Wander into a classroom at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland
Park, Illinois and you're likely to glimpse the future of education.
Although students sit at desks and listen to teachers discuss the
finer points of history or geometry, it’s certainly not learning
as usual. Armed with PDAs and special software, students can record
journal entries for an English class, look up translations for a
Spanish class and use probes attached to their handheld to conduct
science experiments. In addition, they can tap into a high speed
Internet connection via a wireless network.
“Handhelds are inexpensive and they greatly improve the ability
for students to learn,” says Darrell Walery, technology director
at Consolidated High School District 230, located just outside
of Chicago. “With PDAs, we can get technology to the point
of learning, whether it’s in the field or in a classroom.” Presently,
about 65 teachers and 1,800 students throughout the district
rely on these devices for a variety of tasks, and the numbers
continue to
grow. “This,” he exhorts, “is the future of education”.
To be sure, computers, PDAs and the internet are changing the way
the students and teachers act… and interact. These days, pixels
are replacing paper, e-learning tools are competing with
classrooms; and discussion groups are complementing study
groups. It’s
not only kindergarten through college that has been touched
by technology. Busy professionals are turning to online learning,
and corporations
are tapping into the power of the Internet to slash costs
while boosting skills and knowledge across a workforce.
“As technology becomes an important part of the world, it
also becomes an important part of education,” observes Barbara
Stein, a senior policy analyst for the National Education Association,
Washington, D.C. Not only must society prepare students for a world
where technology is increasingly pervasive, it’s important
to use technology to improve the learning process. “It’s
essential that students flourish as they grow into adulthood,” she
says.
Yet, changing the face of education presents plenty of challenges.
More than a few schools have discovered that PCs and PDAs alone
cannot boost test scores or ensure a cadre of future Einsteins.
Without new curricula and fresh ways of learning, teaching and thinking,
all the leading edge technology in the world provides only marginal
benefits. “Ultimately, the power resides in the pedagogy,
the content and within human interaction. Computers, the Internet
and other technologies are simply a means to an end,” explains
Chris Dede, Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies and Chair of
the Learning and Teaching program at Harvard University Graduate
School.
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Reproduced with permission © 2003
Samuel Greengard. To enquire, please email: sam@greengard.com
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