A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Systemic Reform: Perspectives on Personalizing Education - September 1994

Local Conditions for Effective Technology Use

With the goals and structure of systemic reform in place, the vision of technology as a powerful tool for learning and managing can begin to be realized. Inside classrooms, a range of technologies from camcorders to computers can support inquiry-based learning. Video and computer technology can make possible the creation of new forms of assessment like student and teacher portfolios. Telecommunications can support the two-way flow of information necessary for decentralized decision making. Hypermedia, video, and networking technology can guide professional development, as well as provide access to new ideas, practices, and information resources (see, for example, Ball, Lampert, & Rosenberg, 1991; Newman, 1992). In fact, technology may be essential for fully realizing the goals of systemic reform by supporting activities otherwise impossible or prohibitively expensive (David 1991).

However, the policy structure for systemic reform is only the starting place. For technology to be used as a powerful learning tool and as a support for reform, certain local conditions must be in place. Whether the use is for administrative, managerial, or instructional purposes, the technology must be readily accessible and functionally suited to the task; and the user must have the necessary training, knowledge, and technical support to use the technology appropriately (see Figure 1). These requirements are elaborated below and apply to classroom instruction as well as to administrative, management, and personal productivity uses.

[figure 1 omitted]

Access to technology requires that it be readily at hand for use as needed, not simply for uses that can be predicted in advance and squeezed into a fixed time slot. For example, teachers are far more likely to use video for instruction when the choice and timing are under their control. Similarly, teachers and administrators are less likely to use telecommunication networks when they must go to a remote location to do so. Nor can students exploit the power of word processing if they must wait for their daily or weekly scheduled time in a lab. The technology must be readily accessible for use when it is needed.

The technology must have the functionality to support the use for which it is intended. For example, use of graphics requires computers with sufficient memory and speed; use of networks requires a sufficient number of phone lines. This is a critical issue in the context of the continually expanding capacity of technology and therefore purposes to which it can be put. Moreover, it is critical that those who make decisions about technology purchases be aware of the functional needs of the tasks for which the technology will be used.

No school system can afford to keep up with the latest technology. It therefore becomes crucial to match older equipment with tasks for which it is well suited. For example, older computers may be totally inappropriate for algebraic graphing and simulations of scientific phenomena but may be perfectly fine for keyboarding skills and composing in the early grades.

Computer, telecommunication, and video technologies offer an unlimited range of potential uses. The challenge for teachers is to make appropriate choices of technologies based on goals for student learning (Dwyer 1992). Open-ended, challenging, collaborative projects are appropriate for certain goals while independent seatwork is appropriate for others. Similarly, integrated learning software that structures and sequences learning and tracks individual progress is appropriate for some goals just as whole-class presentations by the teacher are well-suited for certain purposes and not others.

Judgments about appropriateness require both knowledge about the technology and knowledge about teaching and learning. Therefore, the third prerequisite to effective use of technology is professional development. This encompasses a range of activities not typically considered professional development. Introductory "how-to" workshops on specific kinds of hardware and software have a place, but the critical development and supports are those available on an as-needed basis in the school. These range from opportunities to grow professionally through collaborative work with colleagues (on site as well as via personal and electronic networks), participation in previewing and selecting hardware and software, and observation of others' use of technology to support teaching and learning.

Teachers as technology users also need technical support for operating hardware and software and diagnosing maladies. Like professional support, technical troubleshooting and assistance need to be readily available. When malfunctions occur in the middle of a lesson, leaving the room to telephone someone in another building is not feasible. This problem will likely diminish over time as more and more students become technically proficient and as teachers become more comfortable turning to students as sources of expertise (Ringstaff et al 1992).

If either access, functionality, technical support, or professional development for the task at hand is missing, the likelihood of effective use of technology is significantly reduced. Moreover, experiences in which technology use is ineffective are frustrating and leave potential users less willing to change in the future.


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