Daniel J. Brahier
Department of Educational Curriculum & Instruction
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403

JANUARY 1997

ADDITIONAL MUSINGS ON TECHNOLOGY AND CHANGE
In the last issue of the RCDPM Newsletter, I put forth some thoughts on the development of technology and how it has influenced what educators do in the classroom. Research by Cuban was cited that shows the tendency of most teachers to "add on" innovations to the classroom, rather than to fundamentally rethink how they conduct business. After a discussion of advances in computers, the internet, calculators, and laser disk technology, the following questions were raised: To what degree are these tools really being used to their fullest potential? What have you done in your elementary or secondary methods or content courses to attempt to keep up with the rapid changes in technology? Are your students making use of the power of the Internet in research and professional dialogue? Does your syllabus and the way that you assess your students reflect that you place a value on the use of technology?

This particular "Musings" column generated more responses from readers than any previous column to date. We were delighted to see the enthusiasm of RCDPM members as several of you even responded to the questions by addressing the entire mailing list to share thoughts. A sampling of a few of the comments made by the membership follows:

Sandy Pryor Clarkson, from Hunter College in New York, reflected that "I agree that many use technology in the classroom as a tack on without fundamentally rethinking their curriculum. What a missed opportunity!" Others, such as Dixie Metheny, expressed specific ways in which they are already using technology in methods classes. She wrote, "My favorite assignment in my secondary math methods class this semester was asking the question 'what is the best car?.' My students researched the question on the internet and then gave presentations in pairs. The students graded each other using a rubric they had designed. They had a wonderful time and found new sites. One student actually bought the car he had researched."

Ginny Usnick pointed-out that UNLV's preservice teachers have a generally low comfort level with the use of technology, including the Internet. She explained that, "One of our doctoral students is studying the integration of technology into teacher education and asked faculty to participate in her pilot for her dissertation. We were to integrate some form of technology into our courses . . . I decided to have students become more familiar with email by requiring some of their assignments be sent to me through that mode. Some students now send me EVERYTHING via email (except the models they create). Others are still having difficulty accessing their accounts. I've had to reassure them that their grades will not be affected if the problems lie with the computer system rather than with their reluctance to use technology. By the end of the semester, things should be running smoothly. I've already had some students thank me for allowing them to use email, especially their AOL accounts, because they can send me things from home at any hour of the day or night. Trying to find an empty computer at the university during peak student hours is getting harder and harder...almost as hard as finding a parking space. They appreciate being able to work at home."

In a message back to Ginny, I expressed that I had my first experience this semester with requiring Secondary Mathematics Methods students to send their assignments to me via e-mail as attachments. While a couple of students were hesitant at first, my experience was similar to Ginny's in that my students learned that it was actually easier to do assignments at home and send them than to worry about printing copies and bringing them to class. Also, the technique lowered their anxiety level about the use of electronic information sharing and made them, perhaps, more apt to involve their classes in internet projects in the future.

Ginny Usnick concluded her remarks by asking, "What do I eliminate in order to incorporate the technology in my classes?" In response, Janie Schielack from Texas A&M, wrote, "I'm trying not to think in terms of what I can 'throw away.' Instead, how can I do the things I've marked important on my list in the most efficient way possible? For example, can I combine a 'get hooked on problem-solving' experience with an experience on the benefits of reflective teaching by asking for responses to the right kinds of questions at the end of the experience? I haven't thought very deeply about this but have noticed that I feel most comfortable with the lessons in which I can identify opportunities for student growth in several areas. It seems to me that technology would be an extremely useful tool in facilitating this efficiency, perhaps by allowing students to revisit experiences from different perspectives.

Certainly, neither we, nor the teachers we prepare or inservice, can be expected to simply "add-on" some technology to an already crowded curriculum. As Cuban and Janie Schielack have suggested, we need to find ways to incorporate technology -- or any other innovation, for that matter -- into our classes by rethinking the entire design of our work. Several of the individuals who responded to the last "Musings" column concluded by asking for suggestions from the membership on how they might accomplish a smooth integration of technology into their courses. Do you have some additional recommendations? Have others used e-mail for student assignments? How so? Have you made use of the world wide web to create a homepage for the classes you teach or to assist methods students with research? Have you found clever ways to incorporate the use of graphing calculators or laser disks into classes without having to "add to" your curriculum?

We are interested in continuing this discussion, which will almost certainly spill over into the roundtable discussions about methods in Oklahoma City in February. Please write or e-mail your responses. We want to hear from you!