The Paperless Research Paper: Technology in High Schools
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-01-19/paperless-research-paper-technology-high-schools
Guest Host:
Marc Fisher
Imagine researching, writing and handing in a paperless term paper. Or taking a class at another school--without ever leaving your seat. High schools are integrating technology into their lesson plans with exciting results. But are they also fueling a digital gap between haves and have-nots? We'll explore high school in the digital age.
Guests
Natalie Milman
Associate Professor of Educational Technology and Curriculum and Instruction, George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Keith Reeves
Instructional Technologist, Battlefield High School, Haymarket, VA
Bryan Sivak
Chief Technology Officer, District of Columbia
Comments
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It's important to remember that certain skills, such as learning how to write, are best learned via pen and paper. In fact, American University Writing teachers have seen that it's hard to follow the university's green suggestion to do everything on the internet. A new survey also shows that students using the online document-sharing platform, Blackboard, tend NOT to read readings which are posted only online - nor do they print them out. Therefore, proven "low tech" methods should not be lost in the digital age.
See "How Green is My Classroom" report at www.durablehuman.com.
I appreciate that perspective, ViennaRez. Indeed, I didn't have an opportunity to discuss this point on the air, but I'm an ardent advocate of "the right tool for the right job." Sometimes the correct tool for any given task is indeed hard copy paper, or a pencil, or a physical manipulative... indeed, sometimes the right tool is the human mind and a good set of vocal cords! I could not agree more that the full pantheon of techniques, pedagogical and technological, need to be integrated into our school systems for effective teaching and (most importantly) effective student learning. I do not, however, as some nay-sayers would posit, believe that there is a binary choice between one and the other, or that one somehow "supercedes" the other. If we view all technology as simply "tools," which indeed is the definition of technology - anything that mitigates the environment for the user in some way - then we're just broadening our perspectives and our knowledge bases as educators when it comes to tackling the steep hill of 21st century instruction. I agree with your overarching point without reservation, ViennaRez! - K.D. Reeves