High-Tech
Tools for Schools
December 1998/January 1999, Journal
of Adventist Education, written by Janine
Lim
- As educators we feel pressure to get technology
into schools and classrooms. Is technology an essential
aspect of education?
- We aim for schools that mold students in the image
of Christ. Does technology have a part in the process?
- We are preparing students for service in this life
and the life to come. Is technology an essential part
of this?
My own interest in these
questions began while I was finishing my teaching certification.
Working as supervisor of a computer lab at Andrews University
in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and teaching computer
seminars made me think about training issues. Studying
cooperative learning, active learning, concept attainment
lessons, and other strategies that encourage higher
level thinking skills, I thought about technology's
possibilities to assist this kind of learning. In a
summer course at the VHM Model Technology School in
Santa Cruz, California, I learned how multimedia, the
Internet, laserdiscs, and video cameras could be used
to enhance student reports, projects, and other creative
classroom activities. The next summer I team taught
a similar class co-sponsored by Andrews University and
Berrien County (Michigan) Intermediate School District.
In my own classroom, I tried to connect my students'
trips to the computer lab with the language arts skills
I was teaching.
Now I work with public
and parochial (including Adventist) schools, helping
teachers integrate computers and other technologies
into the curriculum. I also served on the technology
committee for the Niles (Michigan) Seventh-day Adventist
Elementary School. Each of these experiences has increased
my conviction that technology is an essential part of
preparing our students for service in this life. Let
me tell you why.
First, let's define technology.
Webster's Dictionary defines technology as "Industrial
science; the science of systematic knowledge of the
industrial arts, especially of the more important manufactures,
as spinning, weaving, metallurgy, etc." Personally,
I define technology as any tool or invention new to
us. Often it is advertised as making tasks easier. Technology
includes computers, cars, digital cameras, cable TV,
and more.
Technology plays a key
role in our society's rapid change from the Industrial
Age to the Information Age. More and more jobs focus
on information management, presentation, and production.
Computers and the Internet are integral to performing
many of these activities. To be prepared to serve in
this life, our students need to have computer information
management skills for almost any job they choose. For
example, when I had the oil changed in my car, I overheard
the mechanics discussing how they used the computer
to align and balance car tires. Mechanics also use computers
to access car manufacturers' web pages to find car designsupdates
on recalls and new repair techniques. Manufacturing
companies use computers to analyze production variables
and profits; salespeople use spreadsheets and databases
to improve record keeping and sales. The examples could
go on.
We all use technology
in our daily lives. Cars take us where we want to go.
Cameras capture memorable slices in time. Television
feeds us entertainment, news, and information. We communicate
via fax, E-mail, and telephone. So how should technology
be used in the classroom? The same way it is used in
life. Computers are used as a tool in the workplace
and home. They are also a tool in the classroom. A tool
to access, report, and organize information–a tool
that make tasks easier (and sometimes more challenging).
Under the guidance of a good teacher, students who use
computers in their daily learning will also acquire
necessary skills for productive service.
Public education is awakening
to the idea of technology as a learning tool. The U.S.
Department of Education's Director of Educational Technology
recently said "The lab concept was to introduce
kids to computers. We've come to understand that you
don't want to introduce kids to computers. You want
them to use computers. . . 30 minutes a week at the
lab doesn't have any impact for students." A report
to the President of the United States in March 1997
recommended: "Focus on learning with technology,
not about technology. . . . While computer-related skills
will unquestionably be quite important in the twenty-first
century, and while such skills are clearly best taught
through actual use of computers, it is important that
technology be integrated throughout the K-12 curriculum."
In my own work, I emphasize ways to use technology to
teach core subjects because this is the most effective
way to use computers and other technologies in the classroom.
This discussion is just
the beginning of a new column on technology in education.
Our focus will be on technology in the classroom, especially
its use in the curriculum. We will be exploring topics
such as instructional strategies, training, parent concerns,
gender equity, funding, and assessment. We'll share
lesson ideas for content areas and interdisciplinary
themes, using the Internet as a teaching tool and as
an instructional tool. Safety issues and the challenges
for small schools in using the Internet will also be
addressed. We have much to consider as we spend the
Lord's money in our schools. We need to think carefully
about the intended results and plan thoughtfully to
reach our goals. Together, let us work toward effectively
using various instructional tools in our classrooms.
Notes and References
- Pacific Union Conference has greatly expanded the
Educational Technology Project since I visited in
‘95. Visit their web page at http://www.atie.org/
- Webster's Hypertext Dictionary. (1912 edition).
[WWW document] URL http://work.ucsd.edu:5141/cgi-bin/http_webster.
- Quoted in Engler, John. (January 27, 1998). Response
to Michigan's State Technology Plan. Letter by
Michigan's Governor.
- President's Committee of Advisors on Science and
Technology. (March 1997). Report to the President
on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education
in the United States. URL http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OSTP/NSTC/PCAST/k-12ed.html.
- For more reading on technology in education, visit
an online educational technology journal called From
Now On. URL http://www.fromnowon.org/
- For more information on technology planning in Adventist
schools, see A Basic Guide to Technology Planning.
URL http://www.atie.org/techplanning/.
