From: Martin Weissenboeck[SMTP:mweissen@ccc.at] Sent: Mittwoch, 05. Februar 1997 19:42 To: agtk@ccc.or.at; agtk@ccc.or.at Subject: AGTK 97031: Paedagogischer Nutzen des Internet (4) AGT97031: Paedagogischer Nutzen des Internet (4) 05.02.97 Peter Hild berichtet ueber eine paedagogische Diskussion in den USA. Die wiederkehrende Abk. EC bedeutet nicht European Community! sondern Educational Computing. FUER GANZ EILIGE LESER: 1. WHY IS THERE AN INTEREST IN E.C? 2. HAVE THE GOALS OF EC CHANGED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS? 3. DOES TECHNOLOGY CREATE THE GOALS OR VICE VERSA? 4. DOES OUR CULTURAL CONCEPTION OF INSTRUCTION LIMIT COMPUTING POTENTIAL? 5. WHAT COULD BE DIFFERENT ABOUT THE GOALS OF EC? Forum: EDUC234 Section 8 -- Virtual Classroom Topic: Educational Computing (EC) Posted by: John Caruso Jr. (caruso@ct1.nai.net ) Date posted: Thu Jan 23 17:46:24 US/Eastern 1997 Subject: Carujfp1 (234/8) Message: The level of interest in EC is proportional to those who see the greatest benefits of investing in EC. Education is a major business in the USA and at this point in history has a larger annual budget ($338 B per year) than the DOD. On any day school year, some 48 million K-12 students and 3 million teachers/staff participate in activities that promote cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills. The life goals of education are varied and cover the spectrum of career skills, good citizenship, responsible adults, caring parents, life long learners and productive taxpayers. EC has been represented and misrepresented as having the capacity to raise the level of learning efficiency. As a nation mired in $5 Trillion of debt, any technology that promises a cheaper or faster way to get a myriad of jobs done, has a broad based appeal. 2. HAVE THE GOALS OF EC CHANGED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS? I think the implementation strategies have changed more than the goals as EC technology became more affordable and easier to use. Developing and implementing technology in American society is part of our social ethos. More patents have been issued in the US in the 20th century than the rest of the world combined. As mainframes and PCs iterate into wireless PDA new educational goals beyond the basic test, tutor, tutee and Lego-Logo became plausible and will eventually be realized. 3. DOES TECHNOLOGY CREATE THE GOALS OR VICE VERSA? >From a Eurocentric perspective, genkind has been endowed by a creator with the right to propagate and subdue the environs. If one examines Sternberg, Gardner and post-Piagetian thought a pattern of intellectual disposition suggests by nature humans investigate and manipulate the environment particularly when the environment is hostile. Eurocentrics are not content to simply subsist with nature but must supersede and control natural forces. Can you imagine a computer OS that was based on Taoism? You overcome everything by doing nothing. Who could write that code? 4. DOES OUR CULTURAL CONCEPTION OF INSTRUCTION LIMIT COMPUTING POTENTIAL? All societies have institutional strengths and weaknesses. Eurocentric societies possess enough flexibility to permit moderate technological changes and cultural relativism. Protagorus and Aristotle would have approved of EC and Socrates would have loved those endless dialectical queries about being sent a cookie and do you want to accept it? One of the misconceptions of schools as social institutions is that they are flexible and in a constant state of flux. Schools are more rigid than religious institutions when it comes to changing their culture. Most instruction still occurs using pedestrian variations of Socratic Discourse with a sprinkling of Herbartian information topped off with Orbus Pictus. The British call it the "talk and chalk" method of instruction. Teachers, following "in loco parentis", close their doors to the outside world and remain in control of the learning process. If teachers can eventually redefine themselves as facilitators of learning rather than sources of knowledge, and schools can be restructured (new rights, responsibilities and roles) the benefits of EC will be reached. For the first time in pedagogic history students generally know more about the subject (EC) than the teachers. This is a role reversal few institutions can cope with and not lose momentum and perspective. Imagine defendants knowing more law than lawyers or judges and patients more medicine than doctors or pharmacists and you understand why it is so difficult to infuse EC in the classroom. Schools may eventually use the Lancasterian (monitorial) method of instruction, where students teach students and when they have time teach teachers. One of the criteria affecting change is performance. Corporations see computers and EC as a means to do more work with less personnel (creeping robotics) thus raising their profits while right-sizing their workforce. Other service industries practicing General Systems Analysis from the perspective of TQM, do not fear change but enthusiastically welcome it. The performance of schools are delayed until test scores reflect authentic assessment which exceeds performance based outcomes. 5. WHAT COULD BE DIFFERENT ABOUT THE GOALS OF EC? The goals of EC could be different if adults incorporated the thoughts and wishes of those who were most proficient in EC rather than those who hold the power. Keyboarding and mouse skills are not inherited but acquired. Like all technologies EC will undergo a maturing process. Right now we are in a period of social lag where conventional institutions are being pulled apart, not by change but by the changing rate of change. Roblyer, et. al. Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching. O'Neil, J. On Technology and Schools: A Conversation with Chris Dede. Educational Leadership, October 1995. Van Dusen L. & Worthen B. Can Integrated Instructional Technology Transform the Classroom? Educational Leadership, October 1995. USED "Report to the Nation on Technology and Education." http://www.ed.gov/technology/plan/nattechplan/st-roles.html Solomon, G. The National Plan for Educational Technology: What's Next? Technology and Learning Conference (1995), Atlanta, GA. Zum Autor: Dr. John Caruso Jr., Chair Department of Education & Educational Psychology Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT 06810 Dr. Caruso has been involved in teacher preparation for more than 30 years and in educational technology since 1984. He remains interested in global education after working in Europe (5 years), Asia (5 years) and Latin America (2 years). Mit freundlichen Gruessen aus Tirol Peter Hild hild@netway.at Paedagogische Akademie A-6422 STAMS/TIROL/AUSTRIA Phone: +43 5263 5253 FAX: +43 5263 5255 ------- This message was distributed via the Listserver of the CCC (Computer Communications Club) - (e-mail 'ccc@ccc.or.at' for info's). To unsubscribe from the list send a message to listserv@ccc.or.at with the following command in the message body: 'unsubscribe agtk' .