The Cyber School

The Cyber School

Computers are a waste if a school hasn't analyzed its mission

A school full of computers doesn't always signal that its students have an advantage over kids in otherwise woefully underwired surroundings. Pressured to buy the latest technologies, many schools are neglecting to outline just how the new equipment will be used in the classroom. Here we outline what parents, teachers, and school administrators should consider before rushing to make their schools high-tech showcases.

What's the biggest mistake schools make when bringing technology into the classroom?

The biggest mistake schools make concerning educational technologies is focusing more on the technologies than on clarifying educational goals.

Computers and other new technologies are mans not ends in themselves. Equipment purchased without a clear educational plan is likely to remain unused or to draw resources away from the real priorities. It is important that teachers and others who are expected to use new technologies play a central role in making decisions about how the new equipment will be used.

A second common  mistake is spending money on computer hardware without setting aside sufficient funds for associated expenses such as software, furniture, supplies, wiring, and other renovations, and professional development. Of these, the last is most overlooked. That's the time to help teachers figure out how to incorporate technological innovations into their curriculum and practice.

You must feel like a lion to overcome all the difficulties. Photo by Elena

How should computers be used in the classroom?

There are about as many ways to use computers to improve teaching and learning as there are good ways of teaching. Like books, computers can play a part in nearly and educational approach. Computers connected with databases (either online databases accessible through a telephone line or large databases on websites) can be an excellent source of information. Word processing software packages are excellent general purpose tools that can help both teachers and students concentrate on expressing themselves clearly, rather than spending enormous amounts of time on the mechanics of writing. Graphing calculators and graphing software can help students see and manipulate quantitative relationships in multiple forms, as mathematicians do.

Such tools can help students understand mathematics as a means of representing and investigating ideas, rather than a set body of right answers. Special-purpose software, such as simulations and models, can enable students to investigate real world problems that are difficult or impossible to study directly. Drill and practice software may be helpful for the new things that need to be learned by rote memory, such as spelling, touch-typing, and number facts. Relatively little of the work to be done in schools is of this type, however.

How should teachers prepare for the introduction of new equipment?Before teachers can use technology effectively, many factors need to be coordinated. They must know about hardware and software innovations that address their goals. Teachers must have time to become familiar with software, a process that may take hours of relaxed exploration. Teachers must also have access to the necessary equipment at times that are convenient. They must have time to design classroom materials, such as assignment and assessment worksheets that engage students with the technology in effective ways, and they must plan activities and orchestrate ways for students to make use of the technology. Students also may need to become familiar with software facilities and learn to play new roles in the classroom.

Can technology get in the way of what teachers can accomplish on their own?

Sometimes new technologies provide an interesting enrichment whose benefits are not really worth the expense and time they require. Calculating the cost of new technology should take account of the “opportunity costs.” What else might teachers and students have done with their time and energy? What other opportunities were set aside in order to make use of new technology?

How can parents tell if computers are being used to educate their children or merely to entertain them?

Parents who want to know about their children's educational experiences at school should try to arrange to visit the school. Sometimes the best way is to offer to volunteer when the teacher asks for assistants. In some schools, parents are welcome to visit classes as long as they make arrangements in advance.

Because teaching is so complex and demanding, parents should be hesitant to leap to conclusions about the meaning and value of activities they observe. If they have serious doubts about what they see, they should try to raise questions with teachers. “I'm interested in knowing what my child's class is doing with computers. How does that fit in with the overall curriculum goals for this class? Do you think the computer-based work is valuable? Why or why not? What do you think it would take to make the computer work more educationally worthwhile?”

If parents seek to understand a teacher's goals, concerns, plans, and problems, and they approach the situation with an open mind, they may learn ways in which to help teachers and schools carry out their very important and very difficult jobs.

There is a lot of talk about the influence of Internet. How should schools view this service?

Telecommunication certainly opens up many educational possibilities. Internet breaks through classroom walls, links students with experts, fellow students and vast, readily updated databases around the world.

The potential is unlimited – and that is one of the biggest problems. When so much is possible, selecting or developing a truly educational use of telecommunications can be daunting. All American schools have computers, and we would encourage teachers and parents to see that many beneficial uses are made of these technologies, before they press us into technological slavery.

Should students be taught to always use computers as tools to help them with their traditional course work?

There are good arguments on both side of this question. Many people that students should learn how to program computers so that they understand the nature of these machines and the instructions that humans must write to make them function. Some believe that learning how to break a problem to solve it fosters systematic thinking. Others say that we drive cars and use telephones without understanding much at all about how these technologies work. They may think that schools should concentrate more on teaching students to understand what they read, to write clearly, to gather and evaluate evidence, and to formulate and defend reasoned opinions.

Answers to the question about teaching computer programming ought to be developed through dialogue among teachers, administrators, parents, and students about what they want schools to do. The answer is less important than the process of thoughtful debate within communities about how new technologies can support education.

Quantum Computering. Illustration by Elena.