| Listening to the Academics on the Issue |
Chronicle of Higher Education: 3
Administrators Debate How Technology Is Changing the Faculty's Role
mp3 version
| Story 1: 51% of Americans feel that Global Warming is Fiction |
| Story 2: Does it really matter if I believe the train is real or not if it is rolling down the tracks at me at 95 mph? - Signs of Technology in Education Today. |
| On average, how often do you use your WWW browser? By this, we mean using your browser for a specific set of tasks or activities. We do not mean how many times you launch your browser per day.
Figure from: GVU's Tenth WWW User Survey (October 1998) Georgia Institute of Technology, Graphics Visualization and Usability Center, http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/ |
| What do you primarily use the Web for?
Figure from: GVU's Tenth WWW User Survey (October 1998) Georgia Institute of Technology, Graphics Visualization and Usability Center, http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/ |
| On average, how many hours a week do you use your WWW browser?
Figure from: GVU's Tenth WWW User Survey (October 1998) Georgia Institute of Technology, Graphics Visualization and Usability Center, http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/ |
| The single most important IT issue for my campus, over the next 2 - 3 years, is:
Figure from: Green, K. C. 2001. Campus Computing, 2001, The 12th National Survey of Computing and Information Technology in US Higher Education, EDUCAUSE 2001 Presentation, The 2001 Campus Computing Project, http://www.campuscomputing.net |
| Percentage of faculty with an individual/personal web page:
Figure from: Green, K. C. 2001. Campus Computing, 2001, The 12th National Survey of Computing and Information Technology in US Higher Education, EDUCAUSE 2001 Presentation, The 2001 Campus Computing Project, http://www.campuscomputing.net |
| Percentage of college courses using IT resources:
Figure from: Green, K. C. 2001. Campus Computing, 2001, The 12th National Survey of Computing and Information Technology in US Higher Education, EDUCAUSE 2001 Presentation, The 2001 Campus Computing Project, http://www.campuscomputing.net |
| Story 3: What about Bethel? |
| Percentage of students with computers:
Four year college data from: Green, K. C. 2001. Campus Computing, 2001, The 12th National Survey of Computing and Information Technology in US Higher Education, EDUCAUSE 2001 Presentation, The 2001 Campus Computing Project, http://www.campuscomputing.net |
| Story 4: Sharon and Fred - A parable
from "Tomorrow's Professor" |
IS
TECHNOLOGY A FRIEND OR FOE OF LEARNING?
Richard M. Felder and Rebecca
Brent North Carolina State University
Tomorrow's Professor
Listserve
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| Story 5: So does technology help learning? - the BIO113D Story - Muscles & Technology |
New Teaching/Learning Tools along with the old
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| Story 6: One Synthesis of Research
Studies PIOTROWSKI, CHRIS and VODANOVICH, STEPHEN J. 2000 |
| Author(s) |
Sample |
Pros |
Cons |
| Vodanovich & Piotrowski (1999b) | 82 I/O academicians | Information availability; remote access; adaptability; convenience | Little formal training; time commitment for course development |
| Hantula (1998) | Web-based course (student evaluations, instructor reactions) | Self-management skills; instructor feedback: Internet learning; flexible, remote access; improved writing skills; fostered thinking | Isolation; access to computers; slow system, software; Internet distraction; server problems |
| Sherman (1998) | Web-based Social Psychology course (student evaluations, instructor reactions) | Positive views of students toward technology; desire to share info. & help others; students shift from "passive" to "active" producers of info. | Time commitment to develop course; technology versus content focus |
| Ridley & Husband (1998) | 100 online education program students | Grade inflation not found | NA |
| Rosseau & Rogers (1998) | 521 university faculty | No age effects in "avoidance" of technology | Older faculty used fewer technology applications |
| Matthew, Parker. & Wilkinson (1998) | 41 College of Education faculty | Gradual increase in computer proficiency | Insufficient "hands- on" training and mentoring |
| Dirks (1997) | 4 university faculty using Interact for instruction | Positive attitudes; motivation toward Web-based instruction | NA |
| Reznich (1997) | 498 clinical faculty | Expressed desire to learn about Internet | 43% did not use computers: 60% expressed low confidence in overcoming online problems |
| Novek (1996) | 135 university faculty | NA | 22% had concerns about devaluation of traditional instruction, dehumanization & student alienation |
| Flake (1991) | 103 college chancellors | Positive views of males and females toward computers | Cautious attitudes of administrators toward computer technology |
| Data from: PIOTROWSKI, CHRIS and VODANOVICH, STEPHEN J. 2000 . ARE THE REPORTED BARRIERS TO INTERNET-BASED INSTRUCTION WARRANTEED?: A SYNTHESIS OF RECENT RESEARCH. Education, 121:48 - 53. Note: The information above is not a comprehensive list of all positive and negative results, but a representative summary of the primary findings of each study. |
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| Story 7: A second synthesis |
Computer-Based Technology
and Learning: Evolving Uses and Expectations
By Gilbert Valdez, Mary McNabb, Mary Foertsch, Mary Anderson, Mark Hawkes, and
Lenaya Raack
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
[Direct extract from the executive summary of the report]
The report finds that:
| Variables | Phase I Print Automation |
Phase II Expansion of Learning Opportunities |
Phase III Data-Driven Virtual Learning |
| Engaged Learning- Instruction- Student Roles |
Students use technology that automates print-based practices with some increase in active hands-on learning. | Students use technology to organize and produce reports, often using multimedia formats. | Students use technology to explore diverse information resources inside and outside school and produce information for real-world tasks. |
