The Learnal

Given the potential of technology to enhance teaching and learning, there is little surprise that schools have been investing in technology. Unfortunately, technology has been and continues to be an expensive and ongoing investment. Recent federal mandates and public demand have led to increasing pressures on schools to show results and to justify such heavy expenses as technology. Sandy Grove Elementary has followed national trends in its recognition of technology’s potential, its increasing investment, and its need to justify this expense with hard evidence. Sandy Grove is still in the early stages of its evaluation process and currently there is little hard data on the impact of program efforts on teaching and learning. This purpose of this study, then, is to gather an early assessment of where Sandy Grove stands in its current efforts to integrate technology into the classroom, what impact these efforts were having on teachers and students, and what is needed to move forward. In order to assess the technology needs of Sandy Grove Elementary, a survey of Sandy Grove’s educators was conducted using School Technology Needs Assessment (STNA). Findings from the survey suggest that while the technology resources are in place, the human resources have yet to be fully developed. 

 

In the early sixties there was a new movement in education whose principles embodied creativity, collaboration, authenticity, individualism, and openness. Walls and doors were dramatically removed from classrooms so students could communicate with peers of all ages and share resources across the building. Teaching was tailored to individual students as they frequently pursued their own learning interests, worked in the community, and collaborated with peers on self directed learning projects. Teachers shifted their roles from learning directors to learning mentors and spent more time working with students individually and in small groups. This movement was call the “Open Classroom.” Sadly, the open classroom faded away and as standards-based curriculum and high-stakes testing have taken the forefront, one wonders if there is any hope for the principles the open classroom embodied. I believe there is.

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I came across some interesting and even surprising research findings today in a review of the literature from Dabbagh’s Online Learning citing a number of studies related to hypertext and hypermedia. Among other things, they found that depending on the order, amount, and support, hyperrtext can have a negative impact on student learning.

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“Yeah, but what about the face-to-face interaction? E-learning is too impersonal!”

This is perhaps one of the most common responses I hear when I’ve eavesdropped on educators discussing online learning. And it’s true. Despite the potential for incorporating live video (face-to-face), or even voice over Internet protocols (ear-to-ear), my own experience in the Ed. Tech online Master’s Program and with online environments in public schools has shown that these tools are rarely incorporated as part of the learning experience. The result can often be an impersonal and isolating experience.
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