On "Reconceptualizing technology integration . . ."

Dede, C. (2011). Reconceptualizing technology integration to meet the challenges of educational
transformation. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction 5, 1 (May), pp. 4-16

http://www.joci.ecu.edu/index.php/JoCI/article/view/121/Dede

Summary
The education industry lags behind other industries in the use of technology to bring down the cost of education.  This abstract supports a shift from integration of technology into the classroom to redefining the classroom through technology use. The author does not want technology to automate teaching, but rather to help the teacher to become more efficient in all aspects of teaching.  It is important to note that in this model, the teacher remains at the center of the educational process and is not simply seen as an adjunct to monitor individualized instruction and assessment completed through technology.

As a designer of technology for education, the author argues that designers should focus their efforts on innovations that can be used in a Digital Teaching Platform and that can be used successfully in any teaching environment.  He calls for programs that offer “contextual variation” that can be adapted and used successfully with a variety of learners in different learning situations.

Response
We should think beyond the classroom integration model of technology.  Fifty years from now, are we still going to be educating our population using a school calendar based on an agrarian system and a delivery system based on industrial models?  This would be a tragedy.  Of course, national reform movements have never been successful, so the integration model of technology use will continue creeping along. Paradoxically, it seems the best way to kill a movement in education is to call for universal reform.

One of the best suggestions in the paper is that the designers of educational technology develop technology with “contextual variation,” that is, technology that is not tailored to suit one particular school but that can be varied by the user to fit any school.  Flexibility of use should be a goal in any new developments of technology.  It is interesting that the most flexible piece of technology used in our school is Google Docs, which wasn’t created specifically for educational use.

Another objective that should drive technology development is one that strengthens the relationship between teacher and student.  Developers should analyze the characteristics of the teacher/student relationship that promote learning and then use the enhancement of these characteristics as a goal in any development.

Also, instead of technology development focusing on delivery and assessment, greater effort  should be put into developing technology that moves beyond the memorization of facts or algorithms.  Technology that promotes innovation and creativity is a desired outcome for new development.  For example, using augmented reality (AR) programs where the students’ actions change the programs’ responses will make educational technology more engaging and give greater opportunity for higher-level thinking.  Instead of creating programs with a linear and predictable outcome, programs that accept and integrate different lines of thinking are needed.