be related to a lack of understanding in the powers and opportunities technologies have to offer and how these opportunities can co-exist with learning theories. Given technology’s ability to aid in child learning, one major impact in educational settings is, therefore, the need to train teachers effectively in how to utilize these tools.
With so many financial resources being invested in to integrating technology into the classroom, it seems to be that money is being spent on tools that are largely not being used for student learning in effective ways. Despite many efforts of teacher pre-service programs to wrestle with this lack of training, the problem seems to be in how complex acquiring these skills can be. Not only does one need to be an expert in content, but also needs to know how to facilitate and guide student learning, provide feedback, reinforce focus and objective, be an encourager, and pose helpful questions (Bailey 1996), among a large amount of other best practices. To take a technological tool and fuse it with all of these understandings is not an easy endeavor.
With constructivism being the mainstream learning theory recently, many colleges and universities are trying their best to relate the theory’s underpinning ideas to the use of technology, but seem to at times come up short. A possible reason for this may relate to the difficulty of becoming a constructivist teacher.  In their book The Case for Constructivist Classrooms (1993), Jacquelin and Martin Brooks describe 5 principles that teachers need to be able to do to implement these practices effectively: 1) pose problems of significance to learners; 2) organize learning around “big concepts”; 3) understanding student’s points of view; 4) developing curriculum to address students’ beliefs; and 5) using assessment in the context of teaching (qtd. in Lunenburg 1998). It seems that teacher preparation programs that are teaching these principles need to do so with technology infused into it; rather than holding it at arms length as a separate practice. In doing this, teachers will have a better chance at feeling comfortable and able to implement technology, with the underlying goal being to improve student learning. What further complicates this approach to professional development is that many scholars have presented the idea that no philosophy or approach, behaviorist, cognitivist, or constructivist, should be viewed as sufficient (Fardanesh 2002).
         Contrary to those who insist on only one teaching method
         throughout the learning phases, there seems to be a step
         by step ranked preference in utilizing different learning
         and teaching approaches. Thus, each instructional approach
         has its place (Fardanesh).
If this is true, the implication for teachers is that an effective teacher need not only become familiar with the underlying principles of each theory, but also in instructional strategies for each approach, and how to effectively incorporate technology with each discipline. 
The impact of technology on teachers is not only related to professional development. Once a teacher has become familiar with these practices, technology can have a profound impact on how one teaches. New avenues for instruction, including cooperative learning, self-paced learning, and classroom management are only a few of the possible benefits technology has to offer an instructor. These strategies not only may ensure more efficient teaching, but also can, and has, had a profound impact on students.
“Simply using technology is not a goal of constructivism. However, using it may have a profound impact on how students construct personal meaning, learn from each other, learn from experts outside the classroom, and create more complicated, personal connections and interpretations” (Judson 2006).
Technology’s Impact on Students
         During a speech at the University of Arizona on May 3rd, 2006, Dr. Elliot Soloway spoke about how technology is changing education (Soloway 2006). Many of his main points were in reference to how the children of today are unique. Dr. Soloway was quoted as saying, “How the kids go about their lives is different because of technology. We want kids to use the technology that powers their lives”.  In a recent study quoted in Debra H. Bailey’s paper entitled Constructivism and Multimedia: Theory and Applications; Innovations and Transformation,(1996) researchers in a project called “Empowering Students With Hypermedia” sought to gather information about students’ feelings about using technology in the classroom. The results were overwhelming in regards to how interesting they found it, and how much faster they felt they could get work done, and how they felt technology allowed them to self pace much better than traditional teaching methods.
         It doesn’t take a complicated study to see that a majority of kids nowadays love using technology; so it could be said that one impact of technology on student education is the enjoyment factor. If teachers can balance this enjoyment with a sound pedagogical approach to learning, the benefits could be substantial.
         In addition to simply making school more entertaining, technology has proven to dramatically increase who the students have access to. Using web-based programs such as email and video-conferencing, students have an incredible opportunity to collaborate with one another between large distances. Now, students can not only compose and reflect on their ideas, but can now share ideas and feedback with other students or even experts via online communications (Keane 2002). Students can not only talk and work with others across a nation, but have the opportunity to work with other children from all over the world, and many who speak different languages and come from different cultural backgrounds. In a world in which technology has made working with othersa more global affair, exposing children to other cultures and ways of thinking has begun to prepare them for what the 21st century brings in terms of human relations.
         Another way technology has impacted education for students is the efficiency of class work.  In the same speech cited above, Dr. Elliot Soloway spoke about how using handheld computers has changed how much kids can do in comparison to traditional classrooms. “We have children in first, second, and third grades learning math facts on Gameboys. In the same amount of time they do 500 problems on pieces of paper, the way you and I did them, they can do 1400 problems on the Gameboy.” It can be debated whether or not having kids simply doing more problems has an impact on genuine learning. However, when combined with a constructivist approach to learning, and motivation to learn by way of technology, efficiency of class work could result could mean huge strides in student learning.
         Increased enjoyment, collaboration with other around the world, and efficiency of class work are only a small portion of the ways technology has impacted student learning.  An underlying thought about these and other impacts is that they could not exist or flourish with a teacher that does not place the technology in the students’ hands. Simply having computers in a classroom is not enough. Implementing them in such ways that children are the users, not the observers, is where the true power of technology effectively takes root.
         One interesting factor that is introduced with the presence and use of technology in classrooms is the problem with equity among students, schools, and districts as a whole. If technology is thought to have a profound impact in student learning, and to have this advantage in a classroom requires a substantial amount of financial resources, then the idea of equity is certain to appear. And when the use of technology is not only used in school, but then linked to student’s lives outside of school by way of homework, the impact of technology in education on parents can begin to surface.
Technology’s Impact on Parents          
         When extensions of schoolwork require that a student have certain technologies available to them outside of the school, the impact can have different results based on the economic situation of the parents or caregivers of those students. If a family is very well off financially, it may be no problem to ensure their child can make very helpful learning and technological extensions at home. However, this is simply not the case for every, or even a majority of households in the United States or the world. As a result, there are massive amounts of disadvantaged students who do not have these technologies readily available (Lunenburg). The parents of the students will have to sacrifice if they want for their child to have the same opportunities as other children. Therefore, learning at home with technology can be seen as “reinforcing existing inequalities through schooling” (Cranmer 2006 ). For parents with financial situations that cannot support the use of these tools at home, technology’s impact on parents can and usually is very negative.
         Parents that can afford to have these resources at home for their children can benefit greatly. Homework and grades can be posted in safe, user-friendly environments via the Internet which allows the parent to be well informed as to their child’s progress and class activities. Also, given that children seem to enjoy using technology, motivating a child to do homework may become easier. When using technology at home, children may be using programs that can act as a kind of facilitator, alleviating the need for full parent support, which may help parents with very busy schedules.     
Technology’s Impact on Instructional Multimedia Designers
         Although the people that make the programs students and teachers use are often far removed from the actual classroom, they now must take practices and educational theories into consideration when designing a program. “Typically, guidelines for design of interactive multimedia systems have been based on intuitive beliefs of designers rather than being founded on relevant psychological, pedagogical, and technological research and theory” (Deubal). The problem for designers, however, can result from the varying theories within education. If technology by itself is looked upon as not subscribing to any one learning theory, then choosing exactly what theory to design a program around becomes personal interpretation as well. However, given the flood of constructivist thinking in education in the last twenty years, most products and programs are built to foster this theory; thus starting a type of cycle that has a huge impact in classrooms; Constructivism influences instructional multimedia design, multimedia designs reinforce constructivism.
Conclusion
         The impact technology has had and will continue to have in education is far reaching.  Educational psychologists from all disciplines are examining new venues of human learning through technology use. Some teachers are thriving in implementing technology in a successful way, while others may be struggling to make the connection between using technology and their personal epistemologies. Students are being influenced by tools that allow them to follow a road to learning that past generations have not had the opportunity. Issues with financial stability have an impact with parents and may even reinforce inequality among students. Multimedia designers are finding themselves being influenced by, and at the same time influencing, classroom culture and learning theories.
         These are just a short list of those who are currently feeling the effects of technology. One could also mention administration, district school boards, state and federal education representatives, businesses in the community, and so on. With all of these separate groups being affected, it is a difficult task to discuss briefly where to go from here.
Perhaps the most important individuals to focus on are the teachers, for it is they who will need to understand learning theories, best teacher practices, content matter, and the technology itself in order to build and maintain sufficient and genuine learning environments.  Although an evolutionary process, the implementation and effects of technology can not be dismissed; and the need to educate the educator may be perhaps the most integral step forward.
         


Bibliography


Bailey, D. H. (1996). Constructivism and multimedia: theory and application; innovation and transformation. International Journal of Instructional Media, v23 (2), 161-65.

Cranmer, S. (2006). Children and young people’s uses of the internet for homework. Learning, Media and Technology, v31 (3), 301-315.

Deubal. P. (2003). An investigation of behaviorist and cognitive approaches to instructional multimedia design. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, v12 (1), 63-90.

Fardanesh, H. (2002). Learning theory approaches and teaching methods. British Journal of Educational Technology, v33 (1) 95-98.

Howard, B.C., Mcgee, S., Schwartz, N., Purcell, S. (2000). The experience of constructivism: transforming teacher epistemology. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, v32 (4), 455-65.

Judson, E.  (2006). How teachers integrate technology and their beliefs about learning: is there a connection?. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v14 (3), 581-97.

Keane, J. (2002). Teacher vs. computer: where educators stand in the
technology revolution. T.H.E. Journal  v30 (1) 38-40.

Lunenburg, F. C. (1998). Constructivism and technology: instructional designs for successful education reform. Journal of Instructional Psychology, v25 (2), 75-81.

Soloway, E., Technology is changing education (May 3, 2006) [Podcast] ''. College of Education, University of Arizona. Available at <http://> Podcast url <www.ed.arizona.edu/podcasts/> accessed June 12, 2007.