Part 2: Imagining the future · How do you think practices in the use of new technologies in schools will develop over the next 10 years? Why? From practical experiences in schools, students are beginning to use new technologies in larger and larger scales, with schools introducing for lower upper primary and lower secondary, personal notebook computers and tablets. From contrast of the two, the tablet technology seems to be the most proactive direction in technological advancement. There are several reasons why this appears to be the case; the foremost being that the tablet allows students to actively touch and participate in the software, creating a virtual environment for them to learn in. The second is that the technology is much easier to monitor when students are not hiding behind a screen as with a notebook computer; the information they are being involved with is not directed in a sole direction, and can be viewed from multiple angles, allowing for further interactivity.
Using these observations as a starting point, one can make several predictions regarding the further development of tablet and portable technological devices in schools. Students are now going through their entire secondary education with the accompanied use of these touch devices, requiring teachers to integrate their usefulness into their lessons. The common use of this technology will guide much of hands on; pen on paper learning into finger on tablet learning, replacing handwritten notes with typed notes on a text document, or stylus based handwriting, and the use of textbooks will be compiled into applications which can be downloaded onto tablets and carried in a digital format for immediate access. The way in which a student would traditionally have learnt through pen on paper will be completely overwritten with a single device which allows students to digitally store their learning material, and digitally interact with it by touching and gesturing through touch technology.
· In what ways might this be a positive development for schooling and student learning? The design of applications will create a more interactive and multimodal learning environment, in which students can access information and perform activities specific to topics, subjects and themes. This will not only benefit from a content aspect; in which educators will be able to tailor software and activities which coincide with their lessons, but will enhance opportunities for students to touch, hear and see the content in which they are learning, broadening the range of learning tools directed towards auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning styles.
The introduction of these tablet devices will enable all coursework (apart from that which require specific media, i.e. visual art, physical education and drama) to be undertaken on one device, ensuring that students have access to all work at any time. The plausibility of this will be to take advantage of Cloud technology, which will allow students and educators to wirelessly store and retrieve information as needed, eliminating the need for large hard drive spaces in these portable devices. This online, digital focus will encourage interactivity with other students, as they will be able to access the information and work both alongside each other, as well as communicate and interact in a virtual setting. Group work will become more commonplace as they link their devices together to interact and solve challenges through multimodal communication.
The touch elements of the tablet will also open up a resolution for some common place arguments against technology in schools, with the ability to actively write using a stylus or digital pen; as is common already on graphic design tablets allowing teachers to still incorporate handwriting into their classes, ensuring that practical real world skills are not being neglected with the introduction of digital technologies. The development of specific software for linguistics, spelling and handwriting will allow students to further advance these skills, following tutorials which allow the student to interact with a lesson and gain a greater, well practiced understanding the handwritten language.
· In what ways might this be a negative development for schooling and student learning? Negatively, the introduction of new technology will continue to push traditional educational methods, which can now be considered as outdated due to added benefits that new technology brings, out of practice; pen on paper writing may lose its place as a generation of students are raised writing on digital devices. The art of writing and drawing without reliance on technology could become a thing of the past, taking away students’ knowledge and respect for the written form and its practice; instead students would have correct spelling, digital dictionaries and autocorrect at their fingertips, eliminating their motivation to actually learn these writing skills through experience. The same would occur for scientific and mathematical equations; with a calculator at their fingertips, actively using their minds to problem solve may be replaced by pushing a single button to find an answer.
The process of actively searching for information through books will also diminish as students will have any and all information they will require within reach of their desks. The speed and amount of information they will have access to will eliminate a student’s want and need to use books and printed publications. Students will shy away from published, reputable material and focus instead on what they can find within an internet search, assuming what information they are given is correct.
The largest issue that will come with new technology will be the educators’ ability to integrate its use into their classrooms. It is clear from experience in schools that administration are making it a requirement to have students take these technologies to all classes, due to the fact that in many cases, it is the parents who have had to purchase the expensive items at the schools request, making it a requirement for all students to have. For classes which are not suited to this technology, and for teachers who have not yet integrated the technology into their classes, these devices become a distraction. Students dislike that they have these devices but are not taking advantage of them, instead choosing to play games or watch movies rather than participate in the class at hand.
· How do you think practices in the use of new technologies in schools will develop over the next 10 years? Why?
From practical experiences in schools, students are beginning to use new technologies in larger and larger scales, with schools introducing for lower upper primary and lower secondary, personal notebook computers and tablets. From contrast of the two, the tablet technology seems to be the most proactive direction in technological advancement. There are several reasons why this appears to be the case; the foremost being that the tablet allows students to actively touch and participate in the software, creating a virtual environment for them to learn in. The second is that the technology is much easier to monitor when students are not hiding behind a screen as with a notebook computer; the information they are being involved with is not directed in a sole direction, and can be viewed from multiple angles, allowing for further interactivity.
Using these observations as a starting point, one can make several predictions regarding the further development of tablet and portable technological devices in schools. Students are now going through their entire secondary education with the accompanied use of these touch devices, requiring teachers to integrate their usefulness into their lessons. The common use of this technology will guide much of hands on; pen on paper learning into finger on tablet learning, replacing handwritten notes with typed notes on a text document, or stylus based handwriting, and the use of textbooks will be compiled into applications which can be downloaded onto tablets and carried in a digital format for immediate access. The way in which a student would traditionally have learnt through pen on paper will be completely overwritten with a single device which allows students to digitally store their learning material, and digitally interact with it by touching and gesturing through touch technology.
· In what ways might this be a positive development for schooling and student learning?
The design of applications will create a more interactive and multimodal learning environment, in which students can access information and perform activities specific to topics, subjects and themes. This will not only benefit from a content aspect; in which educators will be able to tailor software and activities which coincide with their lessons, but will enhance opportunities for students to touch, hear and see the content in which they are learning, broadening the range of learning tools directed towards auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning styles.
The introduction of these tablet devices will enable all coursework (apart from that which require specific media, i.e. visual art, physical education and drama) to be undertaken on one device, ensuring that students have access to all work at any time. The plausibility of this will be to take advantage of Cloud technology, which will allow students and educators to wirelessly store and retrieve information as needed, eliminating the need for large hard drive spaces in these portable devices. This online, digital focus will encourage interactivity with other students, as they will be able to access the information and work both alongside each other, as well as communicate and interact in a virtual setting. Group work will become more commonplace as they link their devices together to interact and solve challenges through multimodal communication.
The touch elements of the tablet will also open up a resolution for some common place arguments against technology in schools, with the ability to actively write using a stylus or digital pen; as is common already on graphic design tablets allowing teachers to still incorporate handwriting into their classes, ensuring that practical real world skills are not being neglected with the introduction of digital technologies. The development of specific software for linguistics, spelling and handwriting will allow students to further advance these skills, following tutorials which allow the student to interact with a lesson and gain a greater, well practiced understanding the handwritten language.
· In what ways might this be a negative development for schooling and student learning?
Negatively, the introduction of new technology will continue to push traditional educational methods, which can now be considered as outdated due to added benefits that new technology brings, out of practice; pen on paper writing may lose its place as a generation of students are raised writing on digital devices. The art of writing and drawing without reliance on technology could become a thing of the past, taking away students’ knowledge and respect for the written form and its practice; instead students would have correct spelling, digital dictionaries and autocorrect at their fingertips, eliminating their motivation to actually learn these writing skills through experience. The same would occur for scientific and mathematical equations; with a calculator at their fingertips, actively using their minds to problem solve may be replaced by pushing a single button to find an answer.
The process of actively searching for information through books will also diminish as students will have any and all information they will require within reach of their desks. The speed and amount of information they will have access to will eliminate a student’s want and need to use books and printed publications. Students will shy away from published, reputable material and focus instead on what they can find within an internet search, assuming what information they are given is correct.
The largest issue that will come with new technology will be the educators’ ability to integrate its use into their classrooms. It is clear from experience in schools that administration are making it a requirement to have students take these technologies to all classes, due to the fact that in many cases, it is the parents who have had to purchase the expensive items at the schools request, making it a requirement for all students to have. For classes which are not suited to this technology, and for teachers who have not yet integrated the technology into their classes, these devices become a distraction. Students dislike that they have these devices but are not taking advantage of them, instead choosing to play games or watch movies rather than participate in the class at hand.