Day 3: Shift

Our school is going through a fundamental philosophical shift regarding technology. I can see it and wonder how many others are consciously aware.

In the past the emphasis was technology as a topic with a sprinkling of a tool aspect here and there. MEANING... Student were taught technology, either intentionally in keyboarding and media time or indirectly through projects in the classrooms. The focus was on learning technology as a topic. Learning podcasts, learning iMovie, learning PowerPoint, etc. I'm not saying that this is completely bad. There is a necessary amount of skills and fundamental knowledge needed to use technology effectively. I am saying, however, that this approach does not help unlock the true potential technology has to improve the teaching-learning process.

I am hoping, in light of discussions around school the last few days, that our new philosophical approach to technology is about the curriculum. MEANING... Technology is used as a tool in the natural teaching-learning process. The emphasis is on how this tool improves learning. Thus, learning how to use the technology is secondary to the primary objective, the curricular objectives. In that light teachers don't say, "I want a set of iPods" or "I want students to learn to make a blog." Instead they say, "I want ways to improve reading fluency" and "I feel my students need more feedback on their writing to help them learn how to revise.". In the context of those latter questions, the purpose is to improve student performance in quantifiable curricular area. It is not about the acquisition of a skill set alone.

The idea comes first. A great read before I elaborate more.

Great ideas online aren't about creating a technology. They are about solving a fundamental problem or improving a needed process. Twitter did not come from someone wanting to make a fun little tool. It came from a need for a small group of people to communicate faster and more directly. The tool was designed to meet a need, to improve a process. Facebook... Help connect people better. Wikipedia... Build a free, online encyclopedia. When the idea of highly qualified, peer review took too long, adapt the idea.

Here is to the hope that the 'tool' philosophy wins out and that learning always is the primary focus.