| Engaged Learning- Instruction- Teacher Roles |
Teachers have limits on structuring the learning due to the closed-end design of the software. The quality of learning depends on the intended learning outcomes set by software developers. | Teachers use technology to access information, model problem solving, and develop simulations that provide greater understanding of how technology is used in the work world. | Teachers continue to use technology to guide and engage students in self-directed learning activities. They model problem solving that reflects real work but focuses on areas that are otherwise difficult to teach. |
| Engaged Learning- Instruction- Grouping |
Amount and quality of collaboration is highly dependent on the design of the software. | Learning approach is individual, but the outcome is sharing a product with classmates. | Learning approach is a developmental process that is enhanced by working with others inside and outside the classroom. |
| Engaged Learning- Content- Standards Based |
Content is usually focused on skills and inert knowledge with little attention to standards or research. | Content reflects research and best practices but is usually not linked to national standards. Technology use focuses on finding and presenting information. | Content reflects national standards, research, and best practices.Technology use is aligned with standards to enhance application of content learning to real-life situations. |
| Engaged Learning- Content- Conceptual Integrity |
Segmented skills or knowledge are emphasized without conceptual connections. | Conceptual integrity is considered important, but analysis of key understandings is usually limited. | Conceptual integrity is important; key understandings are defined; and a variety of resources and strategies are linked to integrated concepts. |
| Engaged Learning- Content- Authentic Tasks |
Design of the software determines whether work reflects real-world problems and resources. Printed resources convey established knowledge. | Students are given opportunities to make real-world connections, but because access to outside-building resources is limited, true real-world connectivity is superficial and forced. | Students have greater opportunities to access up-to-date, real-world resources and experts, especially through the Internet and other telecommunication resources; focus is on solving authentic tasks. |
| Technology- Connectivity |
Limited to electronic print. Information is transferred via exchanges of portable diskettes. | Electronic print with some limited multimedia and networking capacity. Information transfer largely limited to connectivity tied to a hard drive in a building. | Multimedia and global telecommunications network infrastructure enables unlimited information transfer and online collaboration. |
| Technology- Learning Access |
Few opportunities exist to take online courses. Distance education is lecture driven. | Some courses delivered to schools via videoconferencing when access to qualified teachers is limited. Courses are traditional lecture mode with minimal interaction and summative evaluation. | Students and teachers any where can access learning experiences online as they need them; and engaged learning strategies are used in the instruction. Data-driven decision making helps determine the flow of instruction and appropriate uses of technology resources. |
| Systemic Integrity- Vision for Use of Technology |
Vision is focused on obtaining technology hardware and software. Little attention is given to changing learning strategies. | Vision is focused on increasing learning opportunities and strategies to better succeed in an information-rich world. | Vision is focused on increasing learning opportunities by using data to determine priorities and strategic use of resources. |
| Systemic Integrity- Professional Development |
Sites provide technology-focused workshops emphasizing basic hands-on skills. Typically workshops are "sit-and-get." Teachers have little time to practice and have little access to ongoing support. | Professional development is beginning to focus on instruction and learning as the driver to designing technology-based units. Efforts are still limited by poor access to technology and a poor vision of learning. | Professional development is aligned with research and best practices where teachers participate in just-in-time study groups, online seminars, action research, and collaboration with colleagues. |
| Systemic Integrity- Professional Development |
There are few efforts to use technology to involve parents and the community. | Technology is used to inform parents and the community, but communication is limited primarily to technology-developed newsletters and multimedia presentations. | Web sites and interactive electronic systems are used to provide multi-tiered collaborations among educators, students, parents, and community members. Data-driven practices inform all levels of collaboration. |
| Systemic Integrity- Evaluation and Accountability |
Many data-gathering efforts exist, but they are not tied to objectives. The results are not structured for technology use that would allow easy and customized analysis. | Objective data is available, but technology programs provide only district and classroom data with little disaggregation of data for formative evaluation. | Technology data tools are used in classrooms that provide both formative and program information to teachers, parents, students, principals, curriculum directors, and policymakers as appropriate for their individual and collective needs. |
| Conclusions: If there is "no significant difference" does the process matter? |
| Exercise # 1: What is reality: an exercise |
Feline reactions to bearded men
| Exercise # 2: What is reality in technology for your course? |
| SEVEN
PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD PRACTICE
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