Proposals for increased educational technologies which could impact positively on learning and make our schools more fun cannot but be lauded. If used effectively, educational technologies can embrace the needs of the 21st century learner. There is a responsibility to evaluate the effectiveness of the recently introduced technologies and integrate any new proposal on the evidence produced.
If tablets are the newly chosen devices, teachers must be trained and given the right support and software to use these tools effectively- Karen Mugliett
Educational technology as a tool on its own does not address shortcomings in our education system such as the literacy problem or the need to help students develop their creativity and give them opportunities to use their multiple intelligences, the need for differentiated approaches to learning and the need for social justice and equity, for more exposure to experiential science and so much more.
Most children nowadays are tech-savvy and conversant with gadgets and applications. State schools and many other schools can today boast of having classrooms and specialist rooms equipped with interactive whiteboards (IWBs), internet, laptops and projectors.
In the past months State schools have started phasing in the Fronter eLearning platform. Technology can enhance learning and make it more exciting when it is used as part of the learning experience, where students can share their work on the IWB, or learn a topic through making a documentary using simple software programmes.
As a specialist in educational technology who has lectured and researched in the area, I have witnessed the challenges teachers face when integrating technology. If technology is to be used effectively in class, teachers will need to change their practices from 20th century teaching, which allows little student freedom, involves memorisation and passive learning, to become proficient users of technology, knowing when to assimilate appropriate technology and embed it as pedagogy.
Research shows that it can take five or six years for teachers to accumulate enough experience in educational technology in order to change practices to effective approaches, often experiencing a progression from low-level to higher-level uses of technology over a substantial span of time. Technologies need to be introduced gradually, with training and support, followed by an evaluation of the technology to determine its impact on learning. One must appreciate that teachers, with their current workload, may find it difficult to find time to focus on technology and integrate effectively.
If tablets are the newly chosen devices, teachers must be trained and given the right support and software to use these tools effectively otherwise these pose the risk of being underutilised or of spending millions of euros for technology with the same old lessons, same old results. Using tablets instead of copybooks just to take notes would be a waste of money, where new technology is used to fit an old system and maintain the status quo. Students need to use techology themselves: in the analysis of a problem, in projects or to facilitate group work, in ways that promote collaboration, knowledge building and hands-on experience, discussion, quizzes, and in the visualisation of concepts.
E-textbooks have been mentioned in conjunction with tablets. They are seen as a better alternative to expensive textbooks because of their reduced cost, flexibility and higher portability. The texts have ease of access and can have embedded features like interactive images, text searching abilities, quizzes, animations, web-links, multi-media, bookmarking facilities, interactive learning activities and annotations.
Social networking and collaborative learning experiences through annotations are aspects of e-textbooks that may have an impact on learning. Some students have been found to actually prefer hard copy textbooks.
To my knowledge e-textbooks in the local scenario have not yet been developed in most subjects. It takes much more than just transferring existing text in traditional text books onto a PDF format. If these resources are to complement tablets and IWBs, then they are to include the above mentioned features for purposeful adoption. In order to produce e-textbooks which are suitable for our local syllabi, it will take more than just one author or teacher-author to include a rich set of resources.
My experience as a lecturer (including inservice courses) and Fronter trainer has confirmed that the assimilation of new technologies does not necessarily result from attending one skills-based training course.
One-off training courses do not mean that everyone will attain an acceptable level of proficiency. Training is not usually subject specific, nor contextualised, as trainers are usually coming from an IT-in-education background. The skills-based training given by the latter must be complemented with subject-specific pedagogic examples.
More structured support is needed for other technologies to be intergrated by a larger number of teachers, such as monitoring, school-based pedagogic and technical support, ongoing training and periodic evaluation.
The new proposals, seen in the wider context of the current roll-out of the Fronter eLearning platform and IWBs, should imply a paradigm change in our education system.
The proposed technologies and the ones being rolled out call for the loosening out of our classroom practices.
The fact that a rethink of the curriculum is underway offers an opportunity for the integration of these new technologies in the wider picture and in a more integrated curriculum. Only then can we ensure effectiveness.
In the near future we need to leave behind a system that is text-book driven and passive and move to one where students ‘learn to learn’ through collaboration and the discovery of knowledge.
Karen Mugliett is a University lecturer and holds a Doctorate in Education specialising in Technology Enhanced Learning.