11 Jan, 2010
Does technology improve teaching and learning?
A recent Education Week article (Whiteboards’ Impact on Teaching Seen as Uneven) looked at the use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) in the classroom, and used a combination of anecdotal evidence and a recent study to show that educators are split on the issue. This article could have been written about most educational technology initiatives – just replace “Whiteboards” with laptops, cellphones, iPods, Twitter, or any other bit of technology.
Here’s a telling quote from the Education Week article:
Such a carefully designed rollout, featuring extensive professional development and ongoing support services, does not always occur when districts decide to put the whiteboards in classrooms, critics say. There has been criticism that in too many classrooms, they are nothing more than fancy, expensive chalkboards, especially when their interactive features are ignored by teachers who don’t know how or refuse to use them.
The critics have hit the nail on the head, but are too often misinterpreting their own findings. The problem isn’t the technology, it’s the implementation. In every technology initiative I’ve researched, including a 1-to-1 laptop pilot my school will be rolling out next year, there has been one constant: those schools or districts that took the time to properly research, plan, and train had successful initiatives with positive results. Lack of planning and/or training is sure to doom any technology initiative.
When used properly, with adequate training and curriculum that’s been adapted to take advantage of the technology, IWBs (and laptops, iPods, etc.) can and are improving teaching and learning. All the technology in the world, though, isn’t going to turn a poor teacher into a good one – but may make a good teacher even better.
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