Technology is a tool, not content

Posted on August 13, 2008
Filed Under Ed Tech, Professional Reflection |

Yesterday started my second year as the computer applications teacher at Cedar Middle School, where I have 7 classes teaching academic somputer skills to 7th and 8th greaders.  Last year we did some simple project involving word processing, presentations, digital animation, web research, and typing, but I was never real content with the design of the class and the assignments.

I have continued to struggle with the design of the class as I have been preparing to kick off this new school year.  I remain unsatisfied with designing word processing assignments just for the purpose of demosntrating the ability to format text, tables, and pictures.  And I know that as a teacher if I cannot get excited about a project or assignment there is no possible way that I am going to convince 200 kids that this is worth their time as well.

As a second job I am also an adjunct professor in the Education Technology MA program at Azusa Pacific University.  I teach classroom teachers how to enhance their students’ classroom experience by using technology tools to enrich lessons and engage students.  In this context I have often regretted that I do not have a regular core content classroom in which to practice embedding technology tools into content lessons as I am teaching my university students to.

It finally occured to my today as I was researching various technology content standards in search of planning inspiration that the solution to both of these issues may be one and the same.  I realized that I have been trying to plan learning experiences for my kids that were designed to teach the academic use of technology tools without really doing anything academic with them, for example, making a multimedia presentation for the puropose of making a presentation.  Then it hit me. Computers, word processing, spreadsheets, the internet, and multimedia presentaions are all tools, not content.   In life we do not learn to use a hammer and nails simply to use the hammer and nails, we learn to use them to build a tree house.  We do not learn to use the barbeque just to know how, but to cook hamburgers for friends and family.  In other words we learn to use tools to accomplish or create something else separate from the tool itself.  In other words I need to design learning experiences that meet core content standards as a meaningful context in which students will learn to use technology tools.

Tomorrow I will begin to research social studies or language arts standards that may be the basis for academic research on the internet and a well formatted paper typed on a word processor.  I will look for math or science standards that may be taught by organizing data in a spreadsheet and building formulas to handle calculations.   Students can reinforce what they are learning in their academic literature classes by building multimedia presentations that storyboard or summarize novels that they are already reading.

I am realizing that technology education, or even the teaching of non-technology academic tools, should not be taught in a sterile, stand-alone environment, but embedded into core content rich learning experiences.  Students will be excited about the tools only when they see what the tools can do for them.

Let me know your ideas, or suggest alternative views.  Any examples of technology embedded in core content lessons?

~Tim

